need a new RV battery

[Jim.Allison]

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/DealerLocator/Default.aspx
8 miles from your location are these two dealers who have your OEM Interstate Battery.

http://westfloridabattery.net/
If you would like to have real battery

Pay me now or pay me later.........There is a lot of difference between what the consumer buys and what industry buys.

Pound for pound consumers pay much more and get much less than an industrial user.

If the battery you are looking at is measured in CCA (cold cranking amps) it is not a house battery for an RV it is a starting battery. Cars and motorhomes need cold cranking amps.

A house battery for an 5th wheel will be measured in "amp hours." The 20 hour rating you need is at the very least 110 amp hours. House batteries are not measured in CCA.

Yes, I'm thinking along those lines also, however can't find a place hear in Port Richey Fl. that has Interstate batteries.

 

[Bobby A]

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/DealerLocator/Default.aspx
8 miles from your location are these two dealers who have your OEM Interstate Battery.

http://westfloridabattery.net/
If you would like to have real battery

Pay me now or pay me later.........There is a lot of difference between what the consumer buys and what industry buys.

Pound for pound consumers pay much more and get much less than an industrial user.

If the battery you are looking at is measured in CCA (cold cranking amps) it is not a house battery for an RV it is a starting battery. Cars and motorhomes need cold cranking amps.

A house battery for an 5th wheel will be measured in "amp hours." The 20 hour rating you need is at the very least 110 amp hours. House batteries are not measured in CCA.

Thanks for the information Jim, now I am getting really confused !! LOL. My original Interstate battery that last 5 years had 405 CCA and 505 MCA, I didn't see on the battery anything about amp hours ?? What battery are you using in your rig ?? Thanks

 

[Bobby A]

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/DealerLocator/Default.aspx
8 miles from your location are these two dealers who have your OEM Interstate Battery.

http://westfloridabattery.net/
If you would like to have real battery

Pay me now or pay me later.........There is a lot of difference between what the consumer buys and what industry buys.

Pound for pound consumers pay much more and get much less than an industrial user.

If the battery you are looking at is measured in CCA (cold cranking amps) it is not a house battery for an RV it is a starting battery. Cars and motorhomes need cold cranking amps.

A house battery for an 5th wheel will be measured in "amp hours." The 20 hour rating you need is at the very least 110 amp hours. House batteries are not measured in CCA.

Jim, your information on this subject has become very valuable, I appreciate it, I'm still searching. Thanks so much

 

[Jim.Allison]

Well, if you are happy with the batt that you had, and it lasted 5 years, then the Sams batt pictured earlier in the thread is a good deal, I would buy 2, hook them up in parallel for 12v 210ah and be done with it, it would be a nice improvement and the next five years will provide you with ample power. Your charger is designed to care for your batteries, that is why you got 5 years out of the interstate.

If you have a few extra bucks, I would go find a Trojan of the same size, or perhaps a pair of Trojans that would fit in your battery cabinet without much trouble.

If you have no inverter and you are only using DC out of your rig then 50% of 210 amp hours (2 of the Duracell) will provide ample power to run the lights, the 12v system on the water heater when on propane, and the 12v system when running the refer on propane, and the 1 or 2 ah required by your rig to run all the detectors and possible ghost drains. When not on shore power.

If you are running any type of inverter to watch tv or the like then you can figure about 7 or 8 amp hours. Your rig should only consume 1 amp hour when the battery switch is on and you are off shore power. for a total of 9. At 50% discharge you could theoretically watch TV for 5 hours without being hooked up to shore power with the everlast batteries. I'm actually amazed that you can get a 12v AGM with 105 amp hours at Sams.

They are not for me, Trojans or continentals are my type of batts, but for someone that just needs to run lights and a small inverter, I would be hard pressed to say that you need anymore than 1 or 2 of Sams Duracell batteries rated at 105 ah as pictured.

