best 12v storage battery or batteries for teardrop

[gene so]

Hello
I am just getting into the electrical design and layout portion of my trailer. I will be consulting with an electrician and using an Intellipower 4000 unit in dealing with both the 12v and 120v systems. My trailer will be pulled by my 4x4 and will be used in quite remote areas, along with the normal camping outlets with electricity.
I will have a galley, with a propane refrigerator, cook top etc. I will be using a solar panel here in NM for recharging the battery. I want to make sure I have enough juice for the galley.
I have a large storage box already attached to the tube frame and have plenty of storage capacity for batteries etc.
Since I have the room, what type of batteries,and what size would you recommend? Which are the best for the money?
I want to do this whole challenge of building a cuustom trailer just once in my life, so would appreciate your input as to reliable batteries that will be with me a long time..

Thanks,

Gene So

[Shadow Catcher]

This kind of comes back to the, speed costs money, how fast do you want to go. There are way too many unanswered questions here.
Let me go through my process. I did not want to have to water a deep cycle battery and that meant an AGM and I would be running a Waeco refrigerator, TV, assorted chargers, LED lights... We have a 185W high voltage panel and most of the camp sites around here (upper mid-west) have trees so amp hours need to be substantial. I chose a 150 AH Lifeline AGM and 8 days on the north shore of Lake Superior brought us down to 64% state of charge (we lost a bit each day).
If you can keep up with watering etc. golf cart batteries make sense.

The camp site from the beach

[woodywrkng]

I second the vote for AGM. Good bang for the buck, available in a variety of sizes, reliable, and easy to charge.

[H.A.]

Golfcart batteries are one of the least cost per performance options. Trojan T105s for example.
Nasty wetcells, But really not bad if implemented & maintained carefully.

Currently I use a few group 27 AGMs & solar charging. Slightly overkill I know, But they were free salvage...
All cooking is diesel stove or campfire. I only operate lighting. On occasion a HF or VHF radio & ARB 'fridge I may add additional battery as needed. My camping style is never an integrated pod like experience. I outfit to cover expected needs per trip.

[tony.latham]

You can't really know your battery needs without having a rough idea of your 12v consumption. I've got a couple of LED's a Fantastic Fan, an electric blanket (yes, 12V) and when my Group 27 marine dies, I'll downsize to a Group 24. Probably an AGM.

Tony

[noseoil]

I went with a group 27 AGM & a 100 watt solar panel for charging. The biggest "hog" in the system is a 22" TV with blu-ray player & a sound bar (I don't like roughing it while camping). The rest is just led lighting & USB charging ports, very little drain there.

[afreegreek]

you should not use a 12 volt battery.. 99% of them are starter batteries,, even the ones called MARINE are really starter batteries.. they are made to give big power flow for a short time.. batteries for camping should be deep cycle "golf cart" types.. they are 6 volt so you need 2 wired in series to give you 12 volt... two of the best battery brands are Trojan and Surrette..

[aggie79]

you should not use a 12 volt battery.. 99% of them are starter batteries,, even the ones called MARINE are really starter batteries.. they are made to give big power flow for a short time.. batteries for camping should be deep cycle "golf cart" types.. they are 6 volt so you need 2 wired in series to give you 12 volt... two of the best battery brands are Trojan and Surrette..

I used a "deep cycle" 12 volt battery designed for powering a motorized accessibility cart. They are easy to find and are compact. (I think it was a Group 11 size battery.)

[dales133]

you should not use a 12 volt battery.. 99% of them are starter batteries,, even the ones called MARINE are really starter batteries.. they are made to give big power flow for a short time.. batteries for camping should be deep cycle "golf cart" types.. they are 6 volt so you need 2 wired in series to give you 12 volt... two of the best battery brands are Trojan and Surrette..

With all due respect that statements completly wrong.
There are countless manufacturers of 12v deep cycle batteries.
You are right however that most marine batteries arnt deep cycle however some are both deep cycle / stater combo batteries.

[Dale M.]

If you have not read through some of the stickies on batteries maybe you should...

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=18904

Dale

[tony.latham]

You mean that after running 12V marine batteries for ten years in teardrops I've been doing it wrong?

Tony

[GuitarPhotog]

I have a 12 V Interstate Deep Cycle AGM battery that has been powering my teardrop for more than 5 years. It's 60AH and I think it's smaller than a Group 27 size, but it has worked flawlessly for all these years.

I doubt the wisdom of using two 6-volt golf cart batteries in a teardrop because of size, weight, and maintenance issues. I don't think many people need that much capacity (Amp Hours) and I don't think many people can tolerate the added weight (~250 lbs).

Make an energy budget, figure out how many AH you really need and buy a deep cycle battery to suit those needs, not based on someone else's recommendations.

<Chas>

[dales133]

[afreegreek]

you should not use a 12 volt battery.. 99% of them are starter batteries,, even the ones called MARINE are really starter batteries.. they are made to give big power flow for a short time.. batteries for camping should be deep cycle "golf cart" types.. they are 6 volt so you need 2 wired in series to give you 12 volt... two of the best battery brands are Trojan and Surrette..

With all due respect that statements completly wrong.
There are countless manufacturers of 12v deep cycle batteries.
You are right however that most marine batteries arnt deep cycle however some are both deep cycle / stater combo batteries.

it is not COMPLETELY wrong.. even though some battery manufacture companies do make 12 volt Deep Cycle, (Trojan, Rolls Surrette etc.) the vast majority of 12 volt batteries made ARE starter batteries and if people do not do the research to discover the difference between the two then they are likely to pick a starter battery as they are 50 times more common on store shelves.. if it has CCA or MCA spec on label it is likely NOT a true deep cycle battery... deep cycle are usually only spec for Amp Hour capacity... the ones called Marine Deep Cycle are not even close to the same plate size, number, or thickness of true deep cycle batteries, they are only half as good at both jobs than specific application designs.. the data and specs of almost every battery made are available to view on this interweb thing.. if you like, describe the difference between a starter and deep cycle so people don't have to search the web to learn..

[dales133]

You said that you should not use a 12volt battery and 99% are cranking batteries (yes measured in CCA)
Anything marketed as a deep cycle will have the A/H labled on it.
Most marine batteries are designed with moderate level deep cycle capabilities but also require CCA .
You can get marine deep cycle batteries that are 100%deep cycle.
Im no expert either but some your comments on this thread are somewhat misleading and unhelpful as its totaly false that only 6v batteries have true deep cycle capabilities