Good Battery? Good Deal?

[McRob]

First of all I would like to say what a great find this forum has been. We just purchased a NTU popup (2005 Jayco 1006 - our first popup, upgrading from a tent) a couple of weeks ago and I've been doing a lot of reading on here and have certainly learned a good bit...what a wealth of information and helpful people!!

The previous owner had wired the pup for 2 batteries but only one battery came with the sale. We will be doing both serviced and unserviced camping so I would like to add a second battery for the extra runtime - our first trip is this weekend actually at an unserviced site.

I came a across a guy locally selling 2 brand new Batteries Plus Xtreme SLI24MDC with cases for each for $150. They were purchased in March but sold the camper before he had a chance to use the batteries.

Would 2 of these batteries provide enough power for an average 2/3-night weekend? We would never be running AC but would certainly take advantage of the furnace/hot water. There's also a cd/fm/mp3 stereo wired in (not factory) that can be used but is not necessary.

From what I can read on here brand name is not the biggest concern but size/weight is. Here's a link to the item on their website,

http://www.batteriesplus.com/product/33809-SLI24MDC-Xtreme-Deep-Cycle-Battery/100079-1/102530-Marine-and-Boat-Batteries/106977-Deep-Cycle/BCI-Group-24M.aspx

I have to make a decision by this evening as he lives about 6 hours away but is driving to my area tomorrow and will be my only chance before my camping trip this weekend.

I was also looking at Interstate brand batteries at our local RV dealer, they had only 2 models ranging from $117.99-129.99.

So after all that rambling (appreciate it if you made it to this point in the post!) do you think this is a good deal and will they suit my needs for a 2-3 night camping excursion?

Thanks a ton!

- Rob

[RonB]

I am not familiar with that battery but I have had very good luck with Interstate.  We used to buy the Sam's club specials and realized they were barely going 1 to 1-1/2 years.  I have had Interstates go four years.  Your price for the Interstate sounds a little high but that might be a regional thing.  I would think you could get the Interstate with box for $150 and if you have a warranty problem you can find Interstate dealers about anywhere.

BTW - 3-4 nights on an Interstate is not unreasonable with some conservation.  I think we have done a little better than that a few times.

RonB

[McRob]

I don't know if this came across clear in my previous post but the $150 is for both batteries (each with a case), not the price for just one.

[Conductor]

I personally would go with an Interstate battery from a local dealer, or even a deep cycle battery from Walmart. $150 for two batteries with cases is reasonable, but if these are not in prime condition, you will be stuck with lead weights. For some furnace and water pump use, and even a little indoor lighting, a single group 27 or 31 battery should be more than enough for three nights. If you have a charge line from your tow vehicle to the camper, or jumper cables, you have a means of adding a little charge to the battery, if needed.

You cannot run your AC on battery.

[austinado16]

Batteries Plus sells very good, if not the best, batteries.  If $150 is a good/killer deal, get 'em.

Regarding how long will batteries last.  It varies depending on what you folks are using.  Lights and furnace snack down the most juice.  Water heater doesn't use any really, 'cept for maybe the electronic ignition, same with the fridge if it's direct spark.  Your LP/CO/Smoke detector(s) do use a bit and will kill a battery in about 2 weeks, so make sure you disconnect the battery when you're not camping.

You can increase battery life during a trip by:
-Buy a smart charger like the Black and Decker or Vector (Amazon) and charge for 24hrs before you leave.

-Have the tow vehicle set up to charge the camper battery while towing.

-Replace all your ceiling light bulbs and porch light bulb with LED versions from places like www.superbrightleds.com  As an example, we use the 9LED warm white printed circuit boards that has a pig tail that plugs in where the original bulb base did.  There are other versions though.

-Set the thermostat for the furnace to 60* if it's located down near the floor, or 65* if it's up on the side of the galley.  That's plenty warm for camping and it'll keep the furnace from running so often.

-If you'll do a lot of dry camping, (or dry camping only like we do) you'll get a lot of pay back from a Wave 6 or Wave 8 Catalytic heater.  They're silent, use no battery voltage, and use less propane than the furnace.  Plus, they put off radiant and convective heat, so the camper is actually warm and toasty, like a fire place is burning.....as compared to a furnace that's just blowing warmed air around.

-If it's going to be cold you can put Reflectix panels in all the windows to hold in warmth.  You can put it under the bed mattresses too.

-Put 2" memory foam toppers on top of the existing mattresses.  They'll give you a fantastic sleep, and they're warm.

-If you camp in the sun, a solar charge set up might be useful........but spendy.

-Charge the battery(s) when you get home.

-Charge the battery(s) once a month in the off season.

-Leave the battery ground cable disconnected when not camping, or install a battery on/off switch.

[wavery]

Are you kidding? BUY EM... QUICK......
http://www.batteriesplus.com/pc-36459-36459-SLI24MDC.aspx

$1.50 a pound....... ya..... KILLER deal. $2.00 a pound is a good deal. These batteries are 50# each.

