Alternative to a RV battery?

[exjay]

Found the deepcycle RV battery that came with my TT is bad and will not hold a charge at all and will need to be replaced. My question is what is an alternative to this battery since all I need it for is to actuate the brakes in the event of a disconnect? We store the TT at home and utilize tge TV to run the electric jack and plug into the house when prepping for a trip also we do not do any boon docking camping. Will a smaller/lighter12v 7ahr battery work or simillar? Im more worried about overcharging a smaller battery vs the full size RV battery. Just seeing other options avail since I can get these batteries for next to nothing via a friend. Thx

[Restorium]

Normally for this use the battery needs to be rated for 5 amp hours.

[exjay]

I can get 12v 7ah batteries (alarm panel batteries) for cheap from work. Hope this will cut it.

[PopPopK]

Batteries America has thousands of different size and Amp hour batteries, give them a shot. batteriesamerica.com

[PopPopK]

here is the link for the Batteries America site for 7ah batteries.
http://store.batteriesamerica.com/search.aspx?find=7ah+battery

[exjay]

^ thanks, will do!

[jim39]

I think you are underestimating the size of the battery. Most fridges take power and other things as well. To insure you do not lose your food, you should plan for emergency overnight stay in a motel and even a long lunch you need battery backup. As a minimum buy a midsize marine battery. They will cope with long turn trickle charges via AC/DC chargers and have a decent reserve capacity.

[mbirnbaum]

Right now, you only plug in, and don't boon dock.

What if you end up in a situation where your reserved electric site is not available, or you can't make it all the way there and need some 12volt (for fans/lights or other things)?

A reasonable deep charge battery, should be around $100, and if properly maintained will last many years.

I camp in many Federal and State Campgrounds where it seems the best sites, with the best views of water, or are just more private, are non-electric. Being able to easily enjoy a night without electric is a big plus.

As others have suggested, don't go cheap - go prepared.

[exjay]

Thanks. Im trying to see why my Interstate RV battery only lasted 2 yrs (came with RV from dealer). I leave it un-hooked durring non-camping periods, put it on a battery charger to top it off at times before a big trip but also know the truck trickle charges while in tow and while on shore power. Water lever has always been fine then one trip it wouldnt run the jack and lights etc. If I go with another one Im assuming I may need to invest in a trickle charge/maintainer while its not in use then?

[mbirnbaum]

Some people have elaborate RV 12 volt power systems. It is amazing to see
pictures of their solar integration, monitoring, 3000 watt pure sine inverter, all neatly tied together with "aught" wire.

I understand your perceived requirements are pretty minimal.

Finding the right brand, type and size of battery is somewhat of a crap shoot.

For example:
-Interstate buys batteries from Exide and Johnson Controls.
-Mopar buys batteries from Exide and others.
-Some DieHard batteries are from Johnson Controls, which also manufactures Duralast, Varta, AC Delco, as well as 20 other brands.

Have you ever wondered why they sell water heaters that have 6 year, 9 year and 12 year warranty, and they all look identical. Ironically, they often fail at the end of 6, 9, or 12 years respectively. Let's just say each model was made with very exacting quality specifications.

Batteries are a lot like water heaters. Some are engineered to (on average) last a lot longer.

I know people with Mopar batteries that lasted 8, 9, up to 13 years.
My motorhome has an 8 year Dura-Start engine battery, and still tests perfect.

For vehicles, they actually have "north" and "south" batteries. What you buy at Sears in Minnesota is a different flavor than Sears in Texas. One is better suited for not failing under extreme heat and the other for delivering the juice under extreme cold.

Gel and AGM batteries can be an improvement if you need better deep cycle, but they can be really pricey options.

Not knowing the heat or cold your battery will be exposed to for long periods of sitting, my advice is simple.
1) Don't overspend, but don't go cheap (pretty much says flooded not AGM or GEL)
2) Don't let your battery freeze (and depending on type, ensure water is always topped off).
3) For TT, research the charger you'll be using. It will really help the battery last. If flooded cell it will typically be a different charger from AGM or Gel. Multi-stage is preferred, but you don't need a monster charger.

For motorhomes, the 'gold' standard in batteries are pairs of 6 volt Trojan batteries in series. They last 7 to 15 years, but give you enough power overnight to keep your CPAP machines whistling, the furnace blowing, the water pump pumping and lights available for use. Those that are off-grid for longer periods are spending the extra for Trojan AGM and Gel (and other brands), and adding solar.

i have never heard from anybody with a Trojan 12 volt.

There is no simple answer, but for your described need maybe a moderate priced deep cycle flooded battery. Don't go bargain basement or too small. Batteries lose "oomph" so a small battery could become a useless battery more quickly.

Good luck.

[PopPopK]

I have both batteries(2 deep cycle glass mat) and a 100 watt solar panel. I have used solar to keep my batteries topped off for night use.I have never lost battery power and my solar panel works great. I spent a lot of money on the two Sears Platinum glass mat 12 volt deep cycle batteries with 850 cranking amps, probably over kill but that's me, I have run over 1 week on battery/solar panel with no issues, of course you need to have LED lights and other 12 volt appliances with minimal amp draw and be conservative. Panel was bought at Amazon for $100

[BobClearyJr]

My daughter and son-in-law bought a travel trailer from my sister-in-law and her husband. The trailer has been used as a vacation house at an RV park for 9 years. The heater was not working when they bought it. At the beginning of this season the battery was dead so my son-in-law hooked up his jump box to extend the slide and the heater started working, all this time the rig was plugged into shore power. I had a new spare battery and after swapping it out the heater is still running (when needed).

I had a spare battery because I had bought one from Camping World while we were having one of the slide floors repaired in March ($9,000 repair). My wife and I had to go on a 300 mile trip in early April and the new battery would not charge so we stopped at a Walmart and by dumb luck I was able to a 1000 Amp Hour deep cycle battery for $100.00. On our trip home we stopped at the Camping World where we bought the battery two weeks earlier and exchanged the battery. The spare battery was the Camping World battery.
Bob

[mbirnbaum]

Wow. You forgot to mention what your uncle's 2nd cousin was wearing, but with a 1000 amp battery I bet you could light up enough lights to see it 2 miles away.

I am interested in exactly what battery you got for $100 that was deep cycle and rated 1000 amps - cause I want one!

[BobClearyJr]

I'll check it when we get back to our rig this weekend.

We do not keep our motorhome next to our house. After all, when it's gone, so are we. we park our car on the street, somewhere in a two block area.

Bob