99.00 Walmart 12 volt battery

[becida]

I've had good luck with this Walmart battery, they were less than $90 the last time I looked.

 

[Qxxx]

These vendors also manufacture private label batteries for a variety of retailers like AutoZone, NAPA, O'Reillys, and many others, and those trucks make deliveries at all of these retailers along a route, and of course, pick up the returned batteries to be recycled. This economy of scale helps keep the prices lower.

I imagine there is a reason that some batteries cost $89 and have a 1-year warranty, while others cost $150-200 and have a 6-year warranty. Although I imagine it could actually be that the added cost is because what you're doing is buying an "insurance policy". Eg, I found that out with my car and van purchases. Both were used vehicles "certified" by the dealers, and had 2 year bumper to bumper warranties included, and this in fact added $2000-2500 to the purchase prices.

FWIW, the battery in my car recently died after a full 6 years, and was originally installed by the dealer. I had the new battery costing $144 installed by AAA, and this one has a written 6-year warranty with full replacement up to 3 years. So, $44 for insurance ??? BTW, where I live we get 100Fs in the summers and down to about 15F in the winters.

 

[crofter]

I imagine there is a reason that some batteries cost $89 and have a 1-year warranty, while others cost $150-200 and have a 6-year warranty. Although I imagine it could actually be that the added cost is because what you're doing is buying an "insurance policy". Eg, I found that out with my car and van purchases. Both were used vehicles "certified" by the dealers, and had 2 year bumper to bumper warranties included, and this in fact added $2000-2500 to the purchase prices.

FWIW, the battery in my car recently died after a full 6 years, and was originally installed by the dealer. I had the new battery costing $144 installed by AAA, and this one has a written 6-year warranty with full replacement up to 3 years. So, $44 for insurance ??? BTW, where I live we get 100Fs in the summers and down to about 15F in the winters.

I discovered that when you get the spendy kind at WM big box, and it fails, they will give you a discount on a new battery from them. They do not replace the battery if it fails, but you can buy another battery from them.
The farmer's fave auto parts store (Napa) will test the failed battery you bought from them, and if it is defective they will replace the battery. Not sure what the cost comparison is between big box and auto parts store. 
~crofter

 

[highdesertranger]

BTW an AGM battery is a lead acid battery. I see this common mistake a lot. it's just the electrolyte is in the glass mat and not sloshing around. highdesertranger

 

[MotorVation]

The battery I bought has a 2 year full replacement warranty from Walmart. It doesn't say what happens after that. Probably nothing. I've bought starter batteries from them a couple times and the warranty was pro rated after the full replacement part of the warranty expired.

Just for the hell of it, I just hooked my modified sine wave inverter to it and made a cup of coffee with no sun (8:30 PM) on the panels. The coffee maker pulls 650 watts not taking into consideration the losses in conversion from the inverter which is at least 20% with my particular inverter. I also had two O-Polar USB fans running on high. Tempting fate, I also turned the TV on. The inverter didn't shut down. Half decent battery, I'm thinking.

I wouldn't dare do that if I were boondocking with this battery unless I was pulling power in from the panels. I'd need that power to get through the night.

I'm not a Walmart spokesman and I don't play one on TV.

 

[1shemp]

I've used Walmart 12v deep cycles on campers before and have no complaints.

 

[RVTravel]

The Walmart batteries are the original vandweller house battery ; ).

 

[XERTYX]

In the Atlanta area I think they're still made by exide. When I worked at one we had a guy who was moonlighting at Wally world and was a tech at exide.

And RE: the free 2 year replacement, that isnt always true. I think they have gotten better about it because it does in fact say free but it's a proration. Totally generated by the cash register should you need to return it.

There was a HUGE problem with their 7 year free replacement batteries when I worked there. At the point of sale if you opted for a nicer looking shiny 7 year battery over the 2 year one and if it died in a year you got like $50 off of a new one. At 6y11m you got like $9 off of a new one.

They caught a lot of flak for that as I recall. I wouldnt hedge my bets on them honoring 2y free replacement. But they are good batteries. I'm planning a build with 4 of them. I feel like if I dont tax them too heavily theyll suit my needs for many many years. It is interesting that theyve gone up. In my area they were $86. I'll shop around before I pull the trigger. I noticed during my time there that all the marine batteries varied in price from store to store in relation to how far they were from a major body of water.

