Dave Solberg

RV Battery Types: An Overview of Your Options

Dave Solberg
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Duration:   2  mins

Based on the amount of boondocking you do and the types of appliances you utilize on your RV, there’s a certain type of RV battery that’s optimal for your needs. While some RVers spend little time at their campsite and rely upon only minimally power-thirsty appliances, others require heavy duty batteries that they can hook up and forget about until they’re back home.

Thus, in this lesson RVing expert Dave Solberg talks about the various RV battery types you can purchase for your home away from home. He first explains which option you might opt for if you don’t mind regular maintenance and need only a small amount of juice, then talks about the upscale choice geared toward those who prefer minimal upkeep and have spare change to spend on something that will go the distance. Whatever your power needs, Dave can help you find the one that’s best suited for your specific needs!

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22 Responses to “RV Battery Types: An Overview of Your Options”

  1. Curtis Willard

    If I am always plugged in to shore power, do I still need a battery?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      It is best to have a battery connected at all times when using an RV. The battery helps with higher amps draws and loads on the system. The converter in your RV should only be used to charge the battery, it is not meant to power the entire 12v system. Technically if you remove the battery you could operate most 12v components. But once you start using a lot at once you will start to notice things like the lights flickering when the furnace kicks on, fans fluctuating speeds, intermittent operation of moving components, and others. You will start to blow fuses more often and stress the electrical system. Having the battery connect allows it to take over when higher demand is called for. The system is made to always have a battery connected.

      Reply
  2. Gary

    Very interesting about batteries but I have a question about no battery. If a camper is going to be plugged in all the time such as a seasonal camper would be, is it necessary to have a battery? Does the system need it to be there or not? I think the only 12v usage would be lights and exhaust fan so I don’t think a battery would be needed for any large draw. Your thoughts?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Gary. Technically you can get by without a battery if plugged into shore all of the time. I do not recommend this though. The battery does help with the whole 12v system which includes the fridge controls, furnace, lights, water pump, water heater control board, and vent fans. Usually if you just have lights on it is fine but the battery does help with the extra loads. You might notice the lights flicker when something turns on, especially the furnace. This is because there is no extra help from the battery. Being full hookup I would assume you won’t be using the water pump, this will cause a voltage drop as well. Technically it is the battery that powers the 12v system. The converter just provides a charge to the battery but can run the 12v system as well. Without a battery does mean the battery will be working harder and if the converter goes out, all 12v would be lost. It is better for the system to have a battery connected for the system to work better.
      Dan
      RV Repair Club

      Reply
  3. KAREN JENKINS EWING

    Just purchasing stage but will call or text to have work done or to assist in answers.

    Reply
  4. Carson

    Something to touch on would be charging systems. Some converter manufactures do not recommend two 6v batteries. They say at least 4. Also an AGM charges differently than a standard lead acid battery. If your converter is not AGM compatable, it can damage your battery.
    Good presentation

    Reply
  5. Richard Brand

    About 20 years ago this might have been reasonable advice. 2 minutes of my life I won’t get back. There is a video to be made about AGM vs lithium – there are so many false claims – but I don’t think Dave is the man to do it

    Reply
  6. Bonk Matthew

    I want to replace the lead-acid battery with a lithium battery My 2021 Jayco Greyhawk 30Z came with a Progressive Dynamics Intelli-power 9100 converter for the lead-acid. I need to replace that with an Intelli-power 9100L for the lithium. Where is the converter located?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Usually the converter is located directly behind the main power distribution center. You typically have to pull out the center if there is no other access behind it. The converter connects directly to the fuse panel in the distribution center so the best thing to do is trace the wires to the fuse panel and see where they go. Typically it is directly behind the center but could be in a cabinet or compartment nearby.

