House batteries for 2018 Vista 29VE?

[Ciws1127]

Hi All,
Brand new to this and my house battery is DEAD. Truck battery new. How much does it cost for new house battery. On our way to NRVTA and want to get this done either while there or on the way. Feeling lost. Thanks in advance.

[Lv2Roam2]

Good morning - welcome to a new set of friends! Battery prices are all over the map depending on brand, size and type (wet, AGM, lithium). Sam's and Costco's have some decent prices on wet and AGM - perhaps start your research on their websites - pay close attention to capacity so you get something that works for your needs. Lithium prices are significantly higher - understand their pros and cons before buying.
Post again if you have questions about at specific battery.

[Morich]

For house batteries we may have different priorities than start batteries.
Understanidng what we want each to do is first step for me.
To start we need a big burst of energy all at once. That is Cold CrankingAmps(CCA) and if we have a big engine we want that as high as practical but usually the old one is matched pretty well and I go back with the same or slightly higher CCA.
That gets you the quick surge without paying more for getting a higher surge than the normal start needs.

But when we look at the coach, it is a far different need as we want a battery that doesn't often need that big surge but something that has a lots of amps hours (AH) which means the higher amp hours, the longer we can run on things like lights, vent fans, etc. A 100 AH battery can put out 2 amps of power for 50 hours. In theory at least??
So for coach, we want to get as much battery size as will fit into the rack space, with as much AH as we find practical.
But where it gets more difficult is knowing how you will camp. We never found a need to move from the cheaper, simple to find batteries we can get from WAl-mart,Sam's or dozens of places. We do not camp where we don't have hookups and our battery needs to only be good enough to do a few things as we park to eat, etc on trips and then they get recharged as we drive or plug in. No big overnight running the furnace, so cheap is fine.
Normally the large size gets more AH but it alos drive the price up.

But there are folks who want to go to remote areas and use batteries in a way that makes them willing to pay more to last far longer. They may need/want to spend many thousands to upgrade to some later design batterie like AGM or even more expensive lithium. etc which often means replacing the charging system, etc.

So knowing what YOU will do is far more important than what WE may do!

Knowing what you willl do is hard for new user as your wishes will change as you get used to doing the trips. We don't know what we like until we try it!

But for the coach batteries, one of the big things that are a drag for most of us is keeping them in good shape and that means keeping water in them. One way to cut the everyday watching the water is to spend a bit more for Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries which take lots less watching!
A bit more expensive but very likely to last much longer if you are the normal person with lots to do besides go look at the batteries!
When unsure and not certain where your wishes fall, I might recommend looking at AGM at a higher price but far less work as kind of in the middle.
But that also depends on budget.
For most budget freindly, I go for a hybrid type battery that is designed for use in bass boats, etc as a starting battery for the motor but then somewhat deep cycle for long running trolling motors.
I'm willing to watch the water closer so get the largest size that fits at the cheapest price!

[Morich]

I took a look at your RV drawings here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

It's a great site for spotting all kinds of info!


I see two batteries for coach and setting in a rack that pretty much limits the size to what they installed. Unless you want to get into metal working!

At the right the specs show them to be two group 24 . That size is pretty standard across all batteries so look at that as a start as a way to spot a battery which fits without modding!

But if you know you want to go to the woods ans stay for a week, NOW is the best time to bite the bullet and go big!
There are no right, nor wrong, just what we each feel is right for US at the moment!

Life has a way of changing us and what we want!

[BobC]

If you can answer these questions, we can make some more specific recommendations rather than turning you loose to research the options.

1. How many house batteries do you have?

If you only have one, you should seriously consider two batteries. This is not a difficult mod. Now would be the time to do this since it's best that the dual batteries be matched, including purchase date. One key factor is the size of the space you have available.

2. What are the specifics of the house battery(ies) you have?

Most likely they are dual purpose Marine/RV batteries. These are batteries that are a compromise between "deep cycle" and "starting" batteries, even though they may have "Deep Cycle" in their name. You will most likely want to replace it (them) with true deep cycle batteries, either AGM or flooded.

3. How do you use your RV? Do you usually camp with shore power?

4. Are you leaning towards maintenance free as opposed to flooded lead acid batteries that will need periodic topping off?

Since you're new to all this, I'd forget about Lithium, or more specifically Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries for now. Their purchase price is much more than the other options and aren't a simple, drop-in installation. Once you've had some experience and have educated yourself, and, depending on how you use your MH, you may consider them as a future option.

[creativepart]

Here’s the answer you don’t want to hear - it’s totally up to you.

Your Vista motorhome has two sets of batteries, house and chassis. I would assume your Vista has two house batteries and one chassis battery, because that’s what came with it from the factory. So, unless the previous owner short changed you then you need two house batteries, not one as you original post suggests.

For your house batteries you want the best, highest amp hour batteries you can afford. You can spend $100 per battery or $400 per battery or $900 per battery. It’s up to you.

And as a new RVer you don’t know it yet but this decision will have a big effect on your usage of the motorhome. Those of us that have done this awhile can take months researching available choices. And when looking at your original post it sounds you want this to be cut and dried, easy purchase, just buy one kind of process.

So, start with discovering what you have now - Group 24 or Group 27? Flooded lead acid (add water kind) or AGM (sealed). Two 6v in series to make 12v or two 12v in parallel? Once you know these details then you can start to find your replacements.

I told you you weren’t going to like this answer.

[Morich]

An added note on figuring amp hours if you have more than one coach battery. When tied together correctly the amp hours of two will add together.

But when doing a quick search for what I might use, I come up with a broad range of prices and this one battery seems to jump out as one to check as I have a Battery Plus store nearby!

Click this snip to get a better view, big enough to read!



Whoops! Big EDIT!
they snagged me again and that is NOT the battery I would choose. I read it as 40 amp hours when I should have looked closer!
shopping is a trek!

[BobC]

One more thing. Are you planning on doing this yourself? I hope so since you'll learn a lot and will be well prepared to deal with any issues and future replacement.

[creativepart]

Ciws1127... as you might be able to tell, batteries are a popular and opinionated topic at all RV forums. I hope we don't scare you with all these details. You'll find the more you can learn about your house batteries the better.

[Ciws1127]

Thank you all for replies. I was able to get a Winnebago repair facility. Such nice people. I am continuing to read replies and discern all the information. As we begin to get close to retirement we are evaluating our needs so that we can full time RV.

[Noah4448]

We went with two Lithium "heated" batteries and a Redarc DC/DC charger. They have twice the power for boondocking, they work in winter, they have a solar option, and over the long term, they are less expensive. And I do not have to worry about killing them by over-draining them like I did the first set of lead-acid.

https://www.etrailer.com/Battery-Cha...SABEgKCj_D_BwE