
If you were going to use them in your RV and use more than one, you were looking at some weight issues.

The drawback to the Kirkland brand of battery was that they weighed 60 pounds each, approx. That makes all the difference in the bottom line. The difference in the models is that the Kirkland batteries often lasted for 7 to 10 years on up.

#Costco battery storage series
We have heard nothing but praise for this series of batteries but we doubled checked and found that the company has switched to selling Interstate's brand of batteries. The reason for this change is that the batteries were so good and lasted such a long time, Costco could not make any money off of selling them. This is as good a time as any to mention that Costco no longer sells Kirkland brand batteries. The batteries they sell now may not be as good as they once were but they come with a good return warranty which makes Costco look good and fits their own return policies. The batteries that Costco sold met their specifications and became a popular item once the word got out how good they were. They were all made through contract deals with different national battery makers. They have been doing it for many years and there are a lot of happy, satisfied RV owners who have enjoyed those batteries.Įven though the Kirkland battery was well-liked and lasted a long time, Costco never made its own batteries. If Lithium batteries were not significantly or vastly superior to FLA/GEL in all but 2 aspects, much of this forum would not exist.Yes, the company does sell this small-sized battery.

Then, all at once, in one day, they grow up, get a good job, leave the house and pay back rent. It's like having twin 2 year olds that seem to never grow up. For the younger generations, It is not likely you will have anything remaining in your possession after 25 years that you paid $4500 for today. I'm 57 now with 2500ah of 12v DIY LFE, it is entirely possible they will outlive me. For a DIY If somebody is already off grid or at least supplementing the grid, they most likely have the skills to crimp a few wires.įor those who's time is "too valuable" to waste building a battery, please stop quoting sports statistics.Īfter 15 years of 100% off grid FLA, hell no, I will never go back. There are a few positive reviewed Amazon LFE in a box, no assembly required, of apparent good quality that you would only have to take into account low temps and modifications to charge profile.100ah $500, 200ah $800.Ī DIY build? 250ish amp hours think a $600ish ballpark. That outfit would still cost way more than a few off the shelf LFE.Įven the high grade gel batteries are fragile in comparison to LFE.
#Costco battery storage full
If you have an enormous FLA battery bank and manage to use 20%, recharging to full with absorb and float every single day, like a starter battery in a car, they will last quite a while like most car batteries. Let any FLA sit for a week at 30% and you can get a $10 Autozone store card for it. Store your LFE at 30% for a few months and comfortably get 10 to 20% more out of it. Now compare 8 to 15 year expected life span for LFE, and that is to 80% functional capacity.īy the time you add an auto water and high frequency de-sulphate on each battery, you may as well buy LFE even at a 2 to 1 price difference.

You would be lucky if you still have 75% FLA capacity after 18 months 50% after 24. If you manage to forget the water for a week or 2, now it's less than a year. Because after that first year there WILL be significant capacity lost. It would take, an absolute minimum, 2 Costco 100ah batteries ($300) to match 1 low to mid range LFE 100ah ($375-$500) over 1 year usage with a 75ah per day drain. The warranty is for shorts, not capacity loss. Their idea of "Deep Cycle" and an actual Deep Cycle battery will not stand up to close comparison.Ĭostco only expects 5% of the people to return their $150 battery. Because gel will beat the crap out of FLA Costco on every metric, unless you only need it to work for 6 months.
