My RV House Batteries
I began my journey into RV house batteries knowing very little about them. Like most people, I knew they were something I needed in my motorhome although other than needing deep cycle batteries, I didn’t know anything about amp hours, the different types, how to use them, or what I really needed. I was on a tight budget so I also needed to get something that was relatively cheap. I started off getting two 90Amp hour deep cycle batteries, discounted at a good price from people I knew in the automotive industry. I connected these in parallel which gave me 180 amp hours at 12 volts.
As my power needs grew I bought a second battery. A 100 Amp hour 12 volt AGM battery which I also bought a small charge controller and solar panel for. I needed to get another charge controller and solar panel as you shouldn’t connect different types of batteries, or batteries at different stages of their life.
Finally, I wanted to run a household fridge on an inverter full time. I invested in Lithium batteries. I bought two Lithium Valley batteries. 100 Amp hours each at 12 volt and I have them connected in series giving 100 Amp hours at 24 volts. I plan on doing a full review of these batteries which I bought from Sunny Tech Solar soon! Read more about my electrical set up here.
Why Do You Need RV House Batteries?
Your vehicle has batteries, so why do you need to go out and buy extra batteries? The short answer is – you don’t.
But, there are so many reasons why you would want to get RV house batteries. To start with, the battery in your vehicle isn’t designed to power the appliances you would use camping, out in your RV, motorhome or van life. The battery in your vehicle is designed to supply a high current for a brief time to turn over the starter motor in your vehicle, and it’s then charged by the vehicles alternator.
RV house batteries are deep cycle batteries. They’re built to handle a deep discharge, meaning that you can use a lot more of the battery capacity, over a long period of time, charge it up again, and repeatedly do this without damage to your battery.
You might think of it as your car battery being a sprint runner, and your deep cycle battery being a marathon runner. The car battery delivers a high current for a brief period of time, whereas a deep cycle battery delivers a lower current but for an extended period of time.
So to summarize this question, you need RV house batteries because the battery in your vehicle is not designed to power the house lights, TV, or charge devices in your van or motorhome. You can do it, but you’ll be replacing your vehicle’s battery much sooner than expected.
Benefits of Having Separate RV House Batteries
Not only will it save you needing to replace your vehicle’s battery early, there are many other benefits to having RV house batteries.
You’re using the right type of battery for the purpose so it’s going to last and you’ll get your monies worth from it. A good deep cycle battery should last you at least six years depending on how you use it and care for it.
With dedicated RV house batteries you can monitor your power usage, charge them with free energy from the sun, and power the appliances you’d want in your motorhome.
Keeping your house battery and vehicle battery separate means that there’s no chance of waking up to a flat battery in your motorhome and not being able to start it.
The Different Types of RV House Batteries
Within the deep cycle battery category there are different options available.
Flooded Lead Acid batteries
Flooded Lead Acid batteries are the oldest of the options. They have lead plates that are submerged in an electrolyte mix of sulfuric acid and water. Because of this they need to be installed upright in a position where they cannot fall over and spill dangerous chemicals. They need to be outside your vehicle or in a ventilated space as they give off dangerous gas when they are charging.
Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM)
The Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) battery is a type of Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) battery. They’re constructed from thin fiberglass mats placed between the lead plates. The fiberglass mats absorb the electrolyte and act as a damper between the plates. These batteries won’t spill any liquid, they’re sealed, and can usually be installed in any position.
Gel batteries
A gel cell battery is another of the VRLA batteries similar to the AGM battery. The electrolyte, sulphuric acid and silica is mixed together and becomes a gel like substance. Like AGM batteries, gel batteries can be installed in any position, they won’t spill and are maintenance free. They don’t give off dangerous gas like flooded batteries so can be installed inside. Both AGM and Gel batteries have better resistance to vibrations – the gel make up of the battery tends to absorb extreme vibrations in contrast to a wet cell battery.
Lead Carbon batteries
Lead Carbon batteries are a new type of VRLA lead acid battery. They use a common lead positive plate (anode) and a carbon composite negative plate (cathode). Lead Carbon batteries are supposedly a step up from AGM and Gel batteries and often seen as a rival to LiFePo4 (Lithium) batteries.
LiFePo4 (Lithium) batteries
Lithium batteries offer many advantages over AGM and Gel batteries. Although the initial cost is much more than AGM and Gel batteries, the cost is offset by the longer lifespan of Lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are safe to install inside and in any position. They are much lighter in weight than traditional batteries which is good for small van conversions or any situation where you need to give consideration to the vehicle weight. Most lithium batteries can be discharged 90 percent. Lithium are much faster to charge than other deep cycle batteries. Whereas traditional batteries may take most of the day to recharge, your lithium batteries can be recharged by mid morning on a sunny day.
Best Type of RV House Battery
The best type of battery to use as your house battery is most likely dependent on your budget and how you intend to use your motorhome. AGM and Gel batteries are great for those on a lower budget. In my opinion, the ultimate battery if you can afford it is to install Lithium batteries. Lithium batteries tend to be more expensive, but again, they’re worth it. If you’re wondering how many you’d need, read more about that here. They offer so many benefits and are really worth the investment especially if you live full time in your vehicle. Lithium batteries charge fast and soak up any energy the sun throws at them from your solar panels. Wondering how many solar panels you then need? Check out our article about solar panels here.