Trailer battery

A_beer

New member
So the battery in my at chaser died. I have a single group 31 that runs the fridge and a few 12v outlets, but no inverter or anything big. It was a flooded style 115ah exile nautilus and only lasted 2 years. In looking for the replacement I have found a lifeline group 8dl 255ah that I think I could shoehorn into the tongue box. I keep the trailer plugged in to a noco genius 1 10amp charger before the trips and maintained by the 7pin while driving. It would be nice to have the extra ah for longer stays. Are there any issues with going to a bigger battery? As it is there are occasional 4 day stays where the group 31 gets run down all the way. However, often times there are just overnighters which would barely discharge the 8dl. Hoping someone can break down some recommendations for a good replacement battery and educate me in the process. Thanks in advance yall.
 

A_beer

New member
Yes, it's on the noco full time as a maintainer. I agree the exude should have lived longer but it came with a 30 month warranty so pro ration saves me 30 bucks which is why I was looking at alternate options.
 

john61ct

Adventurer
You are very wise to stop buying "dual use" pseudo deep cycle in a scenario requiring true deep cycle.

But I would only spend the bucks on a Lifeline if I **knew**

A. I would hardly ever take it below 50%, like twice a year. Either get a charge in there earlier or go for a bigger bank.

And B. I knew I could get it back up to 100% Full SoC the vast majority of cycles, really shoot for over 90% of the time. When boondocking that means solar and/or a little genny. . .

Otherwise, choices are:

1. stick to $180 per pair of Sam's/Batteries+ Duracell/East Penn 240AH GC2s. Yes you'll replace them every 2-3 years but at least they're the cheapest true deep cycle.

2. Firefly Oasis G31 $500 per 100AH, the only lead bank doesn't get murdered by chronic PSOC abuse.

3. LiFePO4 even better but much pricier and different from lead, thus risky

I recommend #1 in any case, if you learn how to make them last four years then buy your spendier bank.

Get a good SoC monitor like SmartGauge.
 

A_beer

New member
1. stick to $180 per pair of Sam's/Batteries+ Duracell/East Penn 240AH GC2s. Yes you'll replace them every 2-3 years but at least they're the cheapest true deep cycle.

Thanks for the input. Do you know if I need a different charger than the noco if I series 2 6v together? The gc2 seem like a pretty cost effective way to get a huge increase in ah.
 
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wagex

Adventurer
i just bought a $80 "deepcycle" from walmart (with core) think it was like 115ah if it lasts me 2 years il be happy $40 a year for power cant really complain.
 

Borrego60

Rendezvous Conspiracy
Get a Deka g31 battery and be done with it. Maybe add a folding solar panel to keep it charged up during the day. All kind of things to do to help out your power needs.
 

john61ct

Adventurer
Flooded not much point going over .15 C, so 240A a 40A will recharge faster.

Good quality AGM 10A just not enough, really want .3-4C for longevity, so up to 100A for that size would be best.
 

john61ct

Adventurer
Get a Deka g31 battery and be done with it. Maybe add a folding solar panel to keep it charged up during the day. All kind of things to do to help out your power needs.
Nothing wrong with Deka, =East Penn, in fact they make the GC2 s I'm recommending.

But most G31s and other automotive form factors sold in the US are not true deep cycle, and the distinction is important.

Those GC2s are by far the best value for money
 

A_beer

New member
Found a deka intimidator gp31 agm on Craigslist for a smokin deal. Gonna try to make that last more than 2 years and if not re-evaluate my power situation then. Thanks for all the input folks.
 

Bbasso

Expedition Leader
While I like the idea of having a cheap and disposable battery for power needs, I don't like the idea of all the consumables being used therefore that's why I went with two AGM batteries, solar panels, charger, the whole system, so maybe once every five years I'll need to replace a component or something.
Just trying to be a little green...
 

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