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Did I damage my house batteries?

MetalGator
Explorer III
Explorer III
I replaced my house batteries back in August of 2020. I got 3 1/2 years out of the first set of house batteries (bought motorhome new). We are going on a trip tomorrow so I checked the water level in my batteries and noticed white crud on the battery strap. One of the batteries was swelling and was wet. These batteries are only about 2 1/2 years old. Called the local RV shop and replaced both of the house batteries. When I checked the new batteries, the water barely covered the plates.

I always fill the batteries much fuller than these new batteries were filled. I am wondering if I have been overfilling my batteries and that is why I am not getting more time out of them (and the swelling). My first set of batteries swelled as well.

I do keep my motorhome pulled in 24/7 so there could be an issue there as well.

Any advice to get more time out of my house batteries?

Burch
2018 Miramar 35.3 Motorhome
3 fur kids (Monty, ZuZu and Pinto)
Rainbow bridge (Murphy, Petie, Lola)
26 REPLIES 26

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
^I agree, AGM doesnโ€™t necessarily perform better or last longer than a comparable FLA or SLA battery.
Not sure thats an actual claim by anyone.
CCA and aH/reserve capacity are empirical measurements. And a CCA coming out of an AGM battery is no โ€œstrongerโ€ than one coming out of a Wallyworld $99 special.
Battery life is a function of quality, care and cycles. Again I believe the same quality flooded battery will last as long as the same quality in an AGM.
However that word โ€œqualityโ€ is very subjective. Even within the same make and model of battery.
Care is equally important. And AGMs tolerate a little more lack of care than flooded batteries.
And cycles are cycles.

AGMs advantages are no different than when they first came out years ago. Positional mounting advantages, tolerate a little more carelessness and the ability to mount them in un-vented or โ€œinteriorโ€ areas.

Not a fan, I think can be interpreted as โ€œnot needing the operational advantagesโ€.

And for those who donโ€™t like checking and filling battery water, there is a middle ground. Cost wise as well. SLA batteries offer some of the sealed battery properties of an AGM (canโ€™t mount them sideways or upside down like an AGM) as in never add water.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5โ€ turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
I'm not a fan of AGM.. I've tried 'em and found 'em to be "not better than flooded wet" though I do admit there are applications where they shine.

LiFePO4 needs a bit of a change in the feeding dept.. and some care regarding outside temps (Like the battery does not like to be charged if it's freezing.. so they make heaters for them) but .... Darn fine product near as I can tell..

Fact: I have a 2-way radio (Kenwood TS-2000) Running off a lead acid battery with about 10' of #10 Zip line (20 feet total) hooked to my Jeep's battery direct.. It won't go to full output power it will show low voltage and shut off/reset. (Plus the factory supplied power cord I might add.) (Works fine with engine running and alternator charging)

Switch to a small 12 AH LiFePo4 Well I needed to test it so I plugged it into the LiFePO4.. hooked it via a directional watt meter to a heavy dummy load (Can take full output of the radio... Forever or 10 times for a couple minutes) Radio dumped the full 100 watts into the oil bathed resistor.

That means it's sucking around 20 amps give or take about half an amp and the battery is not bothered. (It's a 12 amp hour battery)

Then I flipped over to the HamStick on the roof (I'm in downtown Flint. MI) and chatted with a fellow ham in... Pheonix, AZ... Oh testing two thigns on the radio. Repair (The dang thign was refusing to go over 30 watts even with good solid power.. Turns out to be a safety circuit being overly agressive) and a receiver upgrade (low noise) that ham in pheonix.. Sounded like he was parked next to me.> Very clear. NO noise (That's the upgrade)
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
pianotuna wrote:
MetalGator,


You are lucky to have unmetered power!


Lol, why? Do you think itโ€™s free?
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5โ€ turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
MetalGator,


You are lucky to have unmetered power!
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

johnhicks
Explorer
Explorer
If the charger isn't charging properly the battery type doesn't matter; it'll kill either. That should be addressed first.
-jbh-

larry_cad
Explorer
Explorer
When staying at Quartzite in 2015, my 4 house batteries were not adequate. I went out and bought 2 Interstate, and 2 Trojan batteries. They have been installed since then (i.e. 8 years) and are still good. I have a 3 stage charger in my DP, and I keep it plugged in all the time except when on the road. I have added a small amount of water twice during that 8 years. Still can't tell you which is the better brand, but I'm content with both/either.
Today is my personal best for most consecutive days alive.