Thanks for the information Jim, now I am getting really confused !! LOL. My original Interstate battery that last 5 years had 405 CCA and 505 MCA, I didn't see on the battery anything about amp hours ?? What battery are you using in your rig ?? Thanks

 

[Jim.Allison]

Notice the Tag indicating this battery at 105 ah. I'm sorry that I did not notice this earlier. This is not a bad deal, I would buy a pair of these for (2x105ah) 210 amp hours. In a heartbeat. He could charge and discharge to 50% and preserve battery life. It would improve is current batt setup (with which he is happy) and his 3 step charger knows how to care of these batts.

I have a very sophisticated solar and inverter system and use 2 Trojans T1275 for 300 ah, (flooded lead acid) and I can genuinely say that I would buy 3 of these for my system in a pinch. I'm impressed.

If his cabinet is like mine, he could easily buy 2 of these and parallel them with about 36 to 42 (the shorter the better) inches of 4awg batt cables from NAPA or Autozone. Then place the positive house lead on the positive terminal of one batt and the negative house lead on the other. Done 1/2 hour job, 210 amp hours and new batts, wallet still in good shape.

Best bang for the buck I could find to replace the oem battery with an AGM, and it even fit the original box... Got it at Sams Club.
//heartlandowners.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31085&d=1407367428

 

[mobilcastle]

Put the same one and go camping and forget about it.

 

[Bohemian]

Batteries in one bank should always be matched.

 

[Bobby A]

Notice the Tag indicating this battery at 105 ah. I'm sorry that I did not notice this earlier. This is not a bad deal, I would buy a pair of these for (2x105ah) 210 amp hours. In a heartbeat. He could charge and discharge to 50% and preserve battery life. It would improve is current batt setup (with which he is happy) and his 3 step charger knows how to care of these batts.

I have a very sophisticated solar and inverter system and use 2 Trojans T1275 for 300 ah, (flooded lead acid) and I can genuinely say that I would buy 3 of these for my system in a pinch. I'm impressed.

If his cabinet is like mine, he could easily buy 2 of these and parallel them with about 36 to 42 (the shorter the better) inches of 4awg batt cables from NAPA or Autozone. Then place the positive house lead on the positive terminal of one batt and the negative house lead on the other. Done 1/2 hour job, 210 amp hours and new batts, wallet still in good shape.

Again, I appreciate your/everyones input, with your insight I decided to call Interstate Battery tech support today to see what my old Interstate was rated since it was not on the Battery. To my surprise my old battery was group # HD24-DP reserve capacity 100@25amp, and the AH was only 64 @ 20 hr. rating. Not very good per your information. The next size was a 27 with AH of 96 @ 20 hours. The next group 29 was 100AH @ 20 hours. The last one a 31 is 130AH @20 hours and the person I talked to said that would be an over kill for a person that does not boondock. They suggested if I wanted to go up, to go to the next size of 27 since that was the biggest increase. If I was to go with the Duracell AGM from Sams it about 100 buck more than the Interstate. I'm still deciding on which way to go. Thanks everyone

 

[Jim.Allison]

Oh, ok, the Duracell is a AGM, the flooded are less expensive. How much is that duracell anyway?

Again, I appreciate your/everyones input, with your insight I decided to call Interstate Battery tech support today to see what my old Interstate was rated since it was not on the Battery. To my surprise my old battery was group # HD24-DP reserve capacity 100@25amp, and the AH was only 64 @ 20 hr. rating. Not very good per your information. The next size was a 27 with AH of 96 @ 20 hours. The next group 29 was 100AH @ 20 hours. The last one a 31 is 130AH @20 hours and the person I talked to said that would be an over kill for a person that does not boondock. They suggested if I wanted to go up, to go to the next size of 27 since that was the biggest increase. If I was to go with the Duracell AGM from Sams it about 100 buck more than the Interstate. I'm still deciding on which way to go. Thanks everyone

 

[Bobby A]

Oh, ok, the Duracell is a AGM, the flooded are less expensive. How much is that duracell anyway?

