Power Volt brand batteries

alan0043 · December 21, 2018

Hi Everyone,

I would like to know if anyone has any experience or knowledge about Power Volt batteries. They are in Dallas, Texas. The following is the info on a tag on the battery. Deep cycle, V27DC7, 675 cca, 160RC. This is the only info on the batteries. There are two of them wired in parallel in my trailer. My trailer also has a residential refrigerator. The batteries seem to me to be a marine style deep cycle starting battery. There is no info on the tag about amp hours. Will this battery type work good with the residential refrigerator going down the road ? What should I know about these batteries ? I have done a Google search on this battery type with no luck. What are your thoughts about these batteries ? All info is good, pro or con.

I wish those batteries where 6 volt golf cart batteries. I was hoping to add two more batteries to the trailer before I found out that what these batteries were. Is it going to be worth adding more batteries or do I need to replace the batteries in question ?

Thank you for any info,
Al

Kirk W · December 21, 2018

Like you, I first went to Google to search and the only thing even close to the brand you list which I could find was a company called Power-Volt and they don't seem to make batteries. What you have seem to be the marine type of battery which is better than a pure starting battery, but not a true deep cycle battery. Do you have any knowledge of the age of the batteries that you have now? Is this a new RV and did you just take possession of it? While some folks may give you a definitive answer to your question, it is impossible to say what is best for you from the little that we know. If this is a used RV it would seem that the present batteries must have been working fine for the previous owner. If this were mine and I was not living in the RV I would run some tests before making a decision.

The first test I would do is to pull the batteries out and have them load tested by a trusted battery shop. That will tell you the condition of the batteries. Next, I would make sure that they are fully charged and then start the refrigerator to precool it like would be the case when traveling. Leaving the refrigerator empty, I'd then remove shore power and let the refrigerator only run to see how long it will keep cool on the batteries alone. If it will run for 12 hours or more, it is pretty safe to say that it will do fine when traveling with 12V from the tow vehicle. Another part to the answer for your question is the amount of power the 12V side of your tow vehicle can supply to the RV. To determine that you need to first check the fuse size to the 12V lead to the RV as it is a limiting factor. Next is the wire size as the wire size is probably the reason for the fuse size. Most tow vehicles have the ability to supply more current than the wire size actually allows and so an upgrade to large diameter wire from your tow vehicle charging system to the batteries of the RV will greatly increase the ability to supply recharging current or power to run the inverter & refrigerator. If you rarely spend time dry camping, you may be better served by upgrading the ability of your tow vehicle to supply battery power than by buying new or more batteries.

jblo · December 21, 2018

The above is a very good way to figure the battery situation out.

If a battery lists CCA on the label, it is NOT a true deep cycle battery, it is a starting/running battery. As said, better than a regular car battery, but not a true deep cycle.

With an HDT tow and the Smart Car setup, you would not seem to be a novice at this--what is the situation with the trailer? New, or new-to-you?

Are the batteries wet-cell or sealed?

alan0043 · December 21, 2018

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your input. The trailer is new to me. My other trailer had golf cart batteries in it. Also my other trailer had a rv style frig. The residential frig is new trailer is new to me also. I have only had this trailer for less than 5 months. The batteries are in battery boxes so I could not tell what they where. The batteries could be less then 6 months old. They are a wet-cell battery. I pulled the batteries out of the trailer for the winter. That's when I discovered what brand and type of battery they are. They look brand new. I will need to check and test the truck to see what if I have 12 volts going back to the trailer. Right now, I don't know the answer, if there is voltage going from the truck to the trailer. I still consider myself a rookie when it comes to my truck and trailer. I am on the high end of the learning curve. Electrical stuff is always a challenge for me. I wonder why the trailer manufacturer choose that battery.

Please keep the input coming,
Al

Lou Schneider · December 21, 2018

Power Volt is a trademark of Interstate Batteries, which is headquartered in Dallas. Like Kirk, I couldn't find a direct reference for your batteries on the Net so they're probably a discontinued model.

A local Interstate Battery distributor may have some information about them.