      Sincerely,

      Dan
      RV Repair Club Technical Expert

      Reply
  7. Donna McCord

    Can you explain multistage charging and what is a Battery Minder? Can you suggest an inverter that will accomplish this multistage charging to extend battery life?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Most newer converters these days do offer multi stage charging. You can look up your model online and see if it does offer it before buying a new one. The three stages would be bulk absorption and float. Bulk is what charges around 80 percent of the battery. It then goes into absorption which has a higher voltage charge to make sure the battery absorbs as much as possible. Once that is complete it goes into a float stage, which is a trickle charge to help maintain a good fully charged battery. A lot of people with older systems just get a Battery Minder to use when plugged in for storage as it is better for the batteries than the house charging system. Newer systems work just as fine so it is best to look up the model you currently have and see how it charges. Minders are great to use when taking off of the unit and storing indoors. I only recommend onboard use if you have an older converter that doesn’t charge well.
      Sincerely,
      Dan RV Repair Club Technical Expert

      Reply
  8. Julianne Mattaliano

    Could anyone tell me if I were to get a 12 volt or max cap battery to change out my 2 6 volts difficult to do?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Julianne,

      The replacement would be easy, just the connections will be a little different. 6v batteries need to be connected in series where as 12v batteries need to be connected in parallel. I can provide a diagram on how they need to be connected to the system if you need it! The easiest thing to remember is that when connecting anything 12v together all positive connections are connected to positive and then all negative are connected to the negatives. There is no cross connections. I hope this helps!

      Sincerely,

      Dan
      RV Repair Club Technical Expert

      Reply
  9. AlanH

    I build van life Van’s. I have always recommended li_ion batteries as a solution for hi draw builds. Li-on batteries have 8 to 10 times more life than AGM batteries and will accept larger charge and discharge rates. In the long run they are actually a better choice for the long run. BTW, dragonfly is the retail product for Battle Born batteries. Fo some research and check out their site.

    Reply
  10. Eve Truscott

    Trying to watch the video, but three times I open to play and a picture of fruits and vegetables comes up-how to get this to play? Do I have to upgrade to Premium to get video to play

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi there Eve!

      Great question! What you’ll need to do is wait for the ad to play all the way through and then video will start shortly after!

      If you have any other questions, please reach out to us via chat, email: rvrepairclub@program-director.net, or by phone at 1-855-706-3536.

      Sincerely,

      Jessica
      RV Repair Club Video Membership

      Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello Jose,

      Thanks for this wonderful question!  This is a big misconception in the industry that just going to AGM gives you more power.  This is not true as both batteries will be connected in series (positive to negative) which give you a 12-volt battery bank.  Both lead acid and absorbed glass mat (AGM) are sold in the exact same amp hour ratings or groups such as group 24, 27 etc.  However the AGM is superior as it requires less maintenance and is not prone to as much sulfation so it hold more capacity.  Lead acid batteries require a monthly multistage charging which most RV charging systems do not have so they start to sulfate and have less storage capacity.  If you have an inverter with a multistage charger or the Battery Minder, the lead acid will perform as well.

      Thanks,
      David RVRC Video Membership

      Reply
    • wayne.sellers

      I also have Lithium (DragonFly DF10012) and would be interested in your thoughts on these batteries.

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Wayne,

        I am not familiar with the Dragon Fly brand of batteries and most major brand of RV manufacturers are not offering them. Lithium Ion batteries are probably the future of batteries, however they are very expensive and only needed if you do a lot of dry camping. If you properly charge your lead acid batteries with a multistage charge, they will perform well for most applications at a fraction of the cost. However most converters do not have the multistage and therefore they sulfate and lose energy storage capabilities and get blamed for being bad batteries.

        Thanks,

        David
        RV Repair Club Video Membership

        Reply
        • Jim Thomas

          Actually, over the projected much longer lifespan, and given you can fully discharge rather than only 1/2 with lead acid, and the lower weight, Lithium batteries are more cost effective, save weight, last longer, so sulphuric acid. How old is this video that they don’t even get a mention?

          Reply

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