 

[tx2sturgis]

BTW an AGM battery is a lead acid battery.  I see this common mistake a lot. it's just the electrolyte is in the glass mat and not sloshing around.

Yes, but also, the charging profile on an AGM battery is a bit lower, less aggressive, and there is no 'bubbling' that happens with an AGM (normally) so they tend to off-gas much less, and the lesser amount of gas that is generated is recombined internally (again normally).

Flooded batteries are expected to have a slightly higher charge voltage and in normal charging programs they will tend to bubble a bit, releasing some hydrogen sulfide gas in the process, which is simply vented off.

So, while they both contain lead and acid, the AGMs are a safer alternative when used in an occupied living space.

 

[hugemoth]

There is a lot to be said for buying batteries by weight, dollars per pound. More lead usually means more life.

BTW the Walmart starting battery in my truck lasted 9 years. That's a personal record.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Yes, but also, the charging profile on an AGM battery is a bit lower, less aggressive, and there is no 'bubbling' that happens with an AGM (normally) so they tend to off-gas much less, and the lesser amount of gas that is generated is recombined internally (again normally) . . .

But you can use a lower charging profile with FLA batteries; that is what I do with no loss of electrolyte or off gassing.  The cost is a little longer to absorption but since my batteries are well hidden, I accept that trade-off.  On a normal day my batteries are usually at 100% by 1 PM.

There seems to be a misconception about batteries made by Exide, Johnson Controls, et.al.
I spent part of my career on both sides of the contract manufacturing pipeline.  There are two basic ways contract manufactured parts are specified (greatly simplified):
 -1- The buyer (Walmart, Napa, etc.) specifies a price point and the manufacturer decides how to make it.
 -2- The buyer specifies the quality of the product and the manufacturer comes back with a price.

It is usually more complicated than that and some combination of the two but the point is that a contract manufacturer can make two completely different batteries for different customers.

 

[tx2sturgis]

But you can use a lower charging profile with FLA batteries; that is what I do with no loss of electrolyte or off gassing. 

You can certainly set the charge controller to something other than 'FLA' or 'Flooded' or 'Wet' or whatever the particular controller settings are. But MOST people will buy a battery, set the controller to that type of battery, and call it good. 

So there is often that possibility of outgassing on FLA batteries. I'm not saying they will all do it all the time, but that it can be a concern, in a closed-in sleeping or living space.

 

[tx2sturgis]

It is usually more complicated than that and some combination of the two but the point is that a contract manufacturer can make two completely different batteries for different customers.

True, the batteries can certainly be spec'd differently, but many of them might be identical across several brand names...we've all seen that before.

I used to pick up truck loads of paint for Walmart at Sherwin-Williams, PPG (Pittsburg Paint) and Glidden paint factories. Different labels, but the formulas were often identical for a given premium line of paint....but obviously some lower tier paints have lesser quality ingredients in them. And they would generally be priced lower to the consumer. 

I picked up truckloads of Great Value drinking water at the same water bottling plants in Texas that produce the more premium brands like Aqua-Fina and Ozark and Nestle. I even saw cases of Harley-Davidson Water!

Same water, different label. They may change the formula of added minerals a few parts-per-million or something, but trust me, that is the SAME water going in all of the bottles.

Same thing with all kinds of products from soda pop to fertilizer to motor oil.....all made in the same plants. Walmart does not own or operate any battery factories, water bottling plants or oil refineries...at least, not yet!

 

[highdesertranger]

say it ain't so soda pop and bull **** from the same factory, ah the humanity. LOL. highdesertranger

 

[rvwandering]

I deleted some of the off topic chitchat. Please stay on topic. Thanks!

 

[MotorVation]

Looks like Wally World sold out of them. Mine was made this month (6/20) according to the stickers on the battery, so that's a good thing. Today I checked the cells and the electrolyte was a little low especially in one cell. The plates were all covered though, so no problem. I added some distilled water and equalized it today after it came out of absorption.

All week it was reading 12.7 volts a couple/few hours after the sun went down. I don't have a big load on it. Less than 2 amps. I just went outside and checked it (11:30 PM) and it's still holding at 12.8 volts with the exact same load. That's is the reading from the Morningstar TS-RM-2 Remote Digital Meter and also a meter that's built into a docking station I use.

I'm going to get a hydrometer also. It's pretty cool learning about the flooded lead acid chemistry