6V Battery Recommendation

[ronheb454]

Hello, just curious what folks were using for house batteries? My 2015 Miramar has two 6 volt house batteries. I replaced both last year with Dura Cell Batteries from Battery Plus which were not holding a charge after last season and both are dead now. I tried charging one of them however the hydrometer shows all cells are dead. I am going to replace both but was curious what batteries folks were using that might last for several years, any recommendations, thanks much.

[rsbilledwards]

Currently the best on the market are U.S. Built Crown. I have used several sets of Crown 260s in solar installations including my own. A hot second would be Trojan 105s. Beyond that it is anyones guess. In the case of house batteries weight is you friend= power.

[ronheb454]

Thanks much. I'm not familiar with Crown but heard of Trojan's, I will check them out.

[rfsod48]

Lifeline AMG batteries. I am in my second year with mine and they have worked flawlessly. Expensive but worth it.

[ronheb454]

Thanks much, I guess too I should ask how long do house batteries normally last assuming proper charging. I do not do dry camping as my motor home is normally plugged in at my home or at a camp site. My house batteries are really only used between locations to run the refrigerator and occasionally some lights but they seem to only last a year.

[rfsod48]

I think with proper care a good battery will last 4-5 years. I use battery cutoff switches for both house and engine when not in use and make sure that inverter is turned off when not in use. This eliminates excess drain on batteries.

[richard5933]

My research showed that Trojan batteries were worth the extra expense. On our first coach we used T-145 batteries since that was all we had room for. Our current coach has much more room so we went with L16. Obviously you'll need to pick batteries that fit the space/setup you're working with. But, keep in mind that there are different capacity sizes available in the same physical size.

[ronheb454]

Got it, thanks everyone.

[rsbilledwards]

My bad..My apologies  [.I failed to answer the time question...I would fully expect the Crowns or Trojans to last 8 to ten years assuming the charging system is working correctly. This is going to depend on the Inverter/charger and its charge settings. I switched my inverter to MAGNUM in order to get a charging cycle as recomended bythe manufacturer. The original Xantrex was not easily changed nor was Xantrex willing to help with oit a lot of back and forth. It takes effort to have them ;last like this expectation. but I have time and am as yet unwilling to spend for the AGMs. I think the technology will improve and we are still on the front end of the curve. Just sayin...

[manholt]

2014 to present, NAPA 6V AGM's.  8 house batteries, 2 Magnum 2,800w ea. Have not had any issues..

[punxsyjumper]

If you have accessibility or ventilation issues with your batts, AGM's will be the choice. Higher cost but it's a once and done. Wish I would have known then what I know now. I would have def went with AGM's. Currently have six, 6 volt Crowns, flooded. Saving up now for my AGM's and they will be Crown's as well.

[desertdeals69]

About 5 years ago I switched to 6 6volt AGMs from flooded and wish I had done it sooner.  No corrosion at the terminals and the battery tray.  I have 800 watts of solar with a 40 amp MPPT controller.  

[ronheb454]

Thanks much everyone, really appreciate the feedback.