TV for My RV - The Best RV Stuff

House Batteries - Part 2

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:32:41 GMT

In my last post, I talked about the importance of having all of the house batteries to be matched in performance and capacity, and that I failed to recognize the importance of that 4 years ago when I added additional batteries to my rig.

Fast forward to the present and I find the need for all new house batteries.

In my research for new batteries, I looked at the traditional flooded lead acid batteries and the higher cost AGM battery offerings. In general the life cycle of an AGM battery is twice that of a complarable flooded or wet cell battery, so, even though the initial cost is higher, the theory is that over the long haul, AGM batteries should be a better value.

Now, to find batteries. In fairness, I wanted to check the cost of both flooded and AGM batteries, and I also wanted to check between several brands before I made my decision. I have heard good things about the Trojan flooded batteries with the T2 technology, and the LifeLine AGM batteries were supposed to be highly recommended for AGM batteries. I began by finding local dealers for those brands and started to make calls to find pricing and availability.

The Trojan dealer could get me the flooded batteries I was looking for, in less than a week at a cost of $209.00 each. The LifeLine battery dealer no longer carried the brand, he said due to constantly fluctuating pricing and low demand. He recommended a Dekka brand AGM battery as a substitute, and gave me a price of $269.00 each, with availability at his store in about a week. This put me back in research mode, since I really didn't know much about the Dekka brand battery. Google came to the rescue, and I soon had some very good information about the Dekka batteries and a good feeling about them overall. Still, I had not reached a conclusion about what I was going to do. Then I heard about the "Duracell" AGM batteries at Sams Club. Again, I didn't know who made these batteries or where they came from, so Google again pointed me to a website about Duracell AGM batteries. A link on that page for more information, and presto magico, I am now in the same manufacturer website that the Dekka batteries are produced. So, all of these batteries come off the assembly line, and get either a Dekka label or Duracell label, depending on where they are going. Conclusion, the Sams Club AGM batteries are the same batteries the Dekka dealer has to offer.

Sams Club price for the AGM batteries? $169.00 each! I bought a Sams Club membership and still saved $365.00 over what it would have cost to purchase the equivalent batteries at the other dealer.

If you need new house batteries, you'd be hard pressed to find a better value than the Sams Club Duracell AGM batteries!

House Batteries - What I didn't know.

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:48:01 GMT

Many of us end up learning some things the hard way.

When we bought our coach, we thought we were experienced RVers. Some things we did actually know, but there were plenty of lessons in store for us. One of those lessons came in "house batteries". Our coach had two 6V batteries installed when we bought it and about the time I installed our Inverter/Charger, I knew we would need additional battery capacity. I purchased two additional 6V batteries of the same brand and model locally and installed them. Life was good! Now, here we are four years later and the battery bank just doesn't do what it should. The new solar panels on the roof charge them up by day, and they discharge rapidly overnight. Turns out that a bank of batteries is somewhat like a chain, in that it is only as strong as the weakest link. Since I added two new batteries to a pair of "old" batteries, I am now in a spot where the whole system is being "dragged down" by the two older bateries which are now more than 8 years old, and don't respond well to load testing. So after several more years of RV experience, attending seminars and reading forum posts, I now know that I should have installed four new batteries all at the same time.

In my next post, I'll talk about my replacement battery selection, and the subsequent installation.

Spring is coming!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:49:19 GMT

The summer camping season is almost upon us. Time to remove the anit-freeze and sanitize your fresh water system. Don't forget to replace your water filter cartridges.

Go Green! Solar Power for your RV

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:10:28 GMT

We're allways looking for ways to save money and increase the convenience of RV'ing. To do both of those things and help the environment at the same time is a bonus. Solar electricity for RVs can go from a small portable trickle charger to a full blown rooftop multi-panel installation. This week we shot a video to show how relatively easy it is to install solar on the roof of your motorhome, fifthwheel, or travel trailer. TVforMyRV.com has complete RV Solar Kits and Solar Expansion Kits as well as common accessories for solar installations. Look for the video soon at http://www.tvformyrv.com/solarkits

Trust your Instincts

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:38:00 GMT

A tidbit of advice for the RVer. Trust your instincts.

Last year, we were returning home from the RV show in Quartzsite, AZ and while climbing through the Guadalupe Mtns in NM, I heard a small pop from the back of the motorhome and then saw a cloud of smoke/steam that proved to be our engine coolant blowing out of the ruptured radiator hose. We weren't overheating, and we were just leisurely climbing the not all that steep grade, and boom, the hose burst. Fortunately, there was a huge pull-off right in front of us where we could get safely off the road. After spending that night along the road, and another night at a repair garage in TX, we resumed our trip home to Pennsylvania.

The point of this blog post is this: A few months prior to our trip, the motorhome was in our local garage getting serviced. I'm good friends with the guys at this shop, and I trust them a lot. While we were going over things I asked if they thought it would be a good idea to replace all the belts and hoses. The mechanic poked around at most of them and said they seemed pliable and no signs of cracking, and he didn't think the expenditure for new hoses was needed. At that time, in a warm cozy garage near home, I agreed with his opinion.

Sitting along the road in New Mexico, on a freezing night, in a very lonely place, I wished I had TRUSTED MY INSTINCTS!

Safe Travels...

Don

TV for MY RV Blog Introduction

Wed, 11 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone and welcome to the TV for My RV Blog.

It's my objective to occasionally post articles which I think may be of interest for most RV enthusiasts. I may tell you about up and coming products. I might also tell you of some of the calamities we have suffered along the way in our motorhome in an effort to help you avoid a similar problem. There could also be an occasional post about places we like and places we think you might want to avoid.

I hope to keep it enjoyable and fun to read, and I encourage you all to participate with comments and stories of your own to share.

Thank You
Don Sweger
www.tvformyrv.com