I think on the Sams club web site it was 179.00, whats your thoughts ???

 

[Bohemian]

You can also consider these


http://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/products/bluetop

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/...47384905,A~Part+Number&searchTerm=RVSealedAGM

Note: Optima used to be the AGM battery from Interstate. Are they now separate companies or is this just branding?

 

[Jim.Allison]

The batt is made by a good name in the AGM battery world, I have to assume it will perform as published. The AGM charges faster and is within the parameters of your progressive charger, 105 to 110 amp hours is considerably higher than what you were running. The faster charging ability of the AGM is critical when on generator instead of shore power. Unless you have a sophisticated solar charging system and inverter I can't see you needing anymore than this battery. What I don't like about Sams is that, they have in the past sold name brand batteries such as the Sams Interstate battery, but an interstate dealer would not warranty them, they were specific to Sams. I thought that was a rip off. So its not the battery I'm concerned with it is Sams. But if you are a Sams shopper, there are plenty of them Sams Stores around. $179 does not seem like a bad deal. I still stand by my original statement, I prefer the industrial battery suppliers such as Trojan or Continental and some of the others, but 105 amp hours for $179 in an AGM is not bad and I would use them.

To compare what I have to this battery, I have two huge T1275 Trojan batteries, FLA not AGM. I have 300 amp hours at the 20 hour rate. It would take 3 of the Sams Duracell to equal my system for about the same total price. AGM is more desirable than my FLA.


The upshot for $179, I would buy it. Try not to deplete it more than 50% before recharging it and you will get your moneys worth. Before you had 65 amp hours if you only depleted them 50% then you had only 35 to 40 amp hours available, with this batt you will have 50 amp hours.

Actually Im impressed, by it and another person on this thread commented that he bought one and is getting good service from it. So you will not be alone in ownership. Proceed my friend.

I think on the Sams club web site it was 179.00, what's your thoughts ???

 

[Jim.Allison]

A comment about Sams and their former association with Interstate Battery.

I once had an interstate battery from Sams, It was a premium battery 60 or 72 month batt, I cant exactly remember. The batt failed prematurely and was eligible for adjustment. By then Sams and Interstate had split the sheets, and Sam's was carrying Duracell. Meanwhile I took my battery to an interstate battery dealer to get the battery adjusted and was told they would not adjust a Sams interstate battery. That is when I discovered that it was a Sams "private label" interstate battery. Odd to say the least.

So I went to Sams and they tried to adjust my 72 month with a 48 month duracell and charge me the pro rata on the 72 month interstate. I refused the deal. Telling them that that is not the way it works, and that I could buy a 48 month batt anywhere for the same price without an adjustment. I seem to remember asking him what kind of chump he thought I was. LOL BTW, if you ever see a customer having an argument over mathematics and a product adjustment policy, just stay out of it, then man is a fellow customer. you should be advocating for him instead of jumping in on the side of the store. LOL. I guess the stress overwhelmed his meds, I don't know.

I contacted Interstate and the marketing department told me to go buy the interstate battery that I needed, send them the proof of purchase and they would send me $50. I did exactly that, and interstate sent the $50 even though they were not obligated to.

 

[Bobby A]

I read your post on # 32 and 33, GREAT INFO my friend, thanks for all your insight. Sounds like Interstate did your right. BTW what is your opinion on DECA batterys ?? I contacted one of the industrial praces you were talking about and they sell DEKA 500CCA and 23 amp @150 minutes the guy said, he did not have a A.H. rating.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Bobby, if you do the math on this. It is a rule of thumb that you take the reserve capacity and multiply by two, in this case 23 X2 = 46 for 46 mp hours. This is not a good batt for your application. You need a house batt. A house batt is measured in Amp Hours. Although reserve capacity will also be listed. Never will you see CCA on a true deep cycle batt. The DEKA batt is a reliable battery manufacturer. The batt you had is a "jack of all trades" it is neither a good deep cycle or a good starting batt. Dig into your purse and go get a batt that will give you good life and provide about 100 or better amp hours. This will give you 50 amp hours capacity at 50% discharge. The 50% mark has been established to provide good life per dollar on a batt. But if you only have 46 to start with and you discharge beyond 23 then you are abusing the battery. A good batt will last a long time with the progressive charger, and if you take care of it by not discharging it over 50% ( you can go to 80% now and then) and you water it properly. AGM are the best because you don't have to water them and they charge faster. Charging faster means less generator time and your truck will charge it through the 7 pin also. AGMs accept charge faster and are maintenance free. GO see those Trojan people and tell them you want a 100 to 125 amp hours to fit in your battery box and I guarantee that will do the job for you for many years to come. Pride in ownership.......lol

