Battery Suggestions

[rca]

I have a bad battery for the audio system that I need to replace. Any recommendations on batteries? The one I'm replacing is a group 27.

I imagine there is a topic on here about opinions on batteries, but I cannot find one with Tapatalk on my phone.

[Woody929]

I really like the 2 golf cart batteries. Had to call about 5 different Costco stores to find them, but the things last all day

[David Analog]

I have a bad battery for the audio system that I need to replace. Any recommendations on batteries? The one I'm replacing is a group 27.

I imagine there is a topic on here about opinions on batteries, but I cannot find one with Tapatalk on my phone.

Ron,
My question is whether or not you saw the lifespan from your existing battery that you expected.
You may need to increase battery reserve capacity this time or you may also need to change another element of your routine.

[mmandley]

Ron from knowing how you boat, I think you will be fine with a group 31, little more capacity then a 27. I don't think you sit you and party cove enough to really need a 2-6V set up like mine.

[MLA]

Being a dedicated house battery, if its getting depleted while at anchor, how is it getting recharged?

[rca]

Mike's right we almost never run the system while anchored. It is usually running while the engine is running. I have a prosport dual bank charger as well so the batteries are getting refreshed when the boat is on storage.

I'm pretty comfortable with my current setup in terms of capacity. What I probably should have asked is standard marine deep cycle or AGM style battery for the audio system? How do they generally compare from a life span vs. cost issue? Any brand thoughts?

[MLA]

Based on that info, I would not hesitate to go with another group-27 wet-cell, and Id probably make a dual-purpose.

[gregski]

Mike's right we almost never run the system while anchored. It is usually running while the engine is running.

This is the key to your decision. In this case, a deep-cycle battery is not beneficial. Deep-cycles are good for situations when you use a battery for a long time without charging it. Batteries can only take so many drain/recharge cycles and deep-cycles can handle more of these. If you don't rock out for hours without the engine running than your battery is always staying charged.

You can go either way wet-cell vs. AGM. I prefer the AGM batteries, they are more expensive but last longer and are sealed so you never have to mess with it. Batteries are really only made by about 2-3 manufacturers and rebranded; so I usually buy the part store brand. Battery group size doesn't matter much for you since you aren't fitting it to a specific vehicle tray. Just get one that fits in the battery box.

[trayson]

I'd just get the Costco brand and call it good. It's hard to beat the price of the Costco or Walmart batteries and as mentioned above, they're often made by the same manufacturers. I know for me the incremental difference in performance doesn't justify going with an AGM.

[bergermaister]

How about life expectancy of wet vs AGM?

I know you've probably heard me spout off about it before but I have a Group 27 (maybe 29?) AGM that is still going strong now into year 8.

[sivs1]

I'd just get the Costco brand and call it good. It's hard to beat the price of the Costco or Walmart batteries and as mentioned above, they're often made by the same manufacturers. I know for me the incremental difference in performance doesn't justify going with an AGM.

Second that on the Costco batteries. Ranked really high on consumer reports also. I had two in y Stingray, never had issues even after long cold winters.

[valleywine]

If you use the two golf cart 6v route, can you also have a 12v on the house side of the switch? I guess you would use two 6v batts for every 12v you currently have? Or would two 6v replace two 12v batts?

[rca]

I ended up at Walmart. Cheap and got me back working quickly.

[jmvotto]

I ended up at Walmart. Cheap and got me back working quickly.


Plus one on Wally world sams club batteries

[BrettLee3232]

I ended up at Walmart. Cheap and got me back working quickly.

Which one did you get?

[viking]

If you use the two golf cart 6v route, can you also have a 12v on the house side of the switch? I guess you would use two 6v batts for every 12v you currently have? Or would two 6v replace two 12v batts?

most common application in a boat with sound system is (2) 6v for the deep cycle system side and (1) 12v cranking battery for the other. but in an RV typically 2 6v will replace the 2 12v since their isn't a need to have starting/cranking power. So really depends on application.

[MLA]

Just to add to viking's info. You have to use two 6V in order to have a usable 12 volt bank. If you want a larger bank, you then have to add another pair of 6V, in order to maintain a usable 12 volt. It always takes a pair, but just know, for every pair you add to the bank, you increase the amp/hours of the bank.

[valleywine]

So currently I have two 12v batts on the house/system side and another 12v for starting eng. my question is......would two 6v batts give me same/similar power as the two 12v I have now on that side of the switch?

[sivs1]

I may be old school, but I just have two 12v batteries on a switch. When running switch is set to 1 & 2 and when anchored listening to tunes swimming switch is set to 2. Have never had an issue with lack of power or cranking to start. I am running two amps and some LED's so nothing too crazy. I would rather have the extra storage space than multiple banks of batteries.

What's the benefit of having one 12v and two 6v compared to two 12v?

[rca]

Which one did you get?

Type 27 Walmart marine. Basic replacement for the Batteries Plus type 27 I had that died. Got a couple of years out of the BP battery.