Our Travel Blog

MetalGator
Explorer III
Explorer III
pianotuna wrote:
MetalGator,

If it is an absorption fridge you may wish to reconsider plugging in all the time.

My Fridge uses 5.7 kwh per day. It is a big waste of energy.

Your instincts are good--all batteries should be replaced at the same time. Just make sure to wire them in a balanced manner.


My fridge is a residential fridge. I also run a dehumidifier during the summer months because of the humidity here in Florida. The RV has two 6 volt deep cycle batteries. My storage garage comes with unmetered power so I don't know how much energy the fridge uses.
2018 Miramar 35.3 Motorhome
3 fur kids (Monty, ZuZu and Pinto)
Rainbow bridge (Murphy, Petie, Lola)

Veebyes
Explorer II
Explorer II
Next time around consider AGM or lithium. The AGM is more than the current wet cells but there is no maintenance, sealed so no leakage, have a much lower self discharge rate than wet cells therefore have no need for a trickle charger during months of storage, provided they are disconnected, & have a service life of up to 10 years.

Combine these with a programmable charger & you have a maintenance free, trouble free system for a very long time.
Boat: 32' 1996 Albin 32+2, single Cummins 315hp
40+ night per year overnighter

2007 Alpenlite 34RLR
2006 Chevy 3500 LT, CC,LB 6.6L Diesel

Ham Radio: VP9KL, IRLP node 7995

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
The proper "Full" level when FULLY CHARGED is 1/4 to 1/8" BELOW the split ring.
Some will tell you it's the bottom of the split ring but if you fill it that full they tend to "Spit" a bit (That Spit means spit out a bit of acid and need more frequent cleaning)...

Why when fully charged? The stuff changes volume as the battery charges... It literally "Fills" the battery If not fully charged go about half way between plate and bottom of filler tube. then charge. and top off.
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
MetalGator,

If it is an absorption fridge you may wish to reconsider plugging in all the time.

My Fridge uses 5.7 kwh per day. It is a big waste of energy.

Your instincts are good--all batteries should be replaced at the same time. Just make sure to wire them in a balanced manner.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

ktmrfs
Explorer
Explorer
pianotuna wrote:
Don't fill an uncharged battery much over the plates.

Fully charge, and then add distilled water.

Then do a short "stirring charge".


exactly. Almost a direct quote from trojan Flooded cell batteries water level is highest once fully charged. if you fill when partially or near fully discharged water level can end up being way to high once charged.

As your charging your increasing the concentration of sulphuric acid in the cells. that increases cell water volume.

Just make sure the plates are covered slightly before you charge. then check for proper water level and add water if needed once the battery reaches full charge.
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2015.5 Denali 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison passed on to our Son!

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Don't fill an uncharged battery much over the plates.

Fully charge, and then add distilled water.

Then do a short "stirring charge".
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

way2roll
Nomad III
Nomad III
MetalGator wrote:
Thanks for the responses. My motorhome is a 2018 Thor Miramar 35.3. I will have to look at the inverter/Charger and see what the model is. The old batteries were still working fine but once I saw the one battery swollen, I wanted to change both of them.

Would turning off the battery switch while plugged to AC at my storage facility keep the batteries from overcharging? We do have stuff in the fridge so still need to be plugged in.

Burch


Depends. On an older Thor Class A we had, plugging in overrode/bypassed the battery disconnect and charged them anyway. Simple test to disconnect and plug it in to see if they are charging though. Is your fridge multi fuel( AC/12V/LP) ?

Our Older gasser had issues though with the disconnect. In storage, unplugged even with the disconnect there was still a phantom draw somehere that drained them. Sold it before I figured it out.
2023 FR Sunseeker 2400B MBS

MetalGator
Explorer III
Explorer III
2oldman wrote:
Freezing is also a cause of swelling. Any chance that happened?


Freezing isnโ€™t a problem here. I live in Florida and the motorhome is stored in a garage.
2018 Miramar 35.3 Motorhome
3 fur kids (Monty, ZuZu and Pinto)
Rainbow bridge (Murphy, Petie, Lola)