Renogy 200aH AGM Battery - Thoughts?

dgshelto

I'm currently in the market for a battery to complete my solar setup and I came across this: 
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Renogy-Deep-Cycle-AGM-Battery-12-Volt-200Ah/900928791

Has anyone had any real experience with this battery? I'm not looking for a battery debate, just feedback from users.

Estragon

It may also be worth (if you haven't already done so), posting to (eg) fishing forums as well. It seems to me this type of battery would be well suited to something like a trolling motor application. In a solar application, it may be more difficult to judge the battery vs problems with the application/installation (eg. lots of parallel connections).

BB.

Do you want to tell us is a bit more about your needs and system?

Like to match the battery bank to your loads, and match the solar array to the back.

Bill

Raj174

I don't have any experience this battery, but Renony sells solar power equipment. The literature on the batteries indicates that they are designed for solar applications. Note the 200AH rating is for 10 hours. I believe the 20 hour rate would be closer to 220AH. At 129 pounds each, it very likely is. If purchasing, make sure mfg. date is recent. Link to this battery's data sheet is attached.

Compare to this battery:
https://www.apexbattery.com/12v-200ah-4d-deep-cycle-agm-solar-battery-ub

dgshelto

My calculated needs (conservatively) are about 50ah per day. I have 200W of solar mounted and a 140A battery isolator kit for additional charging while on the move. I'll be spending time in all sorts of climate over the next year. 

Affordability is what prompted me to consider this battery as I'm sure there are much better alternatives out there, but it is hard to beat this price per aH. 

Should I be concerned with the 10 hour rate as opposed to 20? 

Estragon

I assume this is a mobile application? Do you have an alternative way to charge (eg generator or engine alternator)?

dgshelto

Yes, I'll be taking a year-long trip with my SO in our conversion van. 

House battery charging methods: 200W solar + alternator isolator kit

Estragon

A pair of 6v golf cart batteries might be a bit cheaper in $/ah, but in a mobile application agm is nice with no spillage risk or routine venting of gas. 200w solar could be marginal for a 200+ ah battery, but if you're willing to charge with alternator, maybe workable. You may want to check the alternator specs though, as standard one may not be designed for sustained operation at full output. The agm battery may be able to take a charge at 40+amps.

The 10hr rate isn't a deal-breaker IMHO, but may be indicative of construction that leans a bit towards a hybrid (thinner plates with more surface area).

dgshelto

I want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly. The Renogy battery has 10, 3, and 1 hour rates. I can't imagine I would ever pull 20amps per hour with my setup. Could I assume it would take a full 20 hours to deplete the battery at 10aH? 

Estragon

Yes, more or less 20hrs at a 10a load from full to dead.

In actual use, a given wattage load will pull lower amps at higher voltage initially, the higher amps at lower voltage as the battery discharges, but close enough. A LA battery drained to dead will likely not fully recover. Doing it regularly will significantly shorten its life. I would avoid ever drawing that battery much under 12.1v (roughly 50%SOC), and recharge asap from that level.

dgshelto

If that is the case then I would assume the Renogy battery would work just fine for my application. I appreciate the feedback.

paulvanderos

Hey ya'll newcomer here, and also in the market for a 200ah battery for our campervan. Since this post is 1+ years old, is Renogy still the way to go?  I'm reading this: https://buyitforvanlife.com/top-12v-200ah-batteries/ and considering either that Renogy or the NPP?  Have 2 X 100w panels, and not planning on putting too much load on it. Just want somehting big so we wont have to worry about ever dipping below 50% soc.  (buy once cry once kind of deal). 

mike95490

A pair of 6V 200ah golf cart batteries ($200) makes a pretty robust battery for an RV. 400w of rooftop solar would charge it decently, with about 200w of power.

When you go to a Li battery, you now must account for cold environments and BMS systems for the battery.  Renogy is a brand, not a great brand, more like entry level stuff, with robust advertising that makes one think that they are the smartest people in the world if they buy Renogy products

Wheelman55

paulvanderos said:

Hey ya'll newcomer here, and also in the market for a 200ah battery for our campervan. Since this post is 1+ years old, is Renogy still the way to go?  I'm reading this: https://buyitforvanlife.com/top-12v-200ah-batteries/ and considering either that Renogy or the NPP?  Have 2 X 100w panels, and not planning on putting too much load on it. Just want somehting big so we wont have to worry about ever dipping below 50% soc.  (buy once cry once kind of deal). 

Paul...one man’s story here.

At basecamp, we successfully charge a 12v 100ah LiFePO4 battery using a 180 watt folding panel. We use approx 25ah over night, running two ARB fridges.  The battery gets charged up by noon in full sun in SW TX at basecamp.

At basecamp we also use a 12v 220ah FLA to run a fan at night and to keep laptop, iPads, iPhones charged up. This bank generally needs to be charged once or twice a week with the panels. With full sun we can keep both batteries charged up. In basecamp we use a Honda EU2000i as backup for 3+ day stretches of cloudy/overcast conditions.

In cloudy conditions the amps produced from the 180 watt panels fall from 10 amps in full sun to 0.5 amps when overcast. Cloudy conditions produce something in between. 

We use a 15’ 10 awg extension cable.  This allows the panels to be 30’ away from the battery/fridges. This lets me more easily keep the panels in the sun and the fridges in the shade. 

When on the road we use just the LiFePO4 battery, one fridge, laptop, iPhones and iPad. If we’re driving at least several hours a day, the battery keeps up a good charge with just the alternator, using a battery isolator. If stationary, out come the panels. Overall having 80 to 100 amp hours of usable battery seems to work for us. 

The folding panels are a mild hassle, however being able point and tilt them towards the sun, and keeping them in the sun, speeds up the charging. 

Hope this helps and best of luck with your adventure.