Kirk W · December 21, 2018

Was the trailer used when you bought it? If so you may want to try and contact the previous owner to see what experience he had with the present batteries. If you have space, I would upgrade to 6V golf cart batteries as they are true, deep cycle batteries. A great deal depends on how you plan to use the RV. At one time we did a lot of dry camping but now that we are extra senior citizens we only rarely spend a night where we do not have at least electricity and usually full hookups. For that reason, I am staying with the single 12V battery that came with our present "tiny trailer." Upgrading might be nice but it really isn't cost justified. I also carry a Honda 200i generator so spending more is just not cost effective. You may be in that same situation if you do not plan to dry camp. If you are only concerned about the operation of the refrigerator while traveling, you are probably in good shape.

4 hours ago, alan0043 said:

I will need to check and test the truck to see what if I have 12 volts going back to the trailer.

Now that you are towing a fifth wheel I highly suspect that you have a standard, 7 pin RV plug from the tow truck. If so then it is almost a sure thing that you also have 12V power but you probably should confirm that. Below is a drawing of the plug that you most likely have.

7-Way-RV-Style-Trailer-Plug-Wiring-Diagr

jblo · December 22, 2018

"Electrical stuff is always a challenge to me." I feel your pain. Since the trailer is used, the previous owner is probably the one who put them in. If you are going to be plugged in every night, they should be ok to keep the RR running all day just fine--if you determine they are both in good shape. If you aren't going to be plugged in each night, you will need to consider a gen or solar to keep them up...most everyone with a RR and wanting to keep it running well, have put in 4 batteries. 6 volts are generally considered to be better than 12 volts for long-term use. It really all comes down to how you are planning to use the trailer.

Keep asking...we'll do what we can to help.

alan0043 · December 22, 2018

Hi Guys,

Thank you again for the post. I should have said the trailer is new. I would believe the trailer manufacturer installed the batteries. The batteries are also in battery boxes with lids. That is why I could not tell what type of battery was in the trailer. I wonder why the manufacturer choose those batteries to use in the trailer ?

Thank you Kirk for the wiring diagram. This is going to be a big help with the testing.

I am also concerned how well the batteries perform when using the landing gear and the slides. The slides on this trailer are hydraulic. But there is an electric motor used with the hydraulic slides.

Please keep the info coming,
Al

DesertMiner · December 22, 2018

If in doubt...... change them out!😃

hemsteadc · December 22, 2018

6 hours ago, alan0043 said:

I wonder why the manufacturer choose those batteries to use in the trailer ?

Cost.

Kirk W · December 22, 2018

8 hours ago, alan0043 said:

I am also concerned how well the batteries perform when using the landing gear and the slides. The slides on this trailer are hydraulic. But there is an electric motor used with the hydraulic slides.

I suggest that you make the refrigerator test as suggested earlier and you could do that same thing with the landing gear and slides. You have not said if you expect to spend time dry camping without any outside power source? If you do not, it is my opinion that replacing batteries that are less than a year old would be unnecessary.

alan0043 · December 23, 2018

15 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I suggest that you make the refrigerator test as suggested earlier and you could do that same thing with the landing gear and slides. You have not said if you expect to spend time dry camping without any outside power source? If you do not, it is my opinion that replacing batteries that are less than a year old would be unnecessary.

Hi Kirk,

Thank you for the idea of doing test on the trailer's different systems. Right now testing the refrigerator would not work to good because it only gets to 32*F during the day. But I can test the landing gear and slides. What is a safe low voltage that the batteries can go down to before they should be recharged ? I saw an article about this subject but I can't find it right now. If I remember right, I don't want the batteries to go below 12 volts. Is this correct ?

Al

Kirk W · December 23, 2018

2 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

If I remember right, I don't want the batteries to go below 12 volts. Is this correct ?

The voltages typically are given for a resting battery with an open circuit. The reason for that is that when current begins to flow from a battery, the voltage measured between the two posts will drop. The following comes from Exide batteries.

Quote

Temperature: 77 degrees Fahrenheit

Percent Hydrometer Unloaded
charge     reading   voltage
     100       1.265     12.63
      75        1.210     12.30
      50        1.160     12.00
      25        1.120     11.76
       0         1.100     11.64

Those measurements are taken with the battery open and rested for at least 30 minutes. To make these tests accurately you need to lift a battery cable and let the battery "rest." While the battery is under load you would likely read about 11.5V at that same point.