Batterys, where to buy?

[{Tpc}]

Anyone have a suggestion on a place to purchase 2 new batterys for my trailer? My current ones are the normal type you can add distilled water to, but I fear they need replacement. Hoping to find somewhere with a reasonable price. I haven't got to cleaning these up yet, but one of them has developed a thick yellowish gunk on the positive terminal. Not exactly sure why, but they always seem to be "wet" around the terminals when I bring them in for the season to connect to the battery tender. Then every spring I clean them up with a wire brush and crc cleaner, top them off, and go. This new gunk has me concerned though.

 

[Eman85]

I buy my batteries at Walmart, it works for me, your results may vary.

 

[locomech]

The yellowish gunk around the terminals is corrosion from leaking battery acid. It may be leaking from being overcharged, over serviced or cracks in the case or around the posts. The battery can be load tested at most auto parts stores to determine the condition. The age of the battery is something else to consider.

You can purchase batteries at Sam's Club, Costco, Lowes, Walmart, any auto parts store, and Farm & Fleet, or Tractor Supply if there's one near you.

 

[flybouy]

Your post is a bit ambiguous. You state your batteries are FLA (flooded lead acid) so do you want to go with that or are you considering lithium? How are they being used i.e. do you always camp connected to shore power or do some or a lot of boondocking? Is cost an issue? At 5 or perhaps close to 6 yrs old (if ther are original) then they are likely at the end of their life. Two things typically cause that buildup on the terminals. One is a failing charging system that's overcharging and boiling the battery acid. The second is an aging/ failing battery that's causing the over charging. In a 2 battery parallel system if one battery begins to fail it will cause both to fail. The batteries should always be replaced with identical batteries at the same time.

The most cost effective way to increase capacity may be to go with two 6vdc GC (golf cart) batteries connected in series. With the GC2 batteries you will have true deep cycle batteries with a higher Ah rating. The GC2 batteries are available at most Wal-Mart, Costco, Batteries Plus, auto parts stores, etc.

 

[{Tpc}]

Thanks for the info! Lithium isn't an option right now, mainly because of cost. Primarily we camp connected to shore power, but I have the parallel batterys so I can run the fridge for an entire night before we leave in the morning. I am sure the batterys are at or nearing EOL, if they weren't already when they gave them to me lol. But they have functioned well for our usage since we got the trailer. Mostly, just looking for insight on a low cost replacement for what I have.

Would GC batterys be more inexpensive that the regular FLA batterys or close? Is there any limitations versus the charging system and them, and do they sit well disconnected for months on end? Thats basically my usage. Keep them trickle charged over the winter, connect them in the spring for the first trip, and then I have them disconnected via the battery disconnect in the trailer until the next trip, rinse and repeat.

 

[{Tpc}]

Would most places accept the current batterys to satisfy the core charge for GC batterys?

Here is one I found that seems reasonably priced, but is still a flooded battery?

Duracell Golf Car Battery, Group Size GC2 - Sam's Club

And here is what I might get as just a simple replacement:

Duracell Marine Dual Purpose Battery, Group size 24 - Sam's Club

They are close in cost, though the GC batterys would be about $80 more. Do you think either of these would work? I feel like either of them would be better than the generic ones I have been using?

 

[Eman85]

For cores I've turned in a motorcycle battery for a core on a battery for my truck at WM. Duracell batteries are good, they are East Penn batteries, same as Superstart at O'reilly and Deka. Marine dual purpose are good but they are made to also start the engine which you won't use that feature. Are your batteries that you have now deep cycle batteries? Have you been adding water? Many times people over fill the batteries and cause the buildup.

 

[flybouy]

Yes GC2 batteries are FLA. Any 12vdc or dual 6vdc in series will "work". How LONG they will work is the difference. There are no "true" deep cycle" group 24 or 27 batteries. The "dual purpose" batteries typically have around 50 Ah capacity. On a FLA battery you typically get about 50% of the Ah before doing damage. 2 50 Ah batteries in parallel will be ~100 Ah IF YOUR LUCKY.

GC2 batteries are true deep cycle batteries. Two in a series connection will double the voltage but not the Ah. The difference is they are more tolerant of deeper disharge/charging (cycling) then "marine combo" batteries. If you go that route then you'll likely have to switch out the battery boxes to fit the GC2 batteries.

If the "cheap" batteries that you didn't identify have worked for 5 years and you don't plan on changing your camping style or usage, then I'd say they are sufficient and you got the full life out of them.

