2006 Roadtrek coach batteries

[Mikejgriff]

Hi. I'm new to Roadtrek sprinters. I bought a used 2006 Roadtrek Adventurous RS from an RV dealer and have since had chassis work done by a Mercedes Benz shop. The coach batteries are toast after two nights, although they're fine in the fall. They are two 12v wet batteries in the compartment under the floor rear passenger side. They seem pretty old and one tests all over the place on a volt meter. A battery supplier tells me that they should not be wet batteries as the compartment is not properly vented. Some advice I see is for two 6v batteries, but the supplier says they won't fit properly in the compartment. It's a really awkward place to work on batteries by the way. the original manual calls for one 12v wet battery. I've purchased a AGM type 12v. I believe the inverter is the original. I know I have to change a dip switch from wet to gel. Any suggestions about coach batteries for this model year and chassis would be appreciated.

 

[tDot]

AGM and Gel are two different chemistries, I wouldn't recommend using the settings for Gel batteries.

What battery is currently in there? Typically they are a specific size which you should be able to directly replace with the same size AGM 12v.

 

[Mikejgriff]

AGM and Gel are two different chemistries, I wouldn't recommend using the settings for Gel batteries.

What battery is currently in there? Typically they are a specific size which you should be able to directly replace with the same size AGM 12v.

There were two old wet 12v batteries in coach. One was toast. The battery supplier wasn’t happy with wet old tech because the venting is poor for the location under the left rear passenger side. He recommended two 12v deep dwell agms and the gel setting on the inverter which he says is the right one. This is a 2006 Roadtrek adventurous that calls for one 12v in the manual. There’s plenty of room for two. I’ve set on gel and I’m getting power

 

[cbaarch]

"The battery supplier wasn’t happy ..."
and that was his line to sell you batteries at more than double the price of standard Deep Cycle Flooded Lead Acid (FLA) batteries that did the job all these years.
The setting between gel and agm is that it is a different charge profile. to get the best you need to find out what is the charge profile for the brand that you got a bill of goods on. It may work on the gel setting but that might not be the best setting for charging those batteries.
It is the setting of the charger that you change; not the setting on the inverter even though they might be on the same controller.