I read your post on # 32 and 33, GREAT INFO my friend, thanks for all your insight. Sounds like Interstate did your right. BTW what is your opinion on DECA batterys ?? I contacted one of the industrial praces you were talking about and they sell DEKA 500CCA and 23 amp @150 minutes the guy said, he did not have a A.H. rating.

 

[Bohemian]

Here is the Duracell AGM data

 

[pegmikef]

Here is the Duracell AGM data

I thought I understood this, but now I am confused because the specs for these deep cycle batteries all have CCA values. Are there different kinds of deep cycle batteries (e.g., ones that don't list CCA) or what?

 

[Bohemian]

I thought I understood this, but now I am confused because the specs for these deep cycle batteries all have CCA values. Are there different kinds of deep cycle batteries (e.g., ones that don't list CCA) or what?

Many AGM manufacturers give both ratings because they believe their batteries are good for both uses.

 

[Jim.Allison]

When you get your head wrapped around this battery stuff you need to start planning that solar rig you always wanted. LOL. Dont feel bad or confused, I did not know anything until I started my solar system. And I still learn something everyday. Infact, I'm learning a lot just working with you on your batts.

Every battery can provide CCA, reserve power and amp hours. But a deep cycle battery is only good at amp hours, it is poor at CCA, so poor infact there is no reason to publish the CCA. But a batt that is good at providing CCA is poor at providing deep cycle and amp hours, so the amp hours are not generally published for them.

Both styles of batteries are fruit but one is an apple and one is an orange. The RV/marine from interstate is a crossbreed between the two, and is not particularly good at either job.

What you are looking for is a Deep Cycle Battery with at least 100 amp hours, AGM instead of flooded Lead Acid (FLA). If you have no problem with FLA, then you should be able to bring the price down, The AGM is what is pushing the price up on you.

This is why I was so surprised that the costco battery had such a good amp hour rating. It seems to be a superior RV/marine deep cycle battery that I have never seen before. Its 105 amp hours according to them and for $179 its not bad for an AGM. I dont think you are going to beat it.

Now you can go for known quality and spend 225 or 250 over at the Trojan place, and get one heck of a known quality batt or you can go with this one, but the way you use it, and the money you want to spend, seems like Duracell is a good choice. It is unusual in that it list all the different methods of measuring a batt.

Here is a link to trojan specification guide.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/TRJN0111_ProdSpecGuide.pdf

Here is a link to their webpage

http://www.trojanbattery.com/


Keep studying its stretching your brain, you will know a lot by the time you choose. But in the event that I confused you, no matter how the battery is labeled, if it does not indicate the amp hours on it or in a publication somewhere its not a good batt for you.

I thought I understood this, but now I am confused because the specs for these deep cycle batteries all have CCA values. Are there different kinds of deep cycle batteries (e.g., ones that don't list CCA) or what?

 

[Cjackg]

were you referring to the Sams Club Duracell AGM...? I dont think CostCo carries the Duracells...

Another correction... The Duracell AGM from Sam's has an 18-month replacement warranty instead of the 12-month that Duracell shows in their specs.

I sorted through all this mess a long time before I bought the Sam's Club Duracell and I have always had good experience with Sam's on warranty followup... maybe not as great as CostCo but better than 98% of other dealers.