# First Stage Of White Trash Hybrid Van?



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Nope, sorry I lead you on but it's just a pic of the first ten of a total of twenty 6 volt GC-2 batteries for our solar project. They are rated at 208 amp hours and weigh 60 pounds each. Costco price $87.99 plus $9 core. Wouldn't have minded to get all Rolls-Surrette solar system batteries but they're way out of our financial abilities. Anyway, with proper maintenance and having a total of 1040 amp hours which should make for less total draw down percentage I'm pretty sure they'll last a good long time. The two original house batteries that were in the 1995 motorhome we bought were Costco's GC-2's and they gave us good service in spite of being on the original motorhome converter charge system that had no staged charge system. It was always full converter voltage and amperage, now with the solar or inverter charge they get Bulk, Absorption and Float with a forced Equalize for cell surface clean off if the battery hydrometer readings aren't what they should be.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Good start. We only have 2 deep cycles and one converter so far.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Meerkat said:


> We only have 2 deep cycles and one inverter so far.


Better than nothing!! Y'all need some solar panels and a charge controller now


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

Your post has really got me thinking, I'm looking at putting together a small solar system myself, I've been looking at Sams Club at the duracell AGM batterys 190AH 6v, the problem is the price, 170$ plus core charge, wondering if AGM is worth twice the price of wet cell, allso looking at building my own solar panels to, the price's of the panels to buy them isnt that bad but shipping allmost doubles the cost unfortunatly money is allways an issue.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

talob said:


> Your post has really got me thinking, I'm looking at putting together a small solar system myself, I've been looking at Sams Club at the duracell AGM batterys 190AH 6v, the problem is the price, 170$ plus core charge, wondering if AGM is worth twice the price of wet cell, allso looking at building my own solar panels to, the price's of the panels to buy them isnt that bad but shipping allmost doubles the cost unfortunatly money is allways an issue.


Yeah, money is really a big issue. The price of batteries from Costco went up $10 less than six months ago and I'm hoping they won't go up before we get the money together for the next ten. The main reason I went to the old fashioned flooded lead-acid batteries is because our budget just doesn't warrant the higher costs of AGM, higher level amp hour rated batteries or the solar rated ones like Rolls Surrette. Shipping can kill the desire to even start a project but we have been fortunate to have solar panel suppliers within a 120 miles of our home. I spent a lot of time researching suppliers for solar panels, solar controllers, inverters, transfer switches, breaker and fuse setups and wires and I'm still looking at things mainly because prices continually are on the raise. With the "Powers That Be" constantly creating distractions, gun control, carbon adding costs to everything, the Zimmerman trial that never should have happened in the first place and on and on. There are many things we are doing now that could be done a little at a time but because of all the crap going on we have been pushed to do now or would never be able to afford later. We are up against an extremely evil and distructive president, congress, senate, governors and even local county and city councils. So what it all amounts to is do what you can while you can because the future doesn't look all the good down the line. This is why we are here and why I'm grateful for the knowledge and wisdom that others here have to offer.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I like AGM for starting batteries, but have heard nothing at all about their "deep cycle" reputation or abilities. 

I know flooded lead acid are the ticket for large UPS centers (phone co.), although that seems to be changing somewhat with the new data/server centers using AGM's....but their UPS's usually only need to run for a short period of time (until the genny kicks in).


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

AM Solar where we bought our motorhome solar panels and controller has an RV Solar Education pages on it's site that really explains AGM, flooded lead-acid and gel cell batteries at www.amsolar.com, they have tested all kinds of batteries over the years and highly recommend AGM's. In the time that I've been researching and using the RV solar system I've not run across anyone using AGM's. Could be that I just don't run in the same income circles of people that can lay out that kind of money.:dunno:


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