Inverter/Charger/Converter????

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

If you compare the group 29 and 31 wet cells to the AGM's I think you'll find they're more powerful and will last a minimum of 5 or 6 years. The group 29's in our 2001 Adventurer lasted 8 years, and that was with the original single stage charger.

Talk about failing to understand what you are typing about

Group be it 24, 27, 29 or 31 refers to the size and shape of a battery.

AGM refers to the internal construction of the battery (Absorption Glass Mat) a starved electrolyte type of battery capable of being mounted without regard to This Side Up.

OPTIMA is a special case of AGM where the plates are arranged in a sprial giving far more physical strength (No electrical benefit).

AGM batteries can be purchased in many sizes, INCLUDING Group 24, 27, 29 and 31.

So your post makes no sense in this regard.

GC-2's (interstate) Flooded wet cell, with a good (Best made) 3-stage converter (Progressive Dynamics wizard controlled) lasted me nine years AGM (I do agree with you in part) only lasted about 5 of those 9 years.. Maintence free (Sealed, Valve controlled, Lead acid batteries, by the way AGM's are a sub class in this category) lasted about the same as the Interstates, though true age can not be determined since I do not recall when I bought them.

[Hikerdogs]

Let me make this more clear:

In most cases the larger the physical the size of the battery the larger the size of the internal plates. The larger the size of the plates the longer they can provide power. Typically a group 29 or 31 battery is capable of providing the same amount of power for a longer time period than a group 27. If the physically larger group 29 or group 31 batteries will fit in the OP's battery compartment it may be to their benefit to install them.

Turning the discussion to different battery construction types available. If you compare the group 29 and 31 wet cells to the same size AGM's I think you'll find the wet cell batteries are more powerful and will last a minimum of 5 or 6 years. The group 29 wet cell batteries in our 2001 Adventurer lasted 8 years, and that was with the original single stage charger.

As mentioned the advantages of the AGM style batteries are that they can be installed in any direction, and are more vibration resistant. They don't have a longer lifespan, and they cost nearly double what a similar size wet cell battery costs. They're typically used in applications where they are difficult to access, or where there is an inordinate amount of vibration that would cause a wet cell battery to disintegrate.

[chboone]

The biggest difference in the construction of wet cell batteries is thin plate starting batteries, thick plate true deep cycle batteries. Marine batteries are in between the two. Marine batteries are starting batteries with characteristics of deep cycle. The best wet cell battery to use for an RV is the thick plate true deep cycle, especially if you are going to do a lot of boondocking. For the most part GC-2 6V are the best choice for an RV if your not using AGM batteries. There are a few 12V true deep cycle thick plate batteries but generally not as readily available as the GC-2. One of the easiest ways to compare batteries is the weight and the 20 Amp Hour rating minutes. Attached is the product spec's from Trojan. While they list several 12V deep cycle batteries there is only three or four thick plate batteries according to their tech support. Also according to their tech support Trojan thick plate batteries have a life cycle of 1200 charge cycles while their other deep cycle batteries have 600 life cycles.