Just go to any auto parts store and pick up a "Hydrometer" (a cheap one is fine). The instructions are on the package. Check each cell in both batteries. It doesn't matter what the reading is, it just matters that they are (relatively) all the same. If only 1 cell out of the 12 cells reads lower than the others..... PASS!!!!!

Batteries must be purchased as "Twins" (if they are to be hooked together in parallel or 6V in series)) .... same manufacture code. If they are not twins, one battery will continually drain the other battery. Sometimes batteries that are "Similar" can be made to work by equalizing but I would never take that risk.

If one cell is bad....... it's a bad deal..... bottom line.

[McRob]

I have no idea of the retail price on these batteries as I'm in Canada and they must have been purchased or ordered from the states as Batteries Plus appears to be a US only retail chain and they are not a brand that can be purchased locally.

Since I have no idea what they go for I need some help determine if $150 was good value for the 2 batteries. If they were 100 each retail plus tax I'd be saving $50-$75 and so forth.

Since they have never been used I will check them tomorrow with wavery's method and if they check out I will make the purchase.

Thanks for all the great tips guys!

[wavery]

I have no idea of the retail price on these batteries as I'm in Canada and they must have been purchased or ordered from the states as Batteries Plus appears to be a US only retail chain and they are not a brand that can be purchased locally.

Since I have no idea what they go for I need some help determine if $150 was good value for the 2 batteries. If they were 100 each retail plus tax I'd be saving $50-$75 and so forth.

Since they have never been used I will check them tomorrow with wavery's method and if they check out I will make the purchase.

Thanks for all the great tips guys!

Batteries (here in the States) generally sell for $2 + per pound. You can skip over all of the hullabaloo about ratings, brands etc. The bottom line on battery capacity is the weight (physical size has little to do with it). Check the manufacture code on the battery. It will be stamped on one of the battery terminals. That will give you the true age and tell you if they are really a "Set".
http://www.allpar.com/fix/batteries.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_battery
http://herehydro.weebly.com/uploads/9/3/9/1/93913/battery_manufacturers_and_brand_names_list.pdf

[McRob]

Well I think the deal is dead. I asked if he had purchased them in the US and if he had a receipt and he did not take kindly to it...he must have took it the wrong way, anyways he was not happy with my question so I think I'm just going to walk away.

[wavery]

Well I think the deal is dead. I asked if he had purchased them in the US and if he had a receipt and he did not take kindly to it...he must have took it the wrong way, anyways he was not happy with my question so I think I'm just going to walk away.

HMMMMMMM! A lot of times people think that you are asking for proof that the batteries are not stolen...... If he took offense to that....  they may well be..... . Can't see any other reason to get upset about asking for a receipt, especially if the batteries are supposedly 3 months old. Heck, you would need the receipt for warranty purposes.

Personally, I would not have asked for the receipt. I would have just asked for the code on top of each battery.

Although, I'd walk away too if the guy got upset. 

[McRob]

Yah, I'm guessing he thought I was checking to see if they were stolen but even then there's no reason to get insulted by it...I would never be insulted if someone asked me that...just kindly say you do not have it. But basically I was trying to verify if they were indeed bought in the states for warranty purposes.

I didn't know anything about date stamps on them but definitely would have been a better way to go about it...another thing I've learned here.

[austinado16]

Well, that opens up your options doesn't it?  How 'bout just getting one Group 27 or 29 or 31, new, with a warranty, instead?

[McRob]

It definitely opens up options...I wish I had more (and by more I mean any) popup camping experience to make the decision on getting a pair of batteries or just one larger one. If one larger one would suit my needs that would be great. I guess I can buy one for the weekend, run on it and if it goes dead (I know from reading here that you shouldn't habitually deplete the battery below 50% for longevity) I need another.

I already have one that came with the camper but I have no idea how good it is and from your recommendations I should have a matching set when running in parallel. The guy I bought the camper off of did use battery maintainers though so hopefully that's a good sign.

[wavery]

It definitely opens up options...I wish I had more (and by more I mean any) popup camping experience to make the decision on getting a pair of batteries or just one larger one. If one larger one would suit my needs that would be great. I guess I can buy one for the weekend, run on it and if it goes dead (I know from reading here that you shouldn't habitually deplete the battery below 50% for longevity) I need another.

I already have one that came with the camper but I have no idea how good it is and from your recommendations I should have a matching set when running in parallel. The guy I bought the camper off of did use battery maintainers though so hopefully that's a good sign.

Just take the battery to any auto parts store or auto repair shop. They can perform a "Load test" most places will do it for free. Just be sure that the battery is charged up when you bring it in.

Before you charge the battery, open the battery caps to be sure that there is ample fluid in the battery (it should be ~1/4" from the top). If the battery needs fluid just top it up with "Distilled water" (available at most grocery stores).

[shellback]

I had upgraded from tent camping to  an "06" jayco 1207 last year. I've done several 4-5 night trips with only one battery and had never run it down below 50%. Perhaps we're really frugal with electricity, we use the furnace to take the curse off coldness in the morning and use a coleman catalytic heater for extended warmth. We also use battery powered LED  lamps for reading and etc.

Try running with one battery and see how your power consumption works. If you are running low then upgrade to a second battery. If one battery works well, then why upgrade.