Best bang for your buck on lead acid batteries?

[XERTYX]

So I'm planning on starting sourcing materials for the  electrical aspect of my build. I'm still haggling for a camper trailer to outfit. There is a damaged popup near me that the owner wants to get rid of so fingers crossed. 

I'm definitely on a shoe string budget here. I'll have to accumulate materials out of my disability check over the course of a few months. But I must act quickly. June will likely see me leaving my current off grid location and I'll either be outdoors or indoors depending on whether or not I drag my ass any longer.

So. We come right down to it then. I could of course buy 1 flooded deep cycle battery from walmart and an $80 mono panel from amazon and a charge controller as well. 

This would present a challenge. A: The puekert (spelling) effect would influence the loads I could run. B: I'd want to scale up later as I add my creature comforts. C: Mismatched batteries dont like to play very well together.

So I've looked. And looked. And this is what ive came up with. Walmart 29DC marine deep cycle batteries. 4 of them to be exact. All with the same lot dates if possible so as to have them closely matched.

The 29DC they offer has a 125Ah rating and runs around $86 at the moment. $344ish for a 500Ah bank (250Ah useable) then purchase the panel and charge controller. Later I could add on another 2 100W panels as they're on amazon in a 2 pack for $159 right now.

Is there a cheaper method I've overlooked? I know some swear by golf carts but I dont really have a good source for them around here. I'd pay double for them.

My intended usage would be an alpicool c20 fridge 24/7, a 700W microwave on occasion (to make popcorn or microwave pizza. Likely 5 mins a day at best), a 900w coffee pot to brew but then switched off and put in a thermos (semi occasionally), radio equipment, an LED TV, charging of tablets and phones, water pump, fans, and eventually a second alpicool set up as a deep freezer.

I'm looking for a rural off grid parcel of land I could buy and move this setup onto as a semi permanent dwelling.

 

[Trebor English]

I'm definitely on a shoe string budget here. I'll have to accumulate materials out of my disability check over the course of a few months. But I must act quickly.
. . .
My intended usage would be an alpicool c20 fridge 24/7, a 700W microwave on occasion (to make popcorn or microwave pizza. Likely 5 mins a day at best), a 900w coffee pot to brew but then switched off and put in a thermos (semi occasionally), radio equipment, an LED TV, charging of tablets and phones, water pump, fans, and eventually a second alpicool set up as a deep freezer.

You seem to have some conflicts.  Shoestring budget, act quickly, and all the comforts of home don't fit together.  

Is the list, microwave and coffee pot, radio, tv, tablets (plural), and phones (plural), water pump, fans really a goal?    

Quickly jumping is, in my experience, error prone.  

Buying batteries in advance of the ability to charge them will lead to tired batteries when you finally do start to use them.

 

[Weight]

The best bank for buck is not "marine deep cycle". It is indisputably golf cart six volt batteries. My choice as thrifty is Duracell EGC2 from East Penn. Got mine from Battery plus Bulbs, also available in eastern Sam's Clubs.

 

[Gr8ful]

I like EXIDE GC 6v DEEP CYCLE batteries from Rual King $79ea & they're not picky about cores & at least the local store will take any lead acid core aka motorcycle, lawnmowe, etc, YRMV. EXIDE is the manufactor, the pink bunny doesn't make batteries, they buy them from Penn. There a date code on the battery so get the newest ones.

 

[XERTYX]

Well batteries plus here doesnt carry that model. Their site is very difficult to navigate as well. You have to know the make and model of a specific golf cart to get a listing of batteries. Most I clicked on were for low AH 12v SLA and AGM batteries. I found an interstate golf cart battery online for 118.99. Id need 4 of them. So that's $475.96 for 210 useable AH vs $344 for 250 useable AH. Although would be 2 pounds lighter. 

I know very well I couldn't have all the comforts of home. But I'd like to have the reserve capacity should I choose to use them. At least occasionally.

 

[ped]

The value power starting batteries at walmart. $55 with a core all sizes same price.

Many of makeshift solar systems are ran on starting batteries and they last much longer than you are usually told. In fact, most people seem to sulfate batteries long before a cheap starting battery shorts a cell.

 

[XERTYX]

There are a lot of golf carts due to a lot of golf communities in the area so the prices are very high. Last time I priced them locally they were over $300 each

 

[ped]

While youre there pickup a $75 minifridge and a 1kw modified sinewave inverter. They use virtually no more energy than a 12v at 1/2-1/10th the price. Mine uses about 15-20a in cool weather and 45a in moderately hot weather. Peak with low content, frequent use and 100f temps was 72a in 24hrs...coming up on 2 years use now.

 

[ped]

One more...amazon has a 200w kit for $233. Charge controller is crap so my ladt installation of family members rv was the renogy rover mppt 20a for $75 on amazon right now.

FYI they are using the $55 valuepower batteries too.

 

[Gr8ful]

Golf car dealers also sell used 6v & 8v GC batteriesnif the budgets tight. About $30 last I checked but they're 3 years old but well maintained & tested. The key is not to run the batteries too low, stay above 75% & they last a long time.

