MEXICOWANDERER wrote:Great stuff as usual.
Of course people have millions of tons of opinions about batteries, but the first place to start research is a site like batteryuniversity.com EVERY different type of battery has its STRONG and it's WEAK points.
What may work GREAT for your neighbor or Homer J Snerdley may be entirely WRONG for you. They may jump up and down with enthusiasm rooting their choice but in reality bottom line, they may in fact has very very limited experience with the product. You have no way of learning just how long or how intensive their experience is or was. I would if I were you decide to allow a heavyweight amount of fact on the number of comprehensive responses you get. The number of years of experience. The intensity which they actually use their batteries. A weekend warrior that limps from park to park, power pedestal to power pedestal is not really a qualified reference ro someone who is going to really put their battery bank through their paces.
I would ferret out AGM users that claim "I have used AGM for years off-grid and regularly cycle them down to 50% capacity" if I too was planning to do the same.
Gelled electrolyte batteries have fallen out of favor because they need EXACT care. Something that few RV'ers have the patience or time to give. But gel batteries do have their place - like in emergency lighting and backup power supplies, where under the correct circumstances they will far outlive an AGM battery.
I would also pay attention to battery brand reviews. I have encountered AGM brands that weren't worth their weight in used spaghetti.
Hope This Helps
