[Need Advice: Failure of Trojan AGM Batteries and Wanting to Replace with Lithiums]

Thanks to everyone that has contributed to this topic!  We just experienced the same issue with our Trojan AGM batteries in our Ollie purchased late in 2019.  (We have the same set-up as Spike listed.) We were on an extended trip in the southwest so I removed them and relied on shore power for the remainder of our trip.  Now back home I am trying to decide on replacements.  It appears that the Battle Born Lithium Batteries may be the way to go next.  I am going to try and do the installation myself so any additional help or advice would be appreciated.

[Need Advice: Failure of Trojan AGM Batteries and Wanting to Replace with Lithiums]

On 9/19/2021 at 3:02 PM, Spike said:

CALLING ON THE EXPERTISE OF TECH-SAVY OLLIE OWNERS

Our about-five-years-old Trojan batteries failed us last night in an alarming way. My wife, Liz, noticed an electrical odor and then heat radiating from the battery compartment under the pantry. I checked the Zamp solar controller. No error message was displayed, and all else—voltage, amp hours, amps being use—looked normal. Upon sliding out the battery tray, we noticed one of the batteries was oozing fluid and the top was distorted with something like a bubble. That battery was very hot, and the others also more than warm.

I have very little knowledge of batteries and electrical systems in general, so I was very fortunate to have met, a couple of hours earlier, a fellow camper who had described building his own solar system on his own home-built travel trailer. With his help and an alarming warning that a battery this hot could explode, we disconnected all four AGM batteries, removed them from the tray, and sealed all exposed wire connections well with electrical tape. 

We are now on shore power at an RV park in Escalante, UT. (We are here to perform at the festival this Friday.) It is now Sunday, and the one auto-parts dealer/auto-mechanic shop in town is closed. My fellow camper suggested that—with assistance of someone from this shop—we might be able to temporarily install an inexpensive 12-volt battery to suffice for the couple of boondocking stops we had planned to make before returning home in Southern AZ. He also recommended eventually replacing the blown AGMs with Battle Born lithium batteries, which I think I would like to do. 

I sure would appreciate any advice and answers to these questions that occur to me now:

1. If the local auto-parts dealer/auto-mechanic shop has a 12-volt battery that could suffice before I find someone to sell me and install the lithium batteries, would that temporary fix work with my solar-electrical set-up? If so, what things do I need to consider when dealing with the mechanic who may be able to help? (The octopus of wiring after the disconnect baffles me, but perhaps a good mechanic familiar with 12-volt-solar-converter set-ups like mine would be able to install the battery efficiently and safely until I get to a larger metropolitan center where I could have the lithium batteries installed. We plan to be in Flagstaff soon.)

2. When I DO find an outfit—I hope in Flagstaff—that could sell me the lithium batteries and install them, what things do I need to consider? Will my current equipment suffice to handle the new lithium batteries, or will other things need to be changed, like the solar controller, the inverter, etc.? All suggestions concerning this lithium battery replacement of my AGMs will be appreciated. 

Here is the list of components in our 2017 Oliver Elite II that I hope will help those who may be able to offer suggestions and answer any of my questions:

1. Four Trojan T-105 6v AGM batteries
2. Zamp solar Package 
3. Progressive Dynamics converter
4. Xantrex 2000W inverter

I thank all respondents in advance for any suggestions offered. I have previously received great advice on this forum and hope to receive some now. (Our Ollie had been, before this trip, more or less stationary for almost two years.) Also, please, if you can, avoid technical terms that a non-tech-savvy guy like me will not understand—or please define such terms. Thanks!