Battery Life

[DKRITTER]

We have a 5th wheel that's about 18 months old and have noticed the 4 6v batteries (dealer installed) don't have the life they used to. I've pulled them out every 6 months to maintain them.

 

So I was wondering roughly how long do the no name dealer installed batteries last on average? Thinkin it's time to study up.

 

 

While we're on the subject what replacement would y'all recommend?

 

 

I would prefer not to have to take them out to fill them if possible.

[Yarome]

A lot depends on the actual age of manufacture, how they were maintained prior to installation, usage, the charger being used to maintain them once they are put into service, SOC (state of charge) under ambient temperatures, wiring and degree of discharge under use.

Before considering a new battery bank I would first ensure that the charging system you are using is adequate for the job and that your batteries are appropriately wired (guage size appropriate for the length of wiring from the charger to your batteries as well as the interconnections between batteries) to ensure they are able to receive an adequate charge level.

Typically, a properly maintained no-name brand 6v should provide anywhere from 2-4 years of service. Older and poorly maintained.. that time frame could easily be cut in half.

One thing to point out is that most wet-cell's will self discharge approximately 10-15% every 30 days so a little more aggressive maintenance plan might be in order. Ie., a charge cycle... say... every 45-60 days vs. 6 months. A small battery tender is also a good option if more regularly scheduled charging cycles is not convenient.

Is sounds like you are more seasonal RV'rs with fairly long periods of storage. In that case, going with the least expensive true deep cycle battery would be most cost effective for you. I would recommend Sam's Club/Costo 6V golf cart batteries. They generally run around $80 a pop.. so $170ish per set (double that for 2 sets.. 4 x 6v's).

I would really take a look at your energy requirements to, first of all, determine if you "need" 4 batteries (approximately 420-440 amp hours capacity). If you only need enough capacity for travel between point A and point B... or only dry camp overnight, 2 x 6v golf cart type batteries might be sufficient.

Watering.. That's very difficult to get away from and still keep the overall cost of your battery bank manageable. Ie., 4 x 6v batteries with similar capacities might look something like this:

Sam's club/Costco: $340
High quality deep cycle: $600
AGM (no watering required): $1200

However! There are several watering systems that can be permanently plumbed to your battery bank that makes watering both quick and simple without having to really "dig" into your battery compartment.. or remove batteries for watering.

This is all just very general information. Without having a better idea of your intended usage, charging system and personal priority of cost over convenience it's very difficult to give more specific information.