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    Seasoned Camper
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    Best battery for RV?

    AGM or lead acid? I may be having to replace my Interstate lead acid and searches came up with Optima blue top AGM. Opinions?
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    Seasoned Camper
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    The basics is both will do the job well and becomes a matter of preference, but to know, lead acid are less expensive and require more maintenance and tend to have a bit more amp hours while AGM are more expensive but do not require maintenance as they are sealed.
    Last edited by BB&LAB; 11-24-2020 at 09:29 AM. Reason: content
    Regards, Bruce, Lin An, Kenji & Suki (Our two Akitas)
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    Long Hauler bertschb's Avatar
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    Your thread title reads "Best Battery For RV?". IMO, that rules out lead acid and AGM.

    I would argue the best battery for an RV is a LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate). After struggling with lead acid batteries for years, I switched to LiFePO4 this year. Higher capacity, faster charging, less weight, zero maintenance, built in battery management system so you can't over/under charge, etc, etc. The only downside is price. Battleborn are the go-to choice for LiFePO4 but there are a couple others (e.g. Lion Energy) that are a good value if you can get them on sale at Costco.

    Good luck in whichever way you choose to go.
    Last edited by bertschb; 11-24-2020 at 09:45 AM.
    Brian & Kellie
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    Big Traveler
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    AGM is lead acid. Just not 'flooded'. Acid is held in thin fibreglass mats between plates to make them relatively spill proof and vibration resistant. But still lead/acid.
    Really comes down to budget
    Flooded battery, pretty cheap and will get you by if you always 'plug in'.
    AGM, better. 2X the flooded price. Will take care of you longer than the flooded, but not a lot longer.
    Lithium, best, at least 5x the price of the AGM. The positives were listed by bertschb already.
    That's my two cents.
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    Quote Originally Posted by bertschb View Post
    Your thread title reads "Best Battery For RV?". IMO, that rules out lead acid and AGM.

    I would argue the best battery for an RV is a LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate). After struggling with lead acid batteries for years, I switched to LiFePO4 this year. Higher capacity, faster charging, less weight, zero maintenance, built in battery management system so you can't over/under charge, etc, etc. The only downside is price. Battleborn are the go-to choice for LiFePO4 but there are a couple others (e.g. Lion Energy) that are a good value if you can get them on sale at Costco.

    Good luck in whichever way you choose to go.
    LifeBlue is another good choice for Lithiums.
    Location - Wherever the road takes us...Full-timers
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    Long Hauler Canyonlight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bertschb View Post
    Your thread title reads "Best Battery For RV?". IMO, that rules out lead acid and AGM.

    I would argue the best battery for an RV is a LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate). After struggling with lead acid batteries for years, I switched to LiFePO4 this year. Higher capacity, faster charging, less weight, zero maintenance, built in battery management system so you can't over/under charge, etc, etc. The only downside is price. Battleborn are the go-to choice for LiFePO4 but there are a couple others (e.g. Lion Energy) that are a good value if you can get them on sale at Costco.

    Good luck in whichever way you choose to go.
    Just signed into Costco and the member price for a 2 pack of the 1300 Lion Energy batteries is $1399. I do not know if this is a better deal than "normal" at Costco or anywhere else but it seems pretty decent.

    Dan
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    Long Hauler bertschb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Canyonlight View Post
    Just signed into Costco and the member price for a 2 pack of the 1300 Lion Energy batteries is $1399. I do not know if this is a better deal than "normal" at Costco or anywhere else but it seems pretty decent.

    Dan
    That's what I paid when they were on sale last spring. I haven't seen them any cheaper than that. I think the regular price is around $900/ea. I wouldn't pay the regular price for Lion Energy. I'd get Battleborn instead.
    Brian & Kellie
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, 1,460w solar, 540ah BBGC3, MORryde IS w/disc brakes
    2020 F-350 Platinum SRW Powerstroke Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

    Previous setups:
    2019 Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
    2016 Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

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    Rolling Along OurNewEra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freewayrandy View Post
    AGM or lead acid? I may be having to replace my Interstate lead acid and searches came up with Optima blue top AGM. Opinions?
    I would agree with the others, best battery for a RV would be lithium. Not considering cost.

