Walmart RV battery?

[ensign]

I live in Canada and will be traveling to the U.S. next week. I need two new group 24 house batteries. Thought I may go to Walmart, if only for the fact that there are so many around if I should need warranty later. Any suggestions or specific SKU's at Walmart to look at? Links? Thanks in advance.

Ensign

[JFlightRisk]

I've purchased a couple of Everstart Maxx batteries from them, and had good service from them. I believe they're made by Johnson Controls, and labeled for Walmart. I would get more from them, or an Interstate brand from another supplier. My take on batteries, is keep them clean, especially the terminals, and the top. Any wetness on the top of any battery will cause a slight drain on it. You can actually check the current draw by putting a VOM on each side of the wet top.

[bap]

Look at the manufacture date on the battery. Usually there is a sticker on the top that has the month and year. I wouldn't buy one that is more than a year old if you can help it.

[RVPilot]

Even after being advised they aren't the best.... I've been using their Everstart Marine batteries in my 36' Cruiser boat for years. (Uggg..The boat has five) In most cases, they have outlasted the other, more expensive name brands! I haven't used one on my camper... but probably will when the time comes. Do look at the date.

[katiedog]

I used WalMart Batteries for years ,I kept track of the Free replacement
warranty and removed them when close to the time limit.
Always had good luck having Wal Mart test them at that time and on most occasions there was enough fall of that they would replace them for free.
I switched to AGM a few years ago and found the upgrade worth the cost so no more Wal Mart batteries/

[Seann45]

If your using a pair of batteries why not go with a pair of 6's? they will lasts much longer and if your a Costco member they are now carrying them.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I've had a Walmart battery in my truck for several years now with no problems (I'm about ready to replace it before it has a chance to fail on me due to old age). When the factory battery went dead on me after the truck had set idle for a couple of weeks, I got a jump from my insurance company (none of my neighbors were home) and went directly to Walmart and had them install the biggest, "baddest" battery they had that they could shoehorn under the hood in hopes it would last longer. I chose Walmart simply because they have a store within 10 miles of any town large enough to have a stop light and I could get a warranty replacement no matter where I went.

[oldmanAZ]

I've got 4 pair (of batteries!); two for the TT and two for the diesel TV. They've been fine.

A few years ago, the first two W*mart batteries in the TV failed within the replacement time period and were replaced at no charge. Because of that experience, I went back to W*mart for my TT batteries.

[SSGCharlie]

When I needed a new battery for my Chevy I shopped all the dealers around town and found most wanted to charge to install the battery they sell you. One shop that does cars, trucks, and RV"s wanted to charge $120.00 to install their battery.

I went to Wall Mart and asked what they charge to install their batteries and was told no charge. Guess where I got my battery

[repacs0103]

I realize that it's not an option when you're on the road, but I buy from the local auto parts store because the owner and the guys behind the counter all live nearby and I'd rather put money in their pocket than the Waltons.


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[katiedog]

Good question on why not use 2 six volt batteries
I can get 12 volt AMG batteries from back up power supply
houses very cheap compared to 6 volt units . Plus no need to water
and they can mount anywhere .
I have 2 in the RV and 2 in the car hauler all bridged together
If one fails I can pull it out of Loop and still have 12volts.
I hear great things about using 6 volt system also

[Atlee]

A general question for you and anyone else. How often do batteries fail? And by fail, I mean die before their time.

I don't remember many folks talking about premature battery failure.

Originally Posted by katiedog

Good question on why not use 2 six volt batteries
I can get 12 volt AMG batteries from back up power supply
houses very cheap compared to 6 volt units . Plus no need to water
and they can mount anywhere .
I have 2 in the RV and 2 in the car hauler all bridged together
If one fails I can pull it out of Loop and still have 12volts.
I hear great things about using 6 volt system also

[Atlee]

Unfortunately, most of the "local" auto parts stores are part of chains, and even for those who aren't, the local auto parts store owner has more money in his bank account than I do. Therefore I have to shop where I can get the most bang for the buck.

Originally Posted by repacs0103

I realize that it's not an option when you're on the road, but I buy from the local auto parts store because the owner and the guys behind the counter all live nearby and I'd rather put money in their pocket than the Waltons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Atlee]

Don't AGM batteries take special care and handling from the on board converter?

Originally Posted by katiedog

Good question on why not use 2 six volt batteries
I can get 12 volt AMG batteries from back up power supply
houses very cheap compared to 6 volt units . Plus no need to water
and they can mount anywhere .
I have 2 in the RV and 2 in the car hauler all bridged together
If one fails I can pull it out of Loop and still have 12volts.
I hear great things about using 6 volt system also

[webbeyes]

Originally Posted by ensign

I live in Canada and will be traveling to the U.S. next week. I need two new group 24 house batteries. Thought I may go to Walmart, if only for the fact that there are so many around if I should need warranty later. Any suggestions or specific SKU's at Walmart to look at? Links? Thanks in advance.

Ensign

Why not Canadian Tire?

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Atlee

A general question for you and anyone else. How often do batteries fail? And by fail, I mean die before their time.

I don't remember many folks talking about premature battery failure.

I would venture to say you probably will not hear that much about "Premature Battery Failure" as most RVers hook up to shore power and it keeps the batteries topped off and disconnect the battery(s) when shore power is not available. They check their battery water once in a while.

In a lot of cases it is the person new to RVing that will suffer the dreaded Battery failure as they bring the RV home and leave it for a few weeks without hooking up to Shore-Power and as we (seasoned campers) know the battery will die, because of the parasitic loads (radio, CO, fridge...). That is a failure on the part of the RV dealership for not making a BIG issue of this.

If you do not do any dry camping the battery will look good for years, until you attempt to put a load on it (maybe an overnight stay without shore power) and find that your battery no longer has the 85Ah's available that it had when it was new.

The example I give is the 2 interstate 85Ah batteries that I used initially (about a month after going SOLAR), I still have them and use them for electronic projects. They are +5 years old, stay charged at 13.2 VDC, their voltage never dropped below 12.0VDC, will stay at 12.8VDC for months of sitting. They look GREAT to the Voltage display, they look as good as they did the day I purchased them, but you put a load on them and you can watch the voltage slowly drop. I performed an industry standard test on them and the 85Ah rating new was now only 40Ah, of which only 20Ah can be used. That is how most RV batteries go through their lives, uneventful.

Causes for premature battery failure:
- Low water levels
- Loose connections
- Corroded connections
- Discharging the battery lower than 12.0VDC (Battery 50% rule)
- Overcharging
- Undercharging (not bringing battery to a full charge when not in use)
- There are a lot more reasons

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR