Solar Power Batteries From Walmart And Costco
by Chris - February 2nd, 2011.Filed under: Equipment. Tagged as: car batteries at walmart, car battery reviews, costco car battery, everstart batteries, solar power batteries, walmart batteries, walmart car batteries.
As it becomes more common for people to take advantage of solar power by installing solar panels and learning how to build solar panels, they need some way to utilize this free energy. This is either done with a grid-tied inverter and/or a battery bank. However, not all solar power batteries are created equal. While many people reach for the conventional car battery, this is not the best battery to use.
Only deep-cycle batteries are appropriate for solar power applications. Even though they look like the typical starting car battery, they are internally constructed differently to better survive the rigors of solar power home applications. This article contains car battery reviews of Walmart batteries and Costco car batteries that are appropriate for solar power house applications.
Walmart Batteries
As the largest retail store in America, many people search for walmart car batteries because it’s the most convenient approach to getting batteries for their project. Unfortunately, they do not sell car batteries at walmart’s website. However, they do sell Everstart batteries at their physical stores. I took a trip down to my local store yesterday to check out battery prices at Walmart as well as the specs of Everstart car batteries at Walmart:
| Part Number for Everstart Batteries | Amp-Hour (AH) Rating | Price (as of 2/2/2011 in Washington) |
| Everstart 24DC-6 | 75 | $58 |
| Everstart 24DP-4 | 105 | $65 |
| Everstart 27DC-6 | 115 | $70 |
| Everstart MAXX-29 | 125 | $85 |
Unfortunately, it did not appear that they sold Walmart golf cart batteries. These are ‘industrial’ batteries made with super thick plates for long life and deep discharge service. They have been dubbed golf-cart batteries because they get the majority of their use in golf-carts.
Costco Car Battery
Probably the second most convenient location for Americas to obtain solar power batteries would be Costco. Not only do they sell batteries, they have great deals, and they carry marine deep-cycle and golf cart batteries, which make the best solar power batteries. Rumor has it that Costco’s Kirkland Signature branded batteries are actually manufactured by Energizer.
I likewise took a trip down to my local Costco and was able to obtain a Costco car battery spec sheet. I also jotted down the prices of the Costco car battery prices for marine and gold cart batteries.
| BCI Group Size | Costco Item Number | Cold Cranking Amps | Reserve Capacity | Length | Width | Height | Price | |
| Kirkland Signature Automotive Batteries | ||||||||
| 35 | 12865 | 640 | 100 | 9.6875 | 6.8750 | 8.8125 | - | |
| 65 | 12866 | 850 | 150 | 12 | 7.4375 | 7.6250 | - | |
| 75 | 12869 | 700 | 95 | 9.6875 | 7.25 | 7.6250 | - | |
| 25 | 12870 | 640 | 100 | 9.6875 | 6.8750 | 8.8125 | - | |
| 78 | 12872 | 800 | 110 | 10.9375 | 7.25 | 7.25 | - | |
| 58 | 12873 | 610 | 90 | 10.0 | 7.1875 | 7.0 | - | |
| 34 | 12877 | 795 | 105 | 10.9375 | 6.875 | 7.8125 | - | |
| 48 | 989227 | 700 | 120 | 11.375 | 6.875 | 6.8125 | - | |
| 51R | 12881 | 500 | 85 | 9.3125 | 5 | 8.6875 | - | |
| 47 | 12850 | 590 | 85 | 9.625 | 6.875 | 6.8125 | - | |
| 36R | 989215 | 650 | 130 | 10.25 | 7.1875 | 8.125 | - | |
| 40R | 201870 | 590 | 105 | 11.375 | 6.8125 | 6.8125 | - | |
| 51 | 201864 | 500 | 85 | 9.3125 | 5.0 | 8.6875 | - | |
| Kirkland Signature Automotive Batteries | ||||||||
| 24DC | 12851 | 550 | 140 | 11.0625 | 6.75 | 9.125 | $61.99 | |
| 27DC | 12852 | 600 | 160 | 12.875 | 6.75 | 9.125 | $68.99 | |
| OPTIMA Automotive Batteries | ||||||||
| 75/35 | 12853 | 720 | 90 | 9.3125 | 6.8125 | 7.625 | - | |
| 34/78 | 989237 | 750 | 120 | 10 | 6.875 | 7.8125 | - | |
| 51R | 256735 | 450 | 66 | 9.3125 | 5.0625 | 8.9375 | - | |
| OPTIMA Marine Batteries | ||||||||
| D34M | 12854 | 750 | 120 | 10 | 6.875 | 7.8125 | $154.99 | |
| Kirkland Signature Lawn & Garden Batteries | ||||||||
| U1 | 207270 | 230 | 30 | 8.25 | 5.1875 | 7.1875 | - | |
| Kirkland Signature Golf Cart Batteries | ||||||||
| GC2 | 245725 | 100 Min | - | 10.375 | 7.1875 | 11.34375 | $78.99 | |
| GC8 | 25726 | 110 Min | - | 10.375 | 7.1875 | 11.34375 | $78.99 | |
I hope these short car battery reviews and my little bit of leg work helps you in your selection of solar power batteries. This article has not touched on how to properly size a battery or bank of solar power batteries for the home. That will be covered in a future article, but for those who can’t wait, be sure to read inverter manufacturer web sites. They often have guides to help you determine how many batteries you’ll need for your applications.
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March 18th, 2011 at 12:05 am
Is Costco’s Kirkland Signature’s Marine Deep Cycle Battery #12851 “maintenance free?” It does not indicate on the battery.
March 22nd, 2011 at 7:00 pm
I’m not sure. Most modern, deep-cycle batteries are gel-cell and thus ‘maintenance free’. Post back here if you find the answer!
June 23rd, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Here in the UK the best deep cycle battery for a sensible price I can find is the new Explorer range which is either 3 or 4 years guaranteed with a 70% cycle discharge and a guaranteed huge 500 cycle lifespan and sealed maintenance free, unlike most which are 50% discharge and around 150 to 200 cycles lifespan they come in a few AH sizes but I opted for the largest which is 140AH for a very reasonable £114.99 with free delivery, yes there is cheaper but not with anywhere the specs that this true deep cycle caries and a good warranty. Would love to be able to afford a bank of these at home but will have to stick with the small scale system on my 20ft yacht for now.
You can check them out on the www dot alpha-batteries dot co dot uk site a very interesting read.
Phil
September 9th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
If a Deep Cycle Battery has a CCA rating (Cold Cranking Amps) it’s not a true Deep Cycle battery. Not suggested for use in a solar power system. The plates in these aren’t as thick as a true Deep Cycle battery, they are closer to a standard battery size than the D.C. type