Solar Battery Question

[Razorwalker]

So, I currently have 2 Ultima Blue Top Deep Cycle batteries in my build. Was done by the previous owner. Both are over 3 years old and not holding a charge very long. I've eliminated any drain issues and verified that the solar panels are indeed outputting the correct amperage. My question is this: Will the Everlast Maxx RV/Marine Deep Cycle batteries work? Not a cheap skate per se, but I am running out of funds and looking for something that will get my by for a year maybe until I can afford a better brand. Anyone used these batteries? What was your experience like with them. Thanks in advance :)

 

[RoarinRow]

I haven't used that brand but based off of Walmart reviews it should definitely last you more than a year.

 

[Razorwalker]

I haven't used that brand but based off of Walmart reviews it should definitely last you more than a year.

Thanks. Yeah, the reviews seem pretty decent for it and it's less than $100 each for them and need at least two. Never dealt with Solar before like this and learning as I go, hence the question. Thank you for the reply :)

 

[RoarinRow]

Thanks. Yeah, the reviews seem pretty decent for it and it's less than $100 each for them and need at least two. Never dealt with Solar before like this and learning as I go, hence the question. Thank you for the reply :)

Most welcome! Good luck with your setup! I use a Renogy AGM 100amp Battery for my solar setup. I just have the one battery and its held up but I haven't really pushed it to its limits.

 

[Razorwalker]

Most welcome! Good luck with your setup! I use a Renogy AGM 100amp Battery for my solar setup. I just have the one battery and its held up but I haven't really pushed it to its limits.

Thanks and nice. Yeah, I'm a gadget guy and will need the extra battery. Eventually, I would like 4 really good AGM batteries running together, but it'll have to wait until I get new panels for that. Only have two small 100 watt'ers right now. Will be upgrading to 3 or 4 (depending on the amount of room after building out my roof rack) 200 watt panels. I'm diabetic, so I'll have to keep my fridge running 24/7 to keep my insulin at the proper temps. Plus, I do iphone repair to help pay for my travels, so gotta make sure I have enough power for equipment without running the generator. Want it to last and it's only got 1,252 hours on it. I had originally thought that was high until I started researching Onan Commercial generators. Apparently, properly maintained, they can go 30K+ hours, so that is good.

 

[ArkansasDon]

I've done 2 builds both have solar both I used VMax Tanks 125ah SLR Series AGM battery. I never had an issue with this battery, IMO this battery supersedes any battery, withstand repeated cycles yet stay charged with minimum self discharge in standby power back up modes. Can withstand extreme cold weather conditions w\o losing charge. 1st photo was my 1st build for my RRT trailer, 2nd was the current build I finished square drop trailer.

 

[Razorwalker]

I've done 2 builds both have solar both I used VMax Tanks 125ah SLR Series AGM battery. I never had an issue with this battery, IMO this battery supersedes any battery, withstand repeated cycles yet stay charged with minimum self discharge in standby power back up modes. Can withstand extreme cold weather conditions w\o losing charge. 1st photo was my 1st build for my RRT trailer, 2nd was the current build I finished square drop trailer.

very nice. I wish my power management looked that clean, lol. I'm working on getting it organized, but not gonna have the resources to redo my entire system right now. It's on the priority list though. Probably when I upgrade the solar and batteries, that would be the ideal time to rewire everything. Thanks for the info on the batteries, I'll have to check them out

 

[RoarinRow]

Thanks and nice. Yeah, I'm a gadget guy and will need the extra battery. Eventually, I would like 4 really good AGM batteries running together, but it'll have to wait until I get new panels for that. Only have two small 100 watt'ers right now. Will be upgrading to 3 or 4 (depending on the amount of room after building out my roof rack) 200 watt panels. I'm diabetic, so I'll have to keep my fridge running 24/7 to keep my insulin at the proper temps. Plus, I do iphone repair to help pay for my travels, so gotta make sure I have enough power for equipment without running the generator. Want it to last and it's only got 1,252 hours on it. I had originally thought that was high until I started researching Onan Commercial generators. Apparently, properly maintained, they can go 30K+ hours, so that is good.

Ah no wonder you need that extra power. Good luck!

