99.00 Walmart 12 volt battery

[MotorVation]

I'm probably going to be here in Florida through the summer and I don't want to ruin my good batteries in the heat. I'm going to bring them inside in the air conditioning till it cools off or I decide to take a trip. It's rated at 114ah, so that gives me 57ah to use per cycle, plus what the solar's bringing in after the battery's fully charged.

I still want to be able to use the "house" part of my van including the laptop, led lights etc for local trips or at night when I'm out. I probably won't even run my 12v fridge unless I'm going somewhere overnight.

I bought this 12 volt Walmart marine/deep cycle battery to do the job. It weighs about 62 lbs so it's got some halfway decent plates in it. It also has a 2 year full replacement warranty on it. I don't want to argue about it being or not being a true deep cycle because I don't care and it's really a "sacrificial" battery. If it craps the bed within 2 years, I just take it back and get another one.

It's going to be pretty much plug and play. It has blade terminals as well as the typical starter type battery round posts. I just have to switch the connections from my 12 volt battery bank over to this battery, reprogram the charge controller to lead acid and I'm on my way.

Walmart 12 volt battery

 

[tx2sturgis]

Seems like a good plan and a decent battery, especially with a 2 year warranty.

 

[Qxxx]

Offhand, what are your "good" batteries (although you've probably mentioned this back in your 300+ posts)?

I am wondering whether that $99 battery might not be about as good as buying the usual $179 UB121000, or .... even 2 of the $99 ones instead. "Deep cycle marine" battery, WTH. ????

https://www.walmart.com/ip/universa...deep-cycle-vrla-battery-12v-24v-48v/116775020

 

[Truman]

Those batteries Wal-Mart sells are kinda refurbished. I forget exactly how but that's the where the price difference comes from. With that said. It's not a bad deal or battery for the price and if I had to start over I would definitely consider them.

 

[Qxxx]

..... kinda .... I shouldn't be surprised, but it does "not" say refurbished on that page.

I wonder, will those things work with the "typical" charge/float characteristics from the common solar charger as do AGM?

 

[MotorVation]

Offhand, what are your "good" batteries (although you've probably mentioned this back in your 300+ posts)?

I am wondering whether that $99 battery might not be about as good as buying the usual $179 UB121000, or .... even 2 of the $99 ones instead. "Deep cycle marine" battery, WTH. ????
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I have two of the Battleborn 100ah. I wasn't really planning on being in this heat but we all know how planning goes. Even Battleborn warns of an early death if they're used in extreme heat. I think that goes for any battery chemistry though.

I was thinking the same thing about the Wally World battery. In a place with a good amount of sun, two of them would actually suffice for my daily power needs when boondocking. A couple cloudy days in a row would gum things up but.....
My fridge eats up a lot of power, other than that fridge I really don't use a whole lot. For someone without a power glutton fridge, one of them would probably be enough.

I don't remember seeing these exact batteries when I was planning my system. They seem like a really good deal with the 2 yr full replacement warranty.
I just saw your other post about charging. Most charge controllers have a setting(s) for lead acid batteries. I haven't picked up this battery from Walmart yet, although I did buy it online. There may be markings on the case for desired charging parameters. I'll update when I have that info.

 

[user 423]

Many years ago I bought one of those 29DC batteries for a Dodge Class B and used it with a SurePower isolator and occasional hookup to shore power.

I only used it to power lights and the water pump. No fridge or furnace. It was used that way for a year or so and then I used it as the starting battery (it barely fit). It lasted another 2 years or so as the starting battery.

Can't remember for sure but I think the price was $99 back then and that was 14 years ago.

 

[Qxxx]

LOL. If I had spent $2000 for Battleborns, I'd put them in a safe deposit box in an air-conditiond, humidity-controlled bank vault in the summer. LOL.

So, 2 by $99 sounds like good summer power to me, . And like slow mentioned, if yer starter battery dies out in the boonies, well ...

 

[MotorVation]

Yeah, and I only got one. Please don't think that I consider a hundred bucks chump change. It's just a whole lot better than frying my other batteries

 

[Truman]

I have 2 battleborns also and planning a trip down south in the next couple weeks. Im praying to the BMS gods beforehand

 

[tx2sturgis]

Those batteries Wal-Mart sells are kinda refurbished. I forget exactly how but that's the where the price difference comes from.

All lead-acid batteries we buy these days are using recycled lead, that's why we are required to provide a 'core'...a used-up battery.

