Adding a 2nd Deep Cycle House battery -Suggestions Please!

[Kave&Lucky]

I am considering whether to add a 2nd house battery to our Greyhawk. Surfing the net, I found this one. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated by this newbie. It is "Made In the USA".

http://www.emcbattery.com/31hr4000s-battery/

Thanks in advance,
Kave

[Quahog]

I have no experience with EMC Battery. Here's another potential source of "Made in the USA" batteries with lots of good info on their website. What I would be looking for is how many amp hours, reserve capacity, size, weight, warranty, etc.

http://www.crownbattery.com/PDF/Crow...0Batteries.pdf

[Rustic Eagle]

Kave,

Never heard of the company "EMC Battery", but that doesn't mean its not a quality AGM style battery. I assume that since you are looking at adding an AGM battery, your existing house battery is also an AGM battery. Ideally to maximize battery bank performance having the same style (AGM, wet, etc.), size/specifications/ratings, and date is recommended. Trojan and Interstate are also a popular brand as well.

If you do camp "off the grid" frequently, increasing the size of your battery bank has it's advantages.., but if you primarily camp plugged into shore power a single battery will do just fine (no real benefit to adding a 2nd).

If you like reading detailed battery "stuff', both of these links are an interesting read:
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm

Bob

[Seann45]

For that kind of $$$ I think you would be better off going with a pair of Trojan 6 volt batteries. they have thicker plates which will hold charge better and give longer life... only downside is once a month you have to check the water..

[Kave&Lucky]

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! Thanks for your assistance everyone. We haven't camped off the grid "YET". But that day is coming. I will wait awhile before taking the plunge.

Thanks again,
Kave