Battery Buyers = Good News

Rodd · Jul 7, 2012

thought of that too Maine..

I should say that when I first got the batteries I connected them in series and gave them an overnight charge with a 10 amp auto tapering charger. This brought the voltage up to 14.6 or so as the amps dropped off. After that they were on board on a float charge.

Hopefully they will improve with successive discharges!

Thanks for the information!

Rodd

njsail · Jul 28, 2012

I just bought two more sams club duracel branded penn/decca AGM batteries today. I paid $165 a piece but was charged an additional $16 charge per battery as a core charge. I was told if i bring my old batteries back in they will refund the $16 core charge per battery. The batteries are for a new installation and i don't have old batteries to return so I'm being penalized for the new installation. I was told all battery places have this charge.

Is this true?

woodster · Jul 28, 2012

njsail said:
I just bought two more sams club duracel branded penn/decca AGM batteries today. I paid $165 a piece but was charged an additional $16 charge per battery as a core charge. I was told if i bring my old batteries back in they will refund the $16 core charge per battery. The batteries are for a new installation and i don't have old batteries to return so I'm being penalized for the new installation. I was told all battery places have this charge.

Is this true?

the core charge is normal for this purchase......i help a battery back systems company from time to time...when we change out the batteries on these units we always bring the batteries back to the shop and sell them to the recycle place on average for about 35 cents a pound.... so if you have a battery that weighs 50 lbs then you have a $17.50 battery an so on ...it really ads up in the long run.......

regards

woody

st nick · Jul 28, 2015

Sail away !

sailaway78 said:
I noticed that the local Sams Club has Duracell branded golf carts. Was going to check and see if there was any difference. Duracell has always been my preferred brand in small batteries. Thanks Maine.

I have met Bob Sidleman when he was a sailmaker in Cherry Hill New Jersey than started building boats. St nick

st nick · Jul 28, 2015

of course there is a return charge..! Even in florida I used to be from Long beach island... small world.. !

Ron20324 · Jul 28, 2015

njsail said:
... was told if i bring my old batteries back in they will refund the $16 core charge per battery. The batteries are for a new installation and i don't have old batteries to return ...

I would have run into this situation when I bought three, but I did not see anywhere that the "old" batteries have to be YOURs, and not even the same type. It should be easy to find some discarded batteries somewhere.

centerline · Jul 28, 2015

Ron20324 said:
I would have run into this situation when I bought three, but I did not see anywhere that the "old" batteries have to be YOURs, and not even the same type. It should be easy to find some discarded batteries somewhere.

This is usually the case.. almost always they will accept group 24 thru 31 for the same core value.. and they dont have to match each other or be the same voltage, and can be old and dirty.. or even be a much bigger battery than what you are purchasing... (lawn&garden batteries are valued about $5 less, and some places will not accept them as cores except for another lawn and garden battery)..

Bob S · Jul 28, 2015

I assume I will be replacing my house bank soon. Because of height I am forced to use 2 group 31's. I last replaced mine with Interstate batteries at a Defender Warehouse sale in 2008. They haven't been giving me trouble but they are getting older. I do bench top equalize them each spring.

I was curious why some group 31's are rated for 105ah and others are rated for 130ah's? I will probably buy a set of these:

http://usbattery.com/products/12-volt-batteries/us-31dc-xc/

Solstice · Jul 28, 2015

Bob S said:
I assume I will be replacing my house bank soon. Because of height I am forced to use 2 group 31's. I last replaced mine with Interstate batteries at a Defender Warehouse sale in 2008. They haven't been giving me trouble but they are getting older. I do bench top equalize them each spring. I was curious why some group 31's are rated for 105ah and others are rated for 130ah's? I will probably buy a set of these: http://usbattery.com/products/12-volt-batteries/us-31dc-xc/

Bob,
What do you have for height? I should know this as I used to own a C30, but that was over 17 years ago. I found some Deka Promaster GC2s at 230 AH for $165 locally. They are only 11.1" high. I've been searching for 6v batteries that will fit in my 12" high battery box and I think these will do the trick. I know you are on the cape, so these may be an option for you as well. Let me know...

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Jul 28, 2015

Bob S said:
I assume I will be replacing my house bank soon. Because of height I am forced to use 2 group 31's. I last replaced mine with Interstate batteries at a Defender Warehouse sale in 2008. They haven't been giving me trouble but they are getting older. I do bench top equalize them each spring.

I was curious why some group 31's are rated for 105ah and others are rated for 130ah's? I will probably buy a set of these:

http://usbattery.com/products/12-volt-batteries/us-31dc-xc/

Bob,

How different is your boat then the MKII's?

I did an upgrade for a friend last year. We fit two of the 6 volt GC2s (230 ah bank in 12 volt) in the battery box below the port settee. We then fit a Group 24 in the hanging locker. We also could have put it under the quarter berth near the fuel tank.

Jesse

Bob S · Jul 29, 2015

Jesse,

I'm not sure how they differ. I have two group 31's under the port settee and a start under the quarter berth. I will measure the height this fall when I winterize. Two group 31's if they truly are 130ah gives me 260ah for a house. Seeing I spent a long weekend anchored (Newport Folk Fest) and didn't have any issues running the frig about half the time (I did start with a half block of ice), I'd say I got my $ worth with my current set up going into the 8th season. If I have the height I will try the batteries Solstice suggested.

