After exactly five years with my original flooded batteries I switched to Lifeline AGM. Fit perfectly in my boxes (I have a 17B with the batteries on the back bumper).
These first AGMs lasted about 3 years until one of them was stolen a year ago and I had to purchase two new ones! As mentioned, they are expensive.
I am struggling with the new ones but they are still under full replacement warranty.
Sometimes my solar charger goes completely blank with them but most of the time shows them fully charged. They don't hold up to use if, for instance, I'm running the water pump for any length of time. I first noticed problems when I started my fridge on propane and came back about 6 hours later to a trailer where there wasn't even enough juice to keep a light on.
This hasn't been a problem since at this point I'm just traveling 2.5 hours at a time to get to my property to watch my house being built and I plug into electricity there and all is fine.
I've been to an RV repair shop and they say my solar charge controller is fine. I have taken the batteries to three different places and I feel like no one is doing a true load test. Two said they failed and one said they are fine. One said they were inappropriate choices for a trailer and I should get marine batteries.
I have talked to Inverters R Us, from whom I purchased, and Lifeline, who have both been very helpful. Lifeline says they are just sulphated and a conditioning charge should fix that. So I took them to a Battery Outfitters location with the instructions from Lifeline and asked that they follow them precisely for warranty purposes. I had no faith that they would and after picking them up and using them last week they behave no differently. They seemed a bit clueless but at least didn't charge me.
If I can't get these working properly I may just go back to flooded batteries. I guess I will try to find a more experienced battery store. Any ideas?
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