Duracell 8D versus Trojan T-105 for HOUSE batteries...

[Mex-Busnut]

Dear Friends,

Hopefully I won't get a flame war started here.  

I am looking over my options for house batteries, taking into consideration the possibility of adding solar panels in the future.

One of my friends is a distributor for Duracell vehicular batteries. I can get 8D 12-volt Duracell truck batteries for 20% less each than the single T-105-type 6-volt golf cart batteries. And Duracell now up-graded its warranties to ten years!

My goal was to aim for six T-105 Trojan batteries. Now I am considering four 8D batteries. Am I crazy? (Of COURSE I am! Why else would I have a BUS?  ) Would this be a good choice? Like Dumbo, I am all ears!

I have also heard comments by some of having a single battery bank: Vehicle and house batteries combined. Have you tried this?

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Zeroclearance]

There is a difference between traction batteries like your normal engine battery AND deep cycle batteries.   Don't confuse the marine battery with a deep cycle battery.   

If you are going for CHEAP focus on the Golf Cart replacement batteries.   Trojan, Interstate, WalMart, Sams Club and Costco.

[sommersed]

I know, or have known, a couple of people that do what you propose, and are very happy with the outcome.

They say that if the depth of discharge isn't too much, and you have the time to hook up a charger to start the rig IF the depth of discharge was too much the night before, it works.

Truckers routinely do this, and some of the sleeper cabs have all the facilities that an RV does.


Ed

[GreyEagle]

From my limited experience I'd take the Duracell's.....

1. a 10 year warranty,

2. 20% discount,

3. Duracell's history of batteries........

[sledhead]

After much research I have decided to go with 8 6volt batteries (gulf cart ). When I built the rv in 2006 I installed 6 6 volt batteries they are still working at about 80-85% . All the research I have seen the 6 volt batteries have thicker plates for longer life and at $120. each x 8 is less then $1000  not bad for 6-8 years use .         dave

[bobofthenorth]

We have 8 x 6V Trojans as a combined house/engine bank on the boat.  When we bought the boat I thought that was a stupid arrangement but I have grown to think it is the only sensible way to go.  On the bus we have 3 x 8D AGMs for the house bank and 2 x 8D wet cells for the start bank.  I now think that is a really stupid setup.  We carry those 2 starting batteries all over North America and use them for a few seconds every few days.  We could just as easily have a house bank of 5 x 8D batteries - whether AGMs or some other deep cycle battery - and we would have almost double the discharge capacity for the house bank.  The starting load would easily be handled by that many 8Ds despite them being deep discharge batteries and our redundancy would come, as it does on the boat, from a separate battery to start the genset. 

[TomC]

I realize AGM batteries are much more expensive then wet-but once you've experienced AGM batteries, there's just no going back to wet. I had 2-8D Lifeline batteries that are about to be replaced. They had a 5yr warranty and it has been 7 years. Going with the same.
On my truck, will use the Lifeline L16 6v batteries that are 400amp/hours. I'll use 4 to have 800amp hours at 12vdc. You'd need 3-4 8D's for the same power. The nice thing about the L16's is they weigh 110lbs compared 160lbs for the 8D's.  But-they are taller. Good Luck, TomC

[Lin]

Bob, I think there is a lot to be said for your logic of using one larger bank.  Of course, for those with mixed voltage systems it would be a little more complicated to retrofit.

[sledhead]

Tomc      What price are your lifeline L16-6volt and how long is the warranty (not that warranties ever mean much )          thanks    dave

[TomC]

I believe the L16's were around the $500 mark each. Good Luck, TomC

[garhawk]

Hi Mex-Busnut,

We just recently replaced the 8 each 8D house battery bank in our Eagle at a cost of approximately $3500.  We also have 2 each 8D wet cell batteries for starting and the bus' 12v lighting system. 

There is a HUGE difference in the care and feeding of the two different banks.  The start bank requires regular cleaning and topping off while the house bank is pretty much totally self sufficient.  As Tom says, if you haven't experienced the freedom of using the AGM battery, then... 

It is my opinion that over the long haul, the AGM outshines its wetcell counterpart in every department - including cost. 

Also, I agree that having two seperate battery banks is 'penny wise and pound foolish'.  The house side should never be discharged past 50% in any case, which leaves a more than sufficient amount of cranking amps to fire the engine. 

[belfert]

With a proper three stage regulator will AGM batteries charge fine from an alternator?  I wanted to move my house batteries down to where my starting batteries and just have one bank, but the area is 3" too small to hold the house batteries.  It would be fairly difficult to expand the battery compartment as it would require a lot of fabrication.

[bobofthenorth]

I can't figure out how to change the battery profile tonight but the instructions that came with my Balmar 614 regulator claim that the profile is user configurable so I'd say the answer is "yes but I don't know how to do it".

[sommersed]

I can't figure out how to change the battery profile tonight but the instructions that came with my Balmar 614 regulator claim that the profile is user configurable so I'd say the answer is "yes but I don't know how to do it".

Page 9 of the Manual

Ed

[TomC]

The only real adjustment an AGM starting battery needs is to set the regulator to no higher then 14.1 volts. AGM's can take just about as much charging amps as you can throw at them as long as they are not over volted. Good luck, TomC