House Battery: DC vs DCX?

[DrumLum]

I have been shopping for house batteries for my 2015 Adventurer. In addition to the standard DC designation, I ran across a DCX battery.

Does anyone know what the difference is between a DC and DCX battery, if any?

I have tried searching the internet, but haven't found anything that I would consider a good answer.

Thanks.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by DrumLum

I have been shopping for house batteries for my 2015 Adventurer. In addition to the standard DC designation, I ran across a DCX battery.

Does anyone know what the difference is between a DC and DCX battery, if any?

I have tried searching the internet, but haven't found anything that I would consider a good answer.

Thanks.

As far as I know, there's no such thing as a DCX battery in terms of battery type. I did a search and found this battery at Sam's Club that has DCX in it's model #:

I did do a search and found this Sam's Club battery with a DCX model #:

https://www.samsclub.com/p/duracell-...dc/prod3590231

The second page of questions asks about the DCX in the model # with this response:

phil · a year ago
DCX what does that stand for
1
answer
Answer this Question
DURACELL · a year ago
LETTERS SAM'S CLUB HAS ASSIGNED TO THEIR BATTERIES.

If you saw this at Sam's Club, I guess that's the answer.

If the battery in question isn't from Sam's Club, do you have more information like manufacturer, model #, link, etc?

[Morich]

I'll throw in a simple guess without any firm info to back it?

Big buyers will often have a "special" model for the products they stock only in their stores. I've noticed this often on appiances like washer/drier/frig from Home Depot or Lowe's. Same item, different model number by a digit or two, so what you are likely to find in Sam's , Costco, etc. is a battery sold cheaper at their model number but actually the same battery as there are only a few places who actually make batteries but we find lots of different labels on those same batteries.

[DrumLum]

Thanks.

I saw the DCX battery at Sam's, but haven't seen a DCX battery anywhere else. I was wondering if there was a 'technical' difference, but it sounds like it's just a 'labelling' difference.

Here is a link to the battery I saw:
https://www.samsclub.com/p/duracell-...plp_product_11

It looks like the reviews aren't all that great, so maybe I'll keep looking. I installed the same batteries three years ago and haven't had any problems.

Note: My coach uses size 31, but the link points to size 29.

[creativepart]

It's a meaningless model designation. Here's the model number for the exact same battery at BatteriesPlus: SLI31MDP. Its just the battery's model designation not some new kind of DC Power.

The battery costs more at BatteriesPlus:
https://www.batteriesplus.com/produc...g)/12/sli31mdp

But wow, read those reviews. No thanks.

[BobC]

You might want to check out some of the 100Ah AGM deep cycle batteries on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=agm+deep+...s_ts-doa-p_1_7

I don't know why the a Renogy Gel cell battery is listed in the results of the above search. In general, AGMs are preferable to Gel cells for RVs. Renogy AGMs are also on the list. They're a quality brand but more expensive than

Also, note that, for the most part, a Group Number isn't specified so you'll have to check the actual dimensions. A group 31 measures 13 x 6 13/16 x 9 7/16 inches.

Most, if not all, of these are true deep cycle batteries that are preferable to any dual purpose RV/Marine battery like the one you saw at Sam's Club. The CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) in its specs give it away as a dual purpose battery. Some say this isn't an issue with AGMs but, personally, I'd steer clear of anything with CCA in its specs.

For what it's worth, I purchased two of these in Oct 2020 for my wheelchair van. They're still going strong but I haven't subjected them to heavy use. They're 110Ah so they have a 10% more capacity than the typical 100Ah AGM battery. They don't have as many ratings as the 100Ah Mighty Max but I would expect them to be of similar quality:

https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Max-Ba...%2C124&sr=8-20

It won't be long before someone chimes in recommending Lithium, or more specifically LiFePO4 batteries. That opens up a whole other discussion. In a nutshell, they have a significantly higher initial cost that's offset by a longer life and lower lifetime cost and other advantages. There are also technical issues to be dealt with in terms of charging (especially from your alternator), etc. Despite they're advantages, they're not necessarily for everyone. If you're interested, you have a lot of research to do.

[MadMaxWinny]

I ran gel cells in many applications for years. If they get "exactly" the proper charge requirements, they are very good performers. But therein lies the problem. They are VERY sensitive to charge voltage. I converted everything (cabin, 3 cars, boat, RV) to AGM 15 years ago, with no modifications to alternators, and I've only replaced 1 of 18 batteries since. BobC and I are fans!

[Damon T]

Thanks for all the great info guys. Do you typically not “need” to change out a single stage converter when upgrading to AGM ?

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by Damon T

Thanks for all the great info guys. Do you typically not “need” to change out a single stage converter when upgrading to AGM ?

I think you mean charger, not converter? Anyway, doesn’t matter. AGM and FLA share the same three stage charging profiles, so they are interchangeable.

[MadMaxWinny]

AGM does indeed have a specific charge algorithm, but it is so close to flooded that no real harm will result (just not optimal charging, by a very small margin). I run them in all of my vehicles/boat/RV for many years, and I've never worried about the alternator voltage. BUT...if you've got a very old charger/converter, and the voltage runs away on you, there could be problems.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Damon T

Thanks for all the great info guys. Do you typically not “need” to change out a single stage converter when upgrading to AGM ?

It all depends on what your MH has installed. I'd suspect that a 2015 has either a multi-stage converter/charger or a multi-stage inverter/charger, so you may not need to change out the units themselves. In either case, there may be settings to be changed to get the proper charge profile. Often these settings are changed via small "dip" switches on the unit itself. In the case of an inverter/charger, there may be a remote control panel.