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What battery are you using?

SinCityJets

Active Member
I have an RV-10 with an io-540. I am noticing that the prop is getting harder and harder to turn. It?s time.

What batteries are most suggested. I have done lots of searches and reading, and still left with the question of, which one?

Lithium? Lead-acid? Sealed AGM?

Any help appreciated.

Chad
 
Sealed AGM or Earth-X are my choice. I do not want the lead acid that requires a vent. Only sealed lead acid battery will be used in my airplanes.

On my airplane, I need the heavy lead battery up front to help with CG. IF CG were not a potential issue, I would go with Earth-X. I would need to move the battery to the front side of the firewall if I were to go with Earth-X to help with CG concerns.

Earth-X is planned to be in the RV-8.
 
Concorde RG-25XC

I just got a new one. I have owned the plane almost 2 years. I think I just took out the original battery. I did not build the plane. First flight was 2010. It was getting harder to turn things over. Especially on hot starts. I hope this helps with the hot starts. I looked at some other options but they all would have required modes to cables or the battery tray.
 
Don't ignore the possibility of corrosion and/or loose connections as reasons for poor starting power.

When my 4+ year old no-name AGM battery got sluggish, and I needed to jump the plane most of the time (VFR, local flights, not electrically dependent, so don't bother...), I ordered a new battery. When I started removing the old battery, I found a light layer of corrosion on the terminals. I cleaned it up, reconnected, and recharged the battery. It's continued to start the plane reliably for over a year since cleaning the terminals.

Corrosion and poor connections not only cause starting issues, they affect the ability to charge the battery, as well. If you have more than ~1.2 volts of drop between the alternator B-lead and the battery terminals, there won't be enough voltage to fully charge the battery.
 
AGM battery from BatteriesPlus worked well for four years

I have just replaced a battery after four years of faithful service with another one from BatteriesPlus. I have an older RV that used to use the Concorde RG-25XC located on the pilot side firewall. I had a failure away from home, and ran to the closest store for a battery that was close in size. Turns out it was about $100 less and has worked great.

The latest one I just purchased is a Duracell Ultra brand #CYL10020 and it was $159.99 but if you ordered online, and then picked it up in the store, they give you an automatic 15% off. This battery comes with a 24 month free replacement warranty. The replaced battery was still functional, but the cranking was somewhat slower, and I could tell the reserve capacity had dropped after four years. It was a model X2-30LA. You can find many AGM powersports batteries in this size, and some are even less expensive.

The Concorde failure gave absolutely no warning. I had been keeping it charged with a trickle charger. I flew for many hours the day before its failure. It had cranked the day before in cold temperatures without issue. The next day it was at 10 volts, so a cell had failed. At that point it was about five years old though. I would have replaced it sooner, but it seemed to be working fine, and I eventually lost track of its total age.
 
Shorai 18Ah mounted on the engine side of the firewall with crowbar over voltage protection. Has worked flawless for 2+ years and 150+ hrs.

One day the engine wouldn't start (cause it wasn't getting any fuel and that's another story). A hangar neighbor commented that I could taxi with the RPM I was getting when the starter was engaged with this battery. Makes me wonder if all-electric RV's are far off? :rolleyes:

Bevan
 
The latest one I just purchased is a Duracell Ultra brand

+1 for Duracell AGM motorsports batteries. I got mine at Batteries Plus Bulbs to replace an Odyssey PC680 and it cranks noticeably faster than the last two Odysseys did when new. Then a few months later replaced my truck battery with a bigger Duracell AGM, same observation re cranking speed. They seem to have lower internal resistance at smaller size/weight than competition, despite what the "CCA" spec says. Cheaper that Odyssey too.
 
I have used the Gruber Power Systems (GPS) 18 ah (680 clone) batteries for the last 10 years. I get about 2 years of solid cranking before I replace. Price is about $40 plus shipping. I have been using the replaced batteries for various power sources around the hangar. One has been powering my fuel trailer pump for 5 years, just occasional recharging and it keeps going and going....Dan from Reno
 
Cheapy LiFePo

On a whim, I tried the no-name cheapy lifepo4 12v motorcycle replacement battery on ebay. It works just fine. I do have an expbus that protect over voltage. Mine has an undervoltage cut-off to protect it. That has come in handy :( twice :)

Fyi... based on what you said; if you have a skytech starter, the problem could be it. It has a short tbo. Check that too. Not bashing skytech, super light and crazy powerful when they're new. I've been starting on them for 20 years, they just don't last long. Keep two and have one ready.

