Napa Batteries

XK150 · 10-05-2018, 10:13 AM

Hi,

I have a 2015 Itasca Solei which has four Napa "Premium Marine/RV Deep Cycle Special Purpose" batteries. First question, does anyone know what type of batteries these are? The setup menu selections for the Magnum charger are "flooded," "gel," "AGM1" or "AGM2." Mine is currently set to flooded, but I don't know if that's correct. I want to 'equalize' them and you cannot equalize all types.

Thanks,
Dick White
Cary, NC

NYBobbo · 10-05-2018, 01:32 PM

simple google search...

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBP8302

they look like regular flooded, and have to have the distilled water level maintained

Lv2Roam2 · 10-05-2018, 06:38 PM

Do a quick cross-check by entering the model # in the NAPA website - confusing wet/flooded versus AGM could be expensive ...

XK150 · 10-07-2018, 08:24 PM

Thanks for the responses. I removed the hold down bracket so I could read the model number. They are Napa 8231. The Napa website specs have a line for 'wet' or 'dry,' nothing more. The 8231 batteries are listed as 'wet.' which doesn't really help.

I called the Magnum support line and she told me to set them as 'flooded,' but because they are sealed, do not equalize them.

Regards,
Dick

**creativepart** · 10-07-2018, 10:52 PM

All battery brands are actually made by just a few companies and each company provides all the charging profiles for each of their batteries.

You need to find out the equivalent model from the OEM manufacturer to get the charging profile.

I’m not positive but I think they might be Deka “Marine Masters”.

puttin · 10-15-2018, 05:59 AM

Besides all the other ways mentioned to find out what your batteries are, you could just call Winnebago support. You might be on hold for a bit but you'll get the answer. Or, you could just look to see if you have 2 cell caps on top. Open them and you'll likely see wet acid in there....that's your answer. The fact that the charger is set for "flooded" is your other clue (unless you're not the original owner and the last guy switched it).

747Driver · 10-15-2018, 06:25 AM

No matter what they tell you, they are not sealed, maintenance free. Read the label over the plugs, it says to remove the label to service. They are quarter sized round plugs, unscrew and you need to service with water. Use a quarter to insert in the groove to loosen, or large screwdriver. I was told by multiple people that they maintenance free but I took one minute to read the label and figured it out myself.

JoeC · 10-15-2018, 06:54 AM

Yes, it does. Wet means flooded. And the batteries are not likely "premium" either. What is put into most RVs are flooded, general purpose batteries that have both deep cycle and starter battery characteristics, a middle-of-the-road type battery. They work well and will last if cared for properly, which is key.

My batteries got trashed after only three years because of the inadequate monitor provided by the manufacturer. You know the one. It has all those LED lights and indicates in large percentages. It's useless for indicating battery health and tank levels too. I dry camped a lot and never really "fully charged" the batteries which lead to their decline. The monitor indicated "charged" but they really weren't and lead-acid batteries really suffer from partial charging.

I'm trying to breath life back into the batteries with a de-sulfating battery charger. Time will tell if that works and I can hopefully get another year or two out of them. Meanwhile, I'm planning on converting over to lithium batteries, which is much more complicated than most people think. It's not just a swap out thing, if done properly, and requires a bit of engineering. At $1,000 for each battery, I don't want to gamble with the conversion.

jerichorick · 10-15-2018, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XK150

Hi,

I have a 2015 Itasca Solei which has four Napa "Premium Marine/RV Deep Cycle Special Purpose" batteries. First question, does anyone know what type of batteries these are? The setup menu selections for the Magnum charger are "flooded," "gel," "AGM1" or "AGM2." Mine is currently set to flooded, but I don't know if that's correct. I want to 'equalize' them and you cannot equalize all types.

Thanks,
Dick White
Cary, NC

Hi Dick. Great question. AGM2 works just fine. AGM1 is for Lifeline/Concord batteries.
Don't equalize AGM's. It usually destroys them. If they have been in the Flooded mode for all of this time they may be damaged. You can have them tested at NAPA. Mine have been in the coach since 2011. Still doing their job. I don't know how much life is left in them because I have not pulled them to have tested (yet). I have 6 of them.
Happy trails.
Rick

XK150 · 10-16-2018, 11:27 AM

Thanks folks for the responses. 747Driver was right on the money. Once I removed the hold down brackets and cables you can read the words "maintenance accessible battery." I assumed the word under the bracket was 'free' resulting in "maintenance free battery." They look like maintenance free batteries, too, because they are completely flat on top - no caps. But as noted by 747Driver, there are 6 plugs under the label. I guess the previous owner thought the same, because he had obviously not ever put water in them either. What I don't understand is why Winnebago doesn't remove the label so we would know. The batteries were so dry that each battery took 3 quarts of water. As you might guess, it didn't bring them back to life. I have a de-sulfating charger, but I didn't even try it. I just bought 4 new batteries. Lesson learned.

Dick and Kathy White
Cary, NC