As far as 'kinda refurbished'...what does that mean? As new batteries they come right from the factories via rail or truck to various warehouses around the country and then are loaded on trucks that deliver them to the stores and clubs. Volume purchasing, truckload shipping, and millions of units sold helps keep the cost down, compared with individual sales and individual shipping via online retailers like Amazon and other online battery retailers.

 

[MotorVation]

I have 2 battleborns also and planning a trip down south in the next couple weeks. Im praying to the BMS gods beforehand

The other day I brought my AC/DC fridge inside partly due to the fact that my regular fridge wouldn't cool down after I got back from AZ. Until then, I left it running in the van. The solar and batteries had no problem running the compressor pretty much non stop all day and on/off at night in this heat. They didn't get so hot that the BMS shut them down but after 3 weeks of that torture I'm sure I put a dent in their lifespan. 

I had personal issues or I would have stayed out west in the mountains. It's freaking hot and humid here. Too much for me, so I'm back indoors for the time being

 

[wayne49]

..... kinda .... I shouldn't be surprised, but it does "not" say refurbished on that page.

I wonder, will those things work with the "typical" charge/float characteristics from the common solar charger as do AGM?

Select FLA on the setup menu, that menu should be on any charge controller better than a no name controller.

 

[hugemoth]

The Walmart group 29 12v RV battery in my camper lasted 5.5 years with no special care. I replaced it with the same kind last summer. No complaints.

 

[MotorVation]

I just picked the battery up from Walmart. What a freaking zoo in that place. Anyway, there are no charging parameters marked on the label or the battery. My charge controller has two separate charging profiles for FLA (flooded lead acid) batteries and they're not very different. I'm just gonna pick one and let it roll.

Yesterday I said I was going to hook up the battery then reprogram the charge controller. I read the manual for the controller again last night and there shouldn't be any power to the unit when the dip switches are changed. So, I have to reprogram the controller (dip switches only) then hook the battery up. If I were going to program custom settings through Morningstar MSVIEW software, there has to be power to the controller but the dip switches should be set first before the power is hooked up. Also, the controller has to be hooked up to the battery before the solar panels are connected to it. That's enough charge controller trivia for one day

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm into my seventh year on my deep cycle, AGM batteries (2 x 104Ah, 12 V), including summers in the 90s and occasional 100s. I run a compressor fridge full time. (It's in an insulated box I built for it and never fluctuates more that a degree or two.) Plus I'm charging all my electronics and using LED lights. So this idea of saving the batteries from the heat is alien to me. Please explain.

 

[MotorVation]

Copied from Battelborn's owner and installation pdf:

WARRANTY EXCLUSIONSThe Manufacturer has no obligation under this Limited Warranty for Product subjected to the following conditions (including but not limited to): •Damage due to improper installation; loose terminal connections, under-sized cabling, incorrect connections (series and parallel) for desired voltage and AH requirements,orreverse polarity connections.•Environmental damage; inappropriate storage conditions as defined by the Manufacturer; exposure to extreme hot or cold temperatures, fire or freezing, or water damage.•Damage caused by collision.•Damage due to improper maintenance; under-or over-charging the Product,dirty terminal connections.•Product that has been opened, modified or tampered with.•Product that was used for applications other than which it was designed and intended for, including repeated engine starting.•Product that was used on an over-sized inverter/charger(any inverter/charger that is rated to 3500 Watts or greater)without the use of a Manufacturer-approved current surge limiting device.•Product that was under-sized for the application, including an Air Conditioner or similar device having a locked rotor startup up current that is not used in conjunction with a Manufacturer-approved surge-limiting device.

You can find that info on page 8 of the PDF

https://www.solar-electric.com/lib/wind-sun/Battle_Born_Manual.pdf[/SIZE]

My batteries aren't in an insulated box and ARE subject to large temperature fluctuation

I'd be surprised if every battery on the market doesn't have the similar warranty exclusions

 

[tx2sturgis]

Translating the BattleBorn warranty:

If this battery is used in the real world, you are on your own.

 

[B and C]

My AGM's are about 10 years old now but have not seen continuous cycles and are indoors but have wild temperature fluctuations especially here in hot Houston. Battleborn's are LifePo4 I believe and have a more strict temperature tolerance.

 

[MotorVation]

All someone has to do in this forum is mention Covid-19 or the word Battleborn and the pissing matches begin. Ding ding ding goes the bell and kindergarten is in session.

The thread is about a frigging 12 volt flooded lead acid battery at a good price with a great warranty. That just might be useful for someone who's going to put a budget system together or someone who has only enough room for one house battery.

I purposely didn't mention Battleborn for that reason. Someone asked me and I answered.

Moderator, I'd appreciate if you would delete this entire thread including the original post. I should have known better