The truth is we are contemplating moving up. I love my 30 and know it inside out but a 34, 355 if they ever make the used market

or a 36 would be nice. We had 7 on for a drink before dinner and it was quite tight.

WolfBayClar · Feb 18, 2016

Here is a reply 5 years after the original post. I just wanted to say that we have had a very good experience with the older JCI EGC2 batteries. If the newer ones are equally good, that's great. Our C36 is currently using 4 older EGC2 batteries (dated 3/08 and 5/08) we inherited from the previous owner of a different boat. We got them in 2010 and set them aside for 1 1/2 years because we had newer 12V "marine batteries" we thought would be better. In 2012 we finally took a look at the EGC2s and they actually seemed okay after charging. Since they had more AH than the 2 12Vs, we swapped. For the last 4 years we've learned to be responsible battery maintainers and these batteries are still doing their job. We are not heavy battery users - we occasionally spend 1-5 nights, anchored, on our boat and have no refrigeration - but we've been very pleased. When they die, I'll be joining Sam's Club.

Greengas · Apr 1, 2016

Another update. Since my Sams club does not sell the east pen made batteries I searched around and found that Lowes of all places has them. Well actually you have to order it but I can get a Deka branded/labeled DC-27 Marine Master battery for about $130.00 total. Sounds good if all the recommendations from this link are still valid. My only other question is does East Penn still make Napa batteries.

Greengas · Apr 1, 2016

An April fool's joke would be a great way to start the day.

Ted10028 · Mar 21, 2024

Maine Sail said:
Hi All,

I just came from my local Sam's Club and noticed that they have changed their battery manufacturer from JCI (Johnson Controls) to Deka / East Penn. I was told this is a new account for East Penn and the Duracell branded East Penn batts may not yet be in all stores. If the batteries still say Energizer on the label they are JCI batteries...

I took some pics at the store and then called Deka / East Penn tech support and spoke with a very nice lady, and very knowledgeable, named Carol G.. She informed me that they DO NOT build the Sam's Club, O'Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA, Deka or West Marine branded batteries any differently and they are all the SAME. They all roll off the same assembly line and get the sticker for the retailer they are going to.

The only thing you want to be certain of is the type. Deka makes starting, dual purpose and deep cycle marine batteries. NAPA & WM sell both the starting, dual purpose and deep cycle versions as does Sam's so be sure to read the labels.

Flooded Deep Cycle Marine Batts:

The batteries Sam's Club is buying are the Deka / East Penn deep cycle marine batteries and the dual purpose/starting versions. This is GOOD!!! What is even better is that these are the EXACT SAME battery that West Marine sells only for LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE! These batts have a 12 month free replacement warranty, same as West Marine.

As an example the Group 27 Deep Cycle at Sam's Club is $69.87 the SAME EXACT battery at West Marine is $169.99 (2010 catalog price).

There is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in the WM battery compared to the Sam's Club, NAPA or other resellers battery other than the label/sticker. This info is not from "me" but rather directly from Carol G. at Deka & backed up by folks in her engineering department at Deka/East Penn. Sam's is licensing the Duracell brand name on these East Penn batts but they are the same high quality battery, according to East Penn..

They offer two 6V GC2 batts one with a 215 Ah rating and one with a 230Ah rating and are $78.87 (GC2) and $84.87 (EGC2).

AGM Batteries:

Once again these are the SAME EXACT AGM batteries WM sells and they stock the group 24, 27 & 31 and 6V AGM's.. As an example the group 31 AGM at Sam's Club is $166.32 and at West Marine this SAME BATTERY runs $299.99. The 6V AGM is even more drastic at Sam's it runs $159.73 and at West Marine it costs $389.99!! Same battery different sticker!!!!

If you're looking at the flooded deep cycle marine batts the group 24, 27 & 31 are the same exact specs as the WM batteries. Sam's, like NAPA, just decided to not include the 20 hour Ah rate on the batteries, but the batteries are rated by East Penn.

12V Flooded
Duracell Group 24 Deep Cycle = 75 Ah
Duracell Group 27 Deep Cycle = 90 Ah
Duracell Group 29/31 Deep Cycle = 105 Ah

6V Flooded
Duracell GC2 6V = 215 Ah
Duracell EGC2 6V = 230 Ah

This new deal between Sam's Club and East Penn represents a tremendous value for the American boater..

EDIT May 2012:

Just looked up the current WM pricing vs. my local Sam's Club on the group 31 wet cell.. Holy CRAP!

Remember, these are the SAME EXACT BATTERIES, MADE BY THE SAME MANUFACTURER AND ROLLING OFF THE SAME ASSEMBLY LINE. The ONLY difference is the STICKER...

Sams Club = Group 29/31 (Deka DC31) 105Ah Battery $84.97

West Marine = Group 31 (Deka DC31) 105Ah Battery $247.99

Difference = $165.02 per battery !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The price premium paid to have a West Marine sticker on the battery box vs. Duracell... $165.02. ...... Oh and identical warranty.........

You can't make this stuff up.. BTW the price on the WM/Sea Volt/Deka DC31 batteries easily exceeds the already offensive pricing of the top quality Trojan SCS-225 by over $50.00 per battery. Seriously the Deka battery is a decent battery but not a Trojan or US Battery. It is worth about what Sam's is selling it for not the $247.99 West Marine is selling it for.!!!

Great stuff to be aware of. Thanks!