TheSimpleNomad said:
In any case, yall made me confirm the idea of having 2 12V deep-cycle batteries to provide me enough power for at least 48 hours (for a minimalist cargo van lifestyle) is better than having just one 12v battery.
Muchas gracias.
With wet/ flooded batteries, '12v deep cycle' is an oxymoron in 99% of cases. Even the best group 24/27/31 deep cycle batteries made by Crown, Deka, Trojan and USbattery, will have only half the cycle life as a Pair of 6v golf cart batteries in the same charge/discharge regimen.
Most batteries sold in the 24/27/31/29 size groups ( like wally world batteries) will not even get 2/3 the cycle life of of the 4 brands listed above, but they will also be only 2/3 the price of those listed above.
A pair of 6v golf cart batteries is not only the best bang for the buck, they are easier to fully recharge and will tolerate deep cycling better, and if they are heavily abused, stand a much better chance of recovery when a full charge/ equalization charge is performed.
There are a few true deep cycle 12v batteries. the Trojan T-1275, J150, J185 are larger taller, more expensive, and will rival 6v GC batteries in cycle life. Actually I can get a t-1275 for the same price as a trojan group31. 20 more AH and twice the cycle life for the same price.
I do not have the height to accommodate 6v GC batteries, not do I require 232 AH capacity total. I am going through a lot of effort to fit a T-1275 where a group 31 once resided. I am sick of car jar batteries with deep cycle stickers. I was able to get close to 500 deep cycles on a group31 USbattery, but I expect to get 1000+ Deep cycles from the trojan T-1275 that is in my future.
The group31 USbattery cost me 165$. The Trojan T-1275 will cost 175$ before tax and core charge. 10 more $ for twice the expected cycle life and is easier to fully recharge. Seems like kind of a No brainer.
If you can fit the height requirements of 2 6vGC batteries, but opt for a pair of Wally world group 29's instead, you are shooting yourself in the foot. The only area where wet/flooded 12v batteries could out perform 6v GC batteries is when under very high inverter loads, like when running a microwave for 5+ minutes.
AGMS in the group24/27/31 size groups can outperform flooded batteries in these size group in deep cycle duty, but they require being 100% fully charged more often and require an occasional higher amperage recharge to achieve this. Lifeline, Full River, Odyssey and Northstar make the best AGM batteries. Odyssey requires huge recharging currents when deeply cycled and do not make a good solar only battery when discharged close to 50% nightly.
The deeper any battery is discharged the more important it is that it be returned to full charge ASAP, and with AGMS the higher the charge rate, the better, with a few exceptions.
Some of the Lesser$$ AGMs like Deka intimidator, which is rebadged by many retailers, cannot handle charge rates in excess of 30%. 30 amps for a 100AH capacity battery.
Most newbies to living on battery power become battery murderers from over discharging them and under charging them. The Info above is to help you know what a battery needs to live a respectable lifespan, and with 12v standard car jar size batteries, the task of getting a respectable lifespan is twice as difficult. if you require 230AH of battery capacity, and can fit a 12 inch tall battery, get the 6c golf cart batterys and wire them in series.
Sams club and Costco sell these at good prices. They are not as good of Quality as the GC batteries by Trojan/Crown/Deka/USbattery , but they will greatly outlast any standard car jar 12v battery in deep cycle service
