Tech Tip, Batteries and How important they are to your RV, Part 1 types. Going to break this category down into multiple posts so not to put anyone to sleep LOL Part 2 will be on understanding current draw and what the current hogs are on your RV. Hope you find this helpful. 👊 Battery types, most of us know that there are three types of batteries most often used in RV applications. Lead Acid, AGM, and Lithium. But do you know the differences between them and what advantages they each offer. Note all batteries have their short comings. Examples, much shorter amp discharge capabilities in cold below 32 degrees and two the three are very heavy. Life, recovery etc. Amp hours, Battery capacity is measured in Ah, or Amp-hours. As the name suggests this means how many amps the battery can deliver in an hour. Battery efficiency and ambient temp will affect this depending on battery type. Lead Acid deep cycle, 6 x 2.1-volt cells wired in series, filled with acid. easy to find, least expensive of the three. Average life if you maintain them very well is about 2 to 4 years. But note, life can be substantially shortened if they are allowed to run down and if you don’t top the water levels off on a regular basis. They do not do well with high current draw for long periods. Example is when you have a current draw of let’s say 50 amps for a minute or so, like when opening Hydraulic slides or leveling systems. Voltage drops off quickly below float current of 12.6 when presented with a high current load. Amp hours are important, so if using these types of batteries look for a high number. One misconception is that it is better to use two 6-volt batteries in series. Note, while two 6-volt batteries do give you 12 volts, the amp hours of discharge do not double but rather stays the same. But when two 12-volt batteries are wired in parallel you double your amp hours. Can be charged from your tow vehicle. AGM Deep cycle, (Absorbent Glass Mat) same configuration but sealed and typically maintenance free. They are much more resilient to rebounding if run down and high current loads for longer periods of time. Life span can be between 4 to 7 years if properly charged and not let to go completely dead. They are heavy but offer high amp hours and work well when two or more are wired in parallel. BTW these are my battery of choice due to life expectancy , high current draw friendliness and initial cost compared to Lithium. (the ones we have are Max Amps 4,300A, Ah: 113) and Can be charged from your tow vehicle Lithium, exceptionally light weight, great with high current loads, maintenance free. But the most expensive of the three and requires special chargers and do not like the cold at all. In fact, below 32F they do not work very well at discharge or charging. In cold climates will require a “heating blanket” to work to optimum performance. Cannot be charged directly from your tow vehicle.

Posted by Joe Gross at 2022-07-28 15:23:14 UTC