[beat taco]

Costco and walmart batteries are both made by johnson controls, more commonly known as interstate.

[beat taco]

So currently I have two 12v batts on the house/system side and another 12v for starting eng. my question is......would two 6v batts give me same/similar power as the two 12v I have now on that side of the switch?
A group 27 battery has a amp hour rating of 85-105 while a golf cart or t105 battery has a amp hour rating of 185-225. Also the lead plates used in constructing a golf cart battery is much thicker than a 12v and I believe it's corrosion of these plates that is one of the biggest factors in battery failure.

In short if you use your electronics at rest you will have a much longer run time and battery built to withstand the discharge rates a battery will endure in those conditions.

[gregski]

How about life expectancy of wet vs AGM?

I know you've probably heard me spout off about it before but I have a Group 27 (maybe 29?) AGM that is still going strong now into year 8.

Yeah, this is why I prefer the AGM's. I've grown very tired of car batteries that start to die in the 3 year range. It's just a fact of life. Once I switched to AGM, I started getting batteries that last must longer, easily 5+ years. Plus the AGMs are more tolerant of mis-treatment. I had a new wet cell motorcycle battery that I forgot to trickle charge over the winter and it was shot in the spring.

[BrettLee3232]

Type 27 Walmart marine. Basic replacement for the Batteries Plus type 27 I had that died. Got a couple of years out of the BP battery.

This one?

http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/16795212

[BrettLee3232]

Yeah, this is why I prefer the AGM's. I've grown very tired of car batteries that start to die in the 3 year range. It's just a fact of life. Once I switched to AGM, I started getting batteries that last must longer, easily 5+ years. Plus the AGMs are more tolerant of mis-treatment. I had a new wet cell motorcycle battery that I forgot to trickle charge over the winter and it was shot in the spring.

Is this a good one?

http://www.wholesalebatteriesdirect.com/marine-batteries/52230-12-v-90-ah-group-27-deep-cycle-agm-marine-battery.html

[valleywine]

Thanks @beattaco. So two 6v would have similar power to four 12v batts. That's a lot of power. Sorry to hijack thread.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[zabooda]

Golf cart batteries do best on a slow discharge and recharge so they shouldn't be used for the starting battery.

[MLA]

So currently I have two 12v batts on the house/system side and another 12v for starting eng. my question is......would two 6v batts give me same/similar power as the two 12v I have now on that side of the switch?

You can answer that question yourself. Look up the model 12V you currently have and see what the Ah rating is and 2 x it. Now, look up the 6V you wont, and see what its (use the spec from only one) Ah is.

So now you know which has the most Ah, its up to you to decide if its worth it. One huge advantage to two 6V, is they are more tolerant to frequent and deep cycles, than a traditional 12V wet cell. For the boater that spends all weekend at the sand bar/party cove hammering away on the stereo, this makes it worth it. Down side is, the level of maintenance goes up.

[zabooda]

You can go to a good battery store and they will show you the different types of batteries and their amp/hr ratings. You'll also see the size and weight difference which you need to consider for your boat. I use my boat for skiing so I keep the boat as light as I can so I only use a starting battery for everything and carry cables just in case. I used 6 volt gc batteries in my motor home for 15 years now and I don't need to change out batteries as often and the total cost is about the same. I've used Costco gc batteries for many years and they don't last as long as the Trojan batteries but they are almost half the price. If you get Costco batteries, you can get a full refund on them if you return them within 6 months (end of season..hint hint) if you are not totally satisfied with them.

[mmandley]

A group 27 battery has a amp hour rating of 85-105 while a golf cart or t105 battery has a amp hour rating of 185-225. Also the lead plates used in constructing a golf cart battery is much thicker than a 12v and I believe it's corrosion of these plates that is one of the biggest factors in battery failure.

In short if you use your electronics at rest you will have a much longer run time and battery built to withstand the discharge rates a battery will endure in those conditions.

Jake has heard first hand how hard I push my stereo and in the 2 summers we have ran our Golf Carts I have never had a stereo issue with them going dead.

I currently still run the older A/B amps in my boat and they are power hogs.

Although I was made an offer today I couldn't pass up, looks like an entire new stereo going into Beastia this year..

[beat taco]

Jake has heard first hand how hard I push my stereo and in the 2 summers we have ran our Golf Carts I have never had a stereo issue with them going dead.

I currently still run the older A/B amps in my boat and they are power hogs.

Although I was made an offer today I couldn't pass up, looks like an entire new stereo going into Beastia this year..
This should be good!

So it's the construction of 6v batteries that make them truly deep cycle unlike a 12v?

[mmandley]

This should be good!

So it's the construction of 6v batteries that make them truly deep cycle unlike a 12v?

Yuuup.
I mainly switched to them because of the LBC trips, and Sundays on Hagg. LBC we have no way to charge the boat and the alternator in our boat is a 140amp but its only charging when boat is really in motion.
Sundays on Hagg can be pretty brutal with all the tubers so we tend to float party and crank the tunes till 4pm and then start boarding.