 

[XERTYX]

That's good advise. The only trouble is in north georgia everyone with a golf cart has a black AMEX card with unlimited credit and almost no one builds out solar arrays. In fact georgia power got caught with their hands in the cookie jar some years ago. There was a push to use these new cheap efficient solar panels to tie into the grid. Their lobbyists ALMOST succeeded in getting a bill pushed thru that would fine their customers like $1k a year for using solar as well as their shore power in a home.

So yeah. Maybe in south Georgia and north Florida I could find cheap batteries but around here a golf cart battery would probably fetch $20 in scrap metal. So I doubt I'd find any $30 ones. The dealers around here mainly specialize in "pimping out" golf carts for the class of people that need a cappuccino machine and laser lights on their cart.

 

[regis101]

Road trip ?

 

[RogerD]

Well batteries plus here doesnt carry that model. Their site is very difficult to navigate as well. You have to know the make and model of a specific golf cart to get a listing of batteries. Most I clicked on were for low AH 12v SLA and AGM batteries. I found an interstate golf cart battery online for 118.99. Id need 4 of them. So that's $475.96 for 210 useable AH vs $344 for 250 useable AH. Although would be 2 pounds lighter. 

I know very well I couldn't have all the comforts of home. But I'd like to have the reserve capacity should I choose to use them. At least occasionally.

On the page that they list the brands for golf cart batteries available, you should see "unbranded". That's what you want to choose and where you will find the Duracell batteries.

This should be the correct link.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/golf-cart/un=branded/6v-golf-cart-battery/na/na

You need to choose a store near you to see the correct pricing for your area.

 

[Weight]

Those prices on Duracell have jumped. It may depend on the store. Mine were; EGC2 $109 and the smaller GC2 $89. Shop around. Sam's Club list them for $89.88. You do need a core. Either a $ deposit or an old battery.

 

[Gr8ful]

Well batteries plus here doesnt carry that model. Their site is very difficult to navigate as well. You have to know the make and model of a specific golf cart to get a listing of batteries. Most I clicked on were for low AH 12v SLA and AGM batteries. I found an interstate golf cart battery online for 118.99. Id need 4 of them. So that's $475.96 for 210 useable AH vs $344 for 250 useable AH. Although would be 2 pounds lighter. 

I know very well I couldn't have all the comforts of home. But I'd like to have the reserve capacity should I choose to use them. At least occasionally.

BatteriesPlus & places like that are always high. I also don't buy "gimick" brands that sell you by dancing bunny's & don't even make there own batteries. I buy real batteries from the people who make them. Nows a bad time here to buy used, the right time is just before winter when the golf car places close for the winter. You don't have Rural King farm stores in your area? Try other farm stores.  PM me your zip code as I have time so will be glad to try & find the best deal for you.

 

[RogerD]

Those prices on Duracell have jumped. It may depend on the store. Mine were; EGC2 $109 and the smaller GC2 $89. Shop around. Sam's Club list them for $89.88. You do need a core. Either a $ deposit or an old battery.

In my area. Batteries Plus has a 230 ah for 104.99. Order online and you get 10% off ($94.50).

 

[brahmon]

Can I safely add these batteries to my battery bank of the Everstart Maxx Marine 29 batteries?   I guess I've been "overpaying" for the $100 ones!   lol




The value power starting batteries at walmart. $55 with a core all sizes same price.

Many of makeshift solar systems are ran on starting batteries and they last much longer than you are usually told. In fact, most people seem to sulfate batteries long before a cheap starting battery shorts a cell.

 

[ped]

Better off buying 2 brand new ones. But at $55 why not.

 

[XERTYX]

On the page that they list the brands for golf cart batteries available, you should see "unbranded". That's what you want to choose and where you will find the Duracell batteries.

This should be the correct link.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/golf-cart/un=branded/6v-golf-cart-battery/na/na

You need to choose a store near you to see the correct pricing for your area.

Thanks for that link. Yeah that works. Unfortunately the best price they have locally is $119 just like the exide I found online. They do have the 10% off code if ordered online but that's $4 more than even the exide and 230AH usueable. They have 2 other sizes. For $189 235AH or $199 255 AH.

So to get virtually the same AH rating as the walmart 29DC batteries that would run about $600 from batteries plus or $344 from walmart. I dont think I'm gonna do any better than that legally. That's the way it's looking on my end.

Starting batteries might be cheaper up front this is true but I'd rather spend the extra couple bucks for the thicker plates in the true deep cycle marine batteries. We used to find some around here that said they were a marine hybrid for starting and trolling. X amount of AH and Y amount of cranking amps. They were pretty cheap but I heard they had the same type of spongey plates in them like automotive batteries only just a teeny bit thicker and they assumed fishermen would use them to troll along the shallows a bit and then head home and pop their boat on the charger so no harm no foul.

I've used alarm system batteries in the past when I had my boat but this time I want to be able to actually see a return on my investment. I.E. a long serviceable life span with plenty of reserve for cloudy days if I adjust my consumption and moderate to heavier usage in optimal operating conditions should I see fit.

 

[ped]

The prob is its so easy to not have enough time to refill properly everyday. I know myself and many others ruined a few banks of batteries in a year or two by sulfation. Its a bunch of money wasted.