 

[RoarinRow]

I've done 2 builds both have solar both I used VMax Tanks 125ah SLR Series AGM battery. I never had an issue with this battery, IMO this battery supersedes any battery, withstand repeated cycles yet stay charged with minimum self discharge in standby power back up modes. Can withstand extreme cold weather conditions w\o losing charge. 1st photo was my 1st build for my RRT trailer, 2nd was the current build I finished square drop trailer.
View attachment 103030View attachment 103032

Love the clean install!

 

[1derer]

Only thing that you did not specify was where these batteries are located. If you are using non-sealed lead acid batteries you want them in a well vented area.

 

[Razorwalker]

Only thing that you did not specify was where these batteries are located. If you are using non-sealed lead acid batteries you want them in a well vented area.

Ahh, sorry about that. One battery is under the hood and the other is in a ported battery box by the side doors. It's ported both top and bottom

 

[1Louder]

I have 2 batteries. One in my truck and one in my trailer. I feel totally comfortable running my fridge 24/7 off of either battery with just a 100 watt solar panel. 4 sounds like overkill but you may have found information to the contrary. I also live and travel throughout the southwest which has better than average sunny days thus making it easy for a single 100 watt panel to provide plenty of power. At night I switch my fridge over to my trailer battery just to save use of my vehicle battery. Either can power the fridge just fine. I have a dual zone fridge and many times run one section below 20f to keep things frozen.

I have no experience with the batteries you listed. I run an X2 in my FJ and a Duracell in my trailer. Both are around 95AH.

 

[Razorwalker]

I have 2 batteries. One in my truck and one in my trailer. I feel totally comfortable running my fridge 24/7 off of either battery with just a 100 watt solar panel. 4 sounds like overkill but you may have found information to the contrary. I also live and travel throughout the southwest which has better than average sunny days thus making it easy for a single 100 watt panel to provide plenty of power. At night I switch my fridge over to my trailer battery just to save use of my vehicle battery. Either can power the fridge just fine. I have a dual zone fridge and many times run one section below 20f to keep things frozen.

I have no experience with the batteries you listed. I run an X2 in my FJ and a Duracell in my trailer. Both are around 95AH.

Cool, thank you for the information. Yeah, I'll have a lot of electronics hooked up in the van. While I don't plan on running everything at once, I want to make sure that I have plenty to spare in case I want to sit for a few days and it's raining or something. I DO have an AC to DC converter, so I COULD turn on the generator and charge them, but I really want to try and save the generator for emergencies since it drinks from the same tank as the van. Next week, I'm gonna fill the tank and then run the generator for about 8 hours with the AC going to get an idea of just how much gas it will consume under load. Thankfully, Verizon installed a cutoff, so when the tank hits 1/4th, the generator will shut off automatically. But, just things that need to be determined before I hit the road. Sounds like you got a nice setup there. Thanks for sharing :)

 

[NV Badlands]

So, I currently have 2 Ultima Blue Top Deep Cycle batteries in my build. Was done by the previous owner. Both are over 3 years old and not holding a charge very long. I've eliminated any drain issues and verified that the solar panels are indeed outputting the correct amperage. My question is this: Will the Everlast Maxx RV/Marine Deep Cycle batteries work? Not a cheap skate per se, but I am running out of funds and looking for something that will get my by for a year maybe until I can afford a better brand. Anyone used these batteries? What was your experience like with them. Thanks in advance :)

Depending on what size your fridge is and the AH size of your battery, you could do a lot with a little. I have a cFX50 fridge, and it only averages a .75AH draw. On my little yeti 400 AGM system, I get about 21 hours of use down to 50%. I can keep the goal zero powered with 100 watts of solar and after drawing down overnight, it’s usually back to 100% before noon. It’s a 35ah battery inside, so If you had something similar it’s easy to calculate how much battery you will need so you can park for a few days.

 

[Razorwalker]

Depending on what size your fridge is and the AH size of your battery, you could do a lot with a little. I have a cFX50 fridge, and it only averages a .75AH draw. On my little yeti 400 AGM system, I get about 21 hours of use down to 50%. I can keep the goal zero powered with 100 watts of solar and after drawing down overnight, it’s usually back to 100% before noon. It’s a 35ah battery inside, so If you had something similar it’s easy to calculate how much battery you will need so you can park for a few days.

Thanks for the information. I ended up going with two of the Everstart Max RV/Marine batteries and seem to be working fine for now. Still in the process of building out the van. But, ran into electrical issues prior to swapping the batteries. Either got a bad relay or bad PCM. Working on diagnosing that now :)