6v golf car batteries

[dogear52]

I've been trying to research these and given my finances have narrowed it to Sams vs Costco at around $83 ea., but called 2 Costcos and they can't give me the ah for the Interstate, only rc which is 107 so I think ah is 208. I keep reading about Costco Interstates being 232ah and Sams Energizer @ 208 or 220. Most of the rv net forum info is 2yrs old or older. Anyone have any real time info. I'd much prefer the highest ah for a Maxxfan, laptop and radio, but I'm new to this stuff. Maybe I can do ok with 208?  

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Given normal manufacturing tolerances, and the fact that whatever figure the manufacturer quotes is going to be + or -  X% ,  I'm not sure whatever minor difference there is in the published specs are worth stressing over.  

Regards
John

 

[jimindenver]

The last thing I read said Costco has gone to the 208 Ah GC batteries.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have two Sam's Club (Energizer 6V, 208 AH) batteries fed by 200W solar.  These batteries run my frig (~18AH/day), maxxfan (~11AH/day), laptop (~5AH/day) and other small loads (phone charging ~1.5AH/day, LED lights ~2AH/day).  I have not seen my batteries at less than 90% any morning.  (I have not been in greater than 80°F temps yet.)

If I remember right, Sam's Club (in Duluth, MN) had two different 6V batteries; one had slightly larger capacity at a higher price.  I chose the cheaper battery.

-- Spiff

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i used and abused the sams club ones. ill need new ones after two years but thats not a knock on them, i definietly abused them too much. they still run most my needs well but now struggle at night if i run anything more demanding like my gaming computer for a while. For 230 some dollars total (darn core charges...) i wasnt disappointed. definitely get at least 200watt solar for em min. i tried just 100 with plugging in and it is too easy in winter to undercharge.

 

[SternWake]

Both Sam's club and Costco batteries have had their manufacturer's change recently, and I think it is johnson controls making both batteries. Where as a few years Ago USbattery was making interstate GC batteries.  JC is more oriented toward starting/ marine batteries, and maximum profit of course.

Interstate is a Battery marketer, Not a manufacturer.  Their GC batteries have no trustable reputation at this point, since the manufacturer has changed.  Do you think they changed manufacturer's for a better product, or for more profit?  I hope you don't believe the former.

Most GC batteries are SOOOOO much better than 99.5% of 12v marine or psuedo 'deep cycle' batteries, quibbling over a few AH is not worth it.

If you really want to know, a 225 AH trojan T-105 weighs 62 LBS

If the batteries weigh less than 62 Lbs each they are likely 208AH.

BTW,  If you can afford the Trojan's, you can expect 25 to 35% more cycles from them, versus the 'lesser' 6v golf cart batteries, all factors being equal, so their initial price, while more expensive, winds up costing less, unless you are prone to batterycide. 


Trojan T-105s are a benchmark battery in terms of Cycleability, and resistance to Abuse, and ability to recover from abuse when a recovery attempt is made.  One successful recovery pays for itself, and the absence of, sends a lesser battery to the recyclers.  Which just became the better value?



Too often, being initially frugal, costs more down the road.

What I hate is not knowing if the rebranded object is any good.  I'm willing to pay more for a quality product, but not if the only difference is a 35$ sticker with soothing marketing terms prominently displayed.

See if you have a battery distributor or Golf course in your area.  Crown, USBattery, and Trojan and Eastpenn/deka all make very Good 6v Golf cart batteries.  I'm not sure I'd trust Johnson Controls for this task, and there is no data on their current 6v GC offerings as to longevity.  The fact that they display only reserve capacity and not Amp hours at the 20 hr rate would have me walk away in scorn, derision, with curses flying in every direction.

A fresh battery is way better than one which has sat on a shelf for 2 months.

And The worst constructed battery kept near fully charged will outlive the best battery that is chronically undercharged.  Internet reports as to battery longevity mean just about nothing without any idea/data on how the battery was treated.

So save a few $ on the interstates and take that gamble, or spend some more Dough on a T-105 and have confidence in your purchase.

My next battery is going to be a Trojan T-1275 which is the biggest 12v battery I can fit with modification to my battery tray, and it is the smallest 12v battery which falls into the 'true' deep cycle category, and the T-105s would still outperform it.  But I cannot fit 2 of those.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i got the rebranded dekas before, im sad to here i cant now, i was planning too reup before hitting the road :/

 

[GotSmart]

If you tell them you are doing solar, the core charges will be waived.