 

[{Tpc}]

I forget the name and I’m not in front of them right now but they are “aqua” something or another.

Yesterday I cleaned them up, and I noticed that for both of them, the cell nearest the positive terminal was slightly low. Not really bad and they were both about the same. They both measured the same, roughly 13volts.

I use crc to clean them and even on the one with the “gunk” it didn’t really turn pink, which indicates acid. Maybe the tiniest amount? But I’ve seen it turn really pink on others.

After I was done cleaning them and filling that last cell, I tossed each one on the battery tender for a little bit. Both were flashing green indicating more than 80 percent charge, and both took very little time to end in storage mode.

I removed them from the tender and the last time I checked yesterday both were around 13.2 volts. Haven’t had a chance to check this morning. So maybe there is a little life still left in there? Maybe I can get 1 more season out of these. I don’t understand the gunk on the one unless maybe some spilled out when I moved them last year.

Or maybe leaving them on the tender all winter long isn’t the best idea? Maybe the output is high even in storage mode.

 

[flybouy]

The term "battery tender" is often used to identify a simple trickle charger. I've seen some economical ones that simply put out a constant voltage and amperage. In those units, yes a battery can be overcharged when used constantly for months at a time.

A good battery tender will have various charge rates for different needs. For instance, a higher voltage and amperage during the initial charge, then a lower rating for the bulk charge and yet another for the maintenance function. Good units will have several steps within each charge profil and often include a desulferication function as well.

 

[Rhagfo]

Suprised that no one suggested Interstate batteries. I have a pair of Group 27 in our 5th wheel and work well.

 

[{Tpc}]

Checked them last night and one was 12.8 and the other 12.9. Just trying to keep an eye on them to see if the drop significantly or something.

 

[JRTJH]

Measuring voltage on a battery in storage is a "feel good exercise" and won't give you but about half the information you need to make a decision about battery condition. You also need to do a battery load test to determine the capacity of the battery to deliver a charge from the energy stored "on the plates inside the battery"... Why? Over the years, parts of the lead plates in the battery fall off and settle to the bottom of the battery case. As that "sludge" builds up, it can start to short out the plates in the battery and reduce the ability for electrons to attach to the plates. So, you may read 12.9 VDC with a multimiter, but the battery may only be capable of delivering 20 amps for 1 or 2 minutes and deplete the entire charge. You need a load test to determine the battery's ability to provide power to the terminals and then to your trailer.

 

[{Tpc}]

True, guess I’ll get them load tested.

 

[sourdough]

In the discussion of batteries age and how you use them would predicate when to replace and what to replace with. I use Interstate "marine" batteries. They are dual purpose but I don't need lots of battery for how I camp. If a person camped off grid quite a bit I would go with the GC batteries for the extra amp hours. I personally wouldn't consider lithium due to cost and the fact that I don't need them.

Age is the other factor. I replace vehicle batteries at 3 years "because" - because I don't like to be left high and dry somewhere with a dead battery. The RV is changed at 5 years. The way I use them (or don't use them) they could probably last 10 years but I won't do that - and I'll be going back with Interstates.

The leakage is a sign to me that you need to replace the battery (replace both if you have two). If they have a few years on them that's more reason. Load testing is a good idea if you are going to keep them. You also might look into how you are charging them when out of the trailer, it sounds like they may be overcharging. Is the case bulged at all?

 

[{Tpc}]

No the case look's good. I seem to remember some corrosion on that terminal probably the year before last, but for what its worth, I never look at them after they end up in the trailer for the season. They held up really well last year, but other than one weekend a year that we semi-boondock (with a generator), we are almost always connected to shore power. The only reason I have 2 even is to give me some more runtime on the 12vdc fridge, prior to trips.

I wouldn't be surprised if its an issue with the battery tender plus, I have had it forever, but never really liked it. I just got a noco genius 5, so going forward I will be using that with whatever batteries I end up using. I'll try and grab some pictures when I can. I may end up using them next week when I have to take the trailer in for a recall, and replacing them after that. I won't be running the fridge or really anything for that trip however I should be able to get them load tested at a autozone or something prior to that.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Just remember, if you purchase another lead-acid battery, you do not want to replace it with a conventional "car" battery. You want a deep cycle battery. Car batteries are designed for high output initial starting of the car engine, but don't fair so well for a longer extended usage without charging. Deep cycle batteries are not so good for initial engine starting, but they are designed to put out a steady flow of DC electricity over a sustained period of time.