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Old 05-27-2020, 02:41 PM   #21
MarkEHansen
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Fine, but I wouldn't assume I can't use FLA batteries in an RV environment. Folks have been doing it for a very, very long time
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Old 05-27-2020, 04:27 PM   #22
JRTJH
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I agree with Mark. FLA batteries have been the "industry standard" for at least the last 50 years. Whether it's a single GP24 12 volt "hybrid" or a multiple Golf Cart 6 volt battery system, FLA's have worked well in RV's for decades.

AGM, Lithium and other "recent developments" may provide an improvement over the "old tried and true" but at what cost? The last time I checked, a pair of AGM GC2 batteries at Sam's Club were $180 each, or $360 for the pair. The same "performance level FLA GC2 batteries were $90 each, $180 for the pair. That's half the price for "equivalent battery storage capacity".

As an aside, at least with the Duracell AGM GC2, the 20 amp rating is 190 and the Duracell FLA GC2 20 amp rating is 215. So the FLA appears to be a more "robust" battery, at least in ability to store/release energy.
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:03 PM   #23
flybouy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roadglide View Post
it may have been the cheap Everlast from Walmart. NASCAR users AGM batteries because they take vibration better than water flooded and being Maintenance free.
I may be wrong but I think the main reason for NASCAR specing AGM is they don't leak all over when the car goes "wheels up".
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:06 PM   #24
travelin texans
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Originally Posted by flybouy View Post
I may be wrong but I think the main reason for NASCAR specing AGM is they don't leak all over when the car goes "wheels up".
That's what I had heard also.
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Old 05-28-2020, 07:55 AM   #25
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Is it time to replace batteries?

I too was faced with the possibility of replacement of batteries. Unlike the OP, at least mine were identical GP24 12V FLA "deep cycle/marine" batteries. As pointed out earlier, that means they are actually "hybrid" batteries, not true deep cycle. I thought the batteries needed replacement. Our iN.Command system monitors voltage and after the batteries reach 11.8V for two minutes, the generator gets an auto-start command. This was happening all too often. According to Keystone, the measured voltage does not take "load" into account. Nor does it provide "at rest" voltage which requires an hour or two of not being used.

Subsequently, I found that there was a significant difference between the voltage reported by iN.Command and as measured with a multimeter at the battery. So, voltage drop in the measurement system coupled with a lack of true "at rest" voltage meant that the system really was not operating on factual information. Even a measurement of voltage right at the batteries was not indicative of at rest potential. A load test indicated the batteries were ok but You can't stop and do this a bunch while camping. Our 180W solar system helped in the day, but forget about running the heater all night!

What I wanted was an accurate measurement system of the true condition of my batteries. I bit the bullet and spent $200 for the Victron BMV-712 Smart system. This system measures actual current-over-time in amp/hours, measures voltage right at the battery, measures both incoming (charging) and outgoing (discharging) current, and provides an accurate accounting of all amp/hours for the system. This is one of the best things I have done with my trailer! Yes, I spend $200 for the monitor - but I saved $400 from not buying new AGM batteries I had intended to purchase. Now, I can check my battery status in amp hours and do it right from my phone. It turned out my batteries were just fine. The combination of excessive voltage drops in the iN.Command measurement system coupled with any existing load meant that the voltage assessment just was not accurate.

So I highly recommend either the Victron or some other quality system that uses a shunt and measures both incoming and outgoing amps in your battery system. User Logan X has a video on this process at:
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