Long vacation and batteries

[GeorgeRa]

After our long trip I just turned-on batteries in my camper van parked in the garage disconnected from AC for almost 5 months. Two Fullriver AGM (230 Ahr total) house batteries were at 12.8V and are taking 5.5A, and Sprinter battery is taking 1.5A. I am very happy how these batteries kept their charges.

[Pam G]

Sounds pretty good! I currently have just 1 coach battery in a camper van and have been planning on getting a couple of solar panels. I was originally planning on getting AGM but have been reading so much on lithium that I'm debating which way to go. I do plan to be in cold weather during the winter part of the time. Did yours come with the AGM or did you add those? If you added them, is there a reason you chose those over lithium? My camper van is a 1999 Roadtrek.

[mkguitar]

Lithium batteries may require a "special" charger.
In general most ( I sure there are some lesser quality brands) are better at retaining a charge while stored, among other advantages.

I have old tech.
A timer turns on my shore power every once in a while to top up my deep cycle battery
a $15 solution

[avanti]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Lithium batteries may require a "special" charger.
In general most ( I sure there are some lesser quality brands) are better at retaining a charge while stored, among other advantages.

Any modern FLA battery will keep an adequate charge for well over a year (closer to two, actually). No charger necessary.

Lithium is miraculous if you want a lot of amp hours. But, for modest setups, you are better off sticking with AGM -- cheaper and fewer potential issues (in particular, temperature-related ones).

[GeorgeRa]

I have 2 AGM batteries since original build in 2013, AC, solar and alternator charging are designed in a way that no attention is required. When time comes, and I will need to change batteries I will replace them with AGMs.

In your case I would get AGM unless you plan to change the charger, than you could get one with a Li profile.

Li batteries are sensitive to cold temperatures, this could be a key factor to go with Li or stay with lead acid.