    One thing to be aware of with AGM, at least Optima, is if you drain the battery you can't use a rapid charger to recharge. You need another GOOD AGM battery to charge the dead one along with a charger. So, if you drain an Optima AGM, recharging is complicated.
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    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
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    Umm, assuming one defined "best" as one that can run the longest with a load on it...and we stick to lead/acid (whether conventional or AGM), delve into the world of "Reserve Capacity" (RC) ratings.

    Usually, that is a measure of how long a battery can last with a load of 25 amps on it. The battery with the higher number will last longer. But shop carefully, some companies use a 20 amp (or other) rating, which can dramatically make the number inflated.
    Ignore "CCA" (Cold Cranking Amps), as that is only a measure of how fast the battery can dump its energy. Useful for turning over an engine. But generally a higher RC means lower CCA, and vice versa.
    An alternative measure to RC is Amp Hours. Basically the same thing as RC, but not measured the same way. More AH is better. There are mathematical ways to convert RC to AH or vice versa, but it can get debatable as to how accurate the conversion is.

    Optima is noted for boasting about how great they are...but when the numbers are compared, there are many "better" ones out there. Some far better, at much lower cost.

    For RV use, AGM is nice in that you never have to check the water levels. But that is really the only big advantage. Depends on how irksome that task is to you. And what the additional cost might be.

    If cost is no object, Trojan batteries are frequently mentioned as top-of-the-line.

    But for most of us, it is a trade-off between cost, RC, and expected life span. Which means a fair amount of on-line time comparison shopping.

    Me? I'd love a pair of 6v Trojans...but am cheap, so 2 6v Costco's are fine by me. That give me more "RC" than a 12v, and still leaves money for other RV things. In my boat, the 11 year old pair of 12v group 31 AGM's for the trolling motor have been a fantastic investment (from Cablea's). There I needed AGM's to avoid acid splashing out as I bounce over the waves. For that, Optima's were still at the bottom of my list.....high price/lower RC.
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  10. #10
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sande005 View Post
    Umm, assuming one defined "best" as one that can run the longest with a load on it...and we stick to lead/acid (whether conventional or AGM), delve into the world of "Reserve Capacity" (RC) ratings.

    Usually, that is a measure of how long a battery can last with a load of 25 amps on it. The battery with the higher number will last longer. But shop carefully, some companies use a 20 amp (or other) rating, which can dramatically make the number inflated.
    Ignore "CCA" (Cold Cranking Amps), as that is only a measure of how fast the battery can dump its energy. Useful for turning over an engine. But generally a higher RC means lower CCA, and vice versa.
    An alternative measure to RC is Amp Hours. Basically the same thing as RC, but not measured the same way. More AH is better. There are mathematical ways to convert RC to AH or vice versa, but it can get debatable as to how accurate the conversion is.

    Optima is noted for boasting about how great they are...but when the numbers are compared, there are many "better" ones out there. Some far better, at much lower cost.

    For RV use, AGM is nice in that you never have to check the water levels. But that is really the only big advantage. Depends on how irksome that task is to you. And what the additional cost might be.

    If cost is no object, Trojan batteries are frequently mentioned as top-of-the-line.

    But for most of us, it is a trade-off between cost, RC, and expected life span. Which means a fair amount of on-line time comparison shopping.

    Me? I'd love a pair of 6v Trojans...but am cheap, so 2 6v Costco's are fine by me. That give me more "RC" than a 12v, and still leaves money for other RV things. In my boat, the 11 year old pair of 12v group 31 AGM's for the trolling motor have been a fantastic investment (from Cablea's). There I needed AGM's to avoid acid splashing out as I bounce over the waves. For that, Optima's were still at the bottom of my list.....high price/lower RC.

    We need to replace our 6 volt batteries and am looking at the Trojan batteries. Found them for $118.00 down here in Florida and going to go ahead and get them.
    Marcy & Gary
    2014 Grand Design - Reflection 303RLS
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