Battery recommendation

[monkey2103]

This is not camper specific but I bought an ‘87 Sunline Saturn (16’) this past fall and have been ‘fixing it up’! This is my first camper... when I was having someone look at my roof with me, he mentioned that my battery is not a Marine/RV battery which I didn’t even realize. It’s just car battery. Does anyone have a recommendation on what I should buy to replace it? He briefly explained why I should change it so I have been looking online but thought I would ask even if it makes me look extremely uneducated and naive lol. Thanks ahead for any help!

[mainah]

What you need is a deep cycle battery often referred to a marine battery It most likely is a group 24 battery due it physical size.

[krazedave]

I am sure some others will chime in on this besides mainah and me but when I still worked repairing trailers for a couple dealers both installed Interstate SRM24 or SRM27 batteries. The SRM24 is probably the same size as what you have now and will fit in the current battery box. The SRM27 is longer and would require a different sized box.

[monkey2103]

Thanks for your help!

[monkey2103]

This is exactly what I needed to know! I knew I needed a marine battery but wasn’t sure if there was a particular brand, size, etc that I needed!! Thank you so much!

[mainah]

The 24 number is the dimension, there are choices of chemistry right up to lithium iron. Because of the charging system in an older camper I would suggest a lead acid deep cycle battery the new design batteries require a different type of charging system to properly charge the battery they also are a good bit more expensive. There are only a handful of battery manufacturers in the entire country but there are many different names. I am not a big fan of Walmart but they do have a good return policy and are a bit cheaper that an auto parts store. The SRM24 mentioned is a good fit I don't think you will have room for a group 27 battery.

[j52wf]

If you can go a little higher end, I recommend getting an AGM battery. They are maintenace free and provide longer amphours. I let the water in my standard Marine Deep Cycle go too low and ruined the battery. I was also able to upgrade to a Group 27 battery. Just had to buy a bigger battery box. I get my batteries at Batteries Plus. They also made sure the battery was fully charged when I picked it up.

[mainah]

AGM batteries are a good choice they are more expensive but the stock camper charging systems should be fine because they are fairly low output. AGM's do not like to be charged heavily and are a bit sensitive to heat so on the trailer tongue it's a better spot than in an inclosure. Generally camper batteries are usually good for 4 years or so.