-Bruce
 
What battery did you start with in the plane? If you want a drop in replacement with zero effort, I have never found a substitute for the RG-25, for instance, that's what my box was built to hold well.

As others have said, the PC925 is going to be what I'd put in a RV-10. The terminals are available either side Positive, so get the one that suits the RG 25 replacement. The bolts will best match the RG-25. In the PC925L, left is positive if the label faces you, this puts the battery when rotated a near- match for the RC-25. The terminals will be on the vertical edges rather than on the top of the RG25. The PC925L is only 6.5 inches wide where the RG is 7.7 in this layout. Height is 6.97 for the PC925L vs 6.81 for the RG-25 and depth is 4.93 inches for the PC925 vs 4.97 for the RG-25.

If you can afford the time, pull the battery, top it off with a charger, if not the "right" one, don't leave it overnight, let it go no higher than 14.5 volts. Load test it. I use a 500w inverter and a few 100w box fans. Should go 45 minutes before hitting the low voltage cutoff of most inverters. If the battery is good, check and clean as many connections, including grounds, as you can.

No need to go cheap, but here's my $ saver that fit my battery box much easier-

If you want a sport AGM- the cheapest easy swap...

A RG-25 XC near drop-in replacement exists- however- Concorde does a nice job of keeping the bolt connections recessed from the top and set back from the edge. This matters little if you use a strap type top retention with sides and front walls well short of the top. It is more a concern for a true battery box enclosure.

Most all AGM sport batteries but the Oddesey line scare me a bit. The connections are high and at the edges/corners. Oddesey is a pricey brand, but great value and the 925 has the same endurance AH as the Concorde easily. That said-

I like the made in the USA and sold under many labels Deka ETX-30L $120, or so. Check if you have a local dealer, that worked great for me. East Penn I believe is the parent for Deka and Duracell Ultra brands. The Batteries and Bulbs Duracell Ultra for big Harleys with grey case is the same as the Deka and the $130 price is fine.
CYL10020
Brand: Duracell Ultra
Voltage: 12
Format: 30LA
Lead Acid Type: Starting

15 minutes jigsawing and sanding a few 3/8" thick mdf shapes and all set in an aluminum box that held the RG-25XC previously between the rudders of a RV-6.

Don't forget to make sure you have snug fit and no chance of a short in all 3 dimensions. Folks have wound up upside down with a battery shorted hot to the box.

I'd try a LiFePO4 in a blink if I had a battery mount on the firewall-forward side and an over-voltage protection device. If you don't need the reserve of the Concorde you could have a 4# battery. I think the RV-10 is a cabin battery, so you'd need a sealed installation with venting and enough reserve for IFR AH needs.
 
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I've used a Shorai LiFePO4 battery for a while (hundreds and hundreds of flight hours) now. I chose it over the PC680 because of it's light weight, and over the EarthX because of the high cost and questionable BMS claims.
 
Battery

Battery Tender Battery , 3 lbs , trouble free for 2 years so far . Cranks my 360 with 10:1 pistons no problem. .
 
On my second PC 680. First one lasted 10 years and was still working fine. Second one is coming up on 5 years. Working fine.
 
I have an Odyssey PC925 AGM. I love it. Holds its charge well even when cold. Great cranking power.
 
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Universal SLA/AGM $39.00 free shipping

https://www.amazon.com/Upgrade-Batt...=8-2-spons&keywords=18+amp+hour+battery&psc=1

Been using these on my RV-10 and prior to that on my RV-8.
Dual battery system on both airplanes, always starting on both batteries.
Replaced at 5 year intervals just because they are cheap.
Never used a trickle charger and the plane occasionally sits for 3 or 4 weeks
during the winter season, no trouble starting.
The Bay area has a mild climate so not sure what the batteries will do in freezing cold.
Like Guccidude1, I use the old batteries to power my tug and other stuff around the house. At over 10 years of age they still take a charge and none has ever failed.
 
I have an RV-10 with an io-540. I am noticing that the prop is getting harder and harder to turn. It?s time.

What batteries are most suggested. I have done lots of searches and reading, and still left with the question of, which one?

Lithium? Lead-acid? Sealed AGM?

Any help appreciated.

Chad

PC925L drops right in.
 
Just bought the Duracell AGM cyl10009 yesterday and it starts great! Same specs and size. They must be same battery because salesperson said they didn’t have the 20. What battery box did you use? This battery is significantly wider so the narrow lid on my box won’t fit.
 
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