 

[dogear52]

Ok, SternWake, looks like I'll be hunting down a couple of Trojans if I can't find something cheaper and better than the Sams and Costco stuff. I've always believed in getting the best quality tools but until the last few years I could much more easily afford them. I saw a golf cart sales site that advertised the T-105s for just over $100, but you had to pick up for that price in FL.....I didn't ask if they shipped but I should. I'll check to see if there are any golf cart sales here in KC. GotSmart,is that solar power core waiver state-specific or nation wide? That would sure help, and I'm going to pick up a solar kit next.

 

[SoulRaven]

I remember at a rally, a fellow who did cheap camper van conversions talked about getting getting free golf cart battery take outs, that would last another year or two in a camper van. Might be worth looking into.

 

[SternWake]

I know a few people who got used Golf cart batteries and get good service from them.  Usually they require some massaging charging at higher voltages until the specific gravity responds.  The golf course does not care to attempt to spend the time or effort to figure out which particular battery in the series parallel configuration is not performing as it should.  All it takes is one bad battery in a GC and performance takes a nose dive.  Often the other batteries are still healthy enough to be cycled by themselves.  It is just leaving a battery with a bad cell in a parallel bank will degrade the other batteries faster.  Also they do not intentionally want to combine batteries that are at different levels of health, So they just replace them all at once.

If somebody with a hydrometer and a voltmeter had access to GC batteries set aside as core charges and could pick the cream of the crop, they would never have to buy batteries.

Many consider the battery life used up when there is only 80% of the original capacity remaining.

The chances of a cell going bad after this point increase,  But until a cell does fail, the rest of the remaining capacity of the battery can be cycled.

I estimate that 2-3 months ago, my 12v group31 battery fell below 80% of its original capacity.  I've got about 55 more deep cycles on it since that point and am closing in on the 500 mark.

It could fail tonight though, or go another few months before the capacity loss impacts my ability to use as much electricity as I wish.  

If getting a used GC battery, one should have a charger capable of achieving Equalization voltages for adequate duration to 'recover' them, and a hydrometer to determine when to stop the EQ charge.

One cycling flooded batteries regularly, should really have these items anyway.

 

[ccbreder]

In most states core charges for battery mean no used battery available. Sam's club in NJ have Duracell branded golf cart battery. The higher AH ones are about $112 plus $18 core. No experience, but read Fla has $5 core.

 

[highdesertranger]

simple economics on the core charges, the more they pay, the more they want the part back. I have seen some parts that the core is within a few bucks of the part. highdesertranger

 

[ccbreder]

The core charge on batteries is really a recycling fee, set by law in the individual states.

 

[MikeRuth]

ATbattery.com in Valencia Ca. wanted $16.00 each as a core on T-105's

They worked with me as I had a simple Marine/starting battery and nothing else, so they took that and didn't charge me a core when I bought two T-105's from them.
The date code on the 105's was less than 30 days when I got them. Pretty happy with them.

 

[GotSmart]

A core charge will be waived (most of the time) if it is to be used in a solar application.

 

[ccbreder]

Very rare that battery core charges are waved.

 

[highdesertranger]

well when I by batteries if the core charge is less than what the recyclers are paying, I pay the core and take it to the recycler. last time I bought a battery the core was 8 bucks and the recycler was paying 10. guess where the battery went. on March first scrap lead was .41cents/lb. so you can see batteries are worth some money. highdesertranger

 

[AuricTech]

Getting back to the original post, I would prefer not to use any battery that has an "RC" ("Reserve Capacity") rating in a PV system.  Batteries with an "RC" rating tend not to be deep-cycle batteries (as this linked eHow article points out, "reserve capacity" is "usually encountered when discussing 12-volt car starting batteries").  Even "dual-use" marine stater/trolling batteries would be preferable to the Costco/Interstate batteries you mentioned in your original post.

Since batteries with an "RC" rating are, by definition, not really intended for deep-cycle operation, they'll tend to die pretty quickly when used as primary storage in a PV system.  "Marine/RV" batteries may be rated for both RC and Ah capacities; depending on cost, they might work well as a beginner's PV battery bank.  If all the battery's supplier can tell you is the RC rating, I wouldn't consider those batteries as suitable for any power system that might involve drawing the battery bank down beyond 90% level of charge.

 

[GotSmart]

Very rare that battery core charges are waved.

http://www.thesolarbiz.com/Trojan-T-105-6V-Battery#gsc.tab=0

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]All Trojan Batteries from The Solar Biz are[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]PRICED OUTRIGHT - NO CORE CHARGES[/font]