Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 06, 2025 ...

Battery recommendations 1993 U280 GV

August 24, 2025, 07:46:38 pm

Currently I have 3 Napa 7271FT 1425 CCA batteries. 2 house, 1 start.....showing about 12.1 volts on start battery...contemplating replacement. Current batteries dated 7/22, so not too terribly old.  Do ya'll normally go with the same batteries, start and house?  I know deep cycle are desirable for house batteries.....
Others using the Napa that I have?
Also, I did water them last year and still looking good, but were a bit low when I topped em off after purchase. They are a pain to get to the watering holes.  I'm in a dry climate, seems I could go two years til topping with distilled water...other's experience?

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Re: Battery recommendations 1993 U280 GV

Reply #1 – August 24, 2025, 08:19:41 pm

Before condemning the batteries, verify water level (distilled water), fully charge then and have them LOAD TESTED (free at most all places that sell batteries)

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Re: Battery recommendations 1993 U280 GV

Reply #2 – August 24, 2025, 09:57:03 pm

12.1 volts on a flooded lead acid battery is about 50% SOC.  Don't want them to be discharged below that under normal circumstances.

Do you have some means of keeping the start battery charged when your coach is parked?  The standard inverter/charger does not charge the start battery, unless you have added some type of aux charging setup.

If you switch to AGM batteries, it will eliminate the "adding distilled water" hassle.  The additional cost over flooded batteries was worth it to me.

Links below to the battery you have now, and to the AGM battery that used to be pretty popular with Forum members.  We have three of the O'Reilly AGM8Ds in our coach - one start and 2 house.  They work fine.

Prices have gone up significantly since the last time I was battery shopping.  You may find better deals than O'Reilly's by shopping around.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BAT7271FT?srsltid=AfmBOornFaDR8ZkuwKRNwLYsg9G2bnGc6Q7aAKMpdE-sxxG-kjxcmQQk

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/fleet-heavy-duty/battery---accessories/batteries/battery---optional/aa237490c00e/super-start-fleet-heavy-duty-agm-top-post-battery-group-size-8d-1450-cca-480-minute-rc/ssbl/agm8d?q=battery+-+optional

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Re: Battery recommendations 1993 U280 GV

Reply #3 – August 24, 2025, 10:20:42 pm

I do have a pro mariner pro sport6 battery charger installed in the engine compartment connected to the start battery terminal on my new vitron isolator, also if I turn on my boost switch both sets of batteries charge through my converter....

However currently the pro mariner is on and I'm only showing 12.04 volts....the other day is was well up in the high 12 s..

And yes I have made sure there is plenty of distilled water in the batteries.

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Re: Battery recommendations 1993 U280 GV

Reply #4 – August 25, 2025, 01:53:02 am

Well since no one else has brought it up.  Go lithium, I've never regretted it.

 And as our installer told us "too much is just right" and he ain't wrong.

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