best practices for long battery life
I cannot get more than 3 years out of my battery on my TT. Original battery was an interstate. It was replaced under warranty going into its third year. The replacement lasted two years. I then trie...
Forum Discussion
"best" can be taken to extremes, as others have pointed out.
The money spent on equipment which can perform the 'best' especially if one wants it to be semi automonous will cost more than a few new group 24's.
Good to very good means not overdischarging, and returning to full charge regularly, and fairly promptly.
Very good to excellent longevity means shallower discharges, more prompt rechrges to an absolute true full charge determined with an Hydrometer, and then temperature compensated float charge afterwards.
AN AGM battery is not immune to chronic undercharging, likely the opposite and for a higher price, but if one wants to insure a full charge, and can achieve absorption voltage easily, then an ammeter can easily show true full charge, as dipping a hydrometer into 6 or 12 cells is not something many people consider fun.
The Megawatt set to 14.4v can easily get the battery neophyte into the good to very good longevity for not very much money. The 'Smart' chargers are all marketing lies which are 'justfine' for a garage charger doing the occassional starting battery, but not a regularly deeply cycled marine battery, or actual deep cycle battery for that matter.
Getting a 'smart' charger to actually fully charge a regularly deeply cycled battery is an exercise in futility with few to no exceptions, and they hydrometer will prove this.
But there is bliss in ignorance and ignorance in bliss, and batteries are only rented, so draw a line in the sand and take it as far as you want.
The money spent on equipment which can perform the 'best' especially if one wants it to be semi automonous will cost more than a few new group 24's.
Good to very good means not overdischarging, and returning to full charge regularly, and fairly promptly.
Very good to excellent longevity means shallower discharges, more prompt rechrges to an absolute true full charge determined with an Hydrometer, and then temperature compensated float charge afterwards.
AN AGM battery is not immune to chronic undercharging, likely the opposite and for a higher price, but if one wants to insure a full charge, and can achieve absorption voltage easily, then an ammeter can easily show true full charge, as dipping a hydrometer into 6 or 12 cells is not something many people consider fun.
The Megawatt set to 14.4v can easily get the battery neophyte into the good to very good longevity for not very much money. The 'Smart' chargers are all marketing lies which are 'justfine' for a garage charger doing the occassional starting battery, but not a regularly deeply cycled marine battery, or actual deep cycle battery for that matter.
Getting a 'smart' charger to actually fully charge a regularly deeply cycled battery is an exercise in futility with few to no exceptions, and they hydrometer will prove this.
But there is bliss in ignorance and ignorance in bliss, and batteries are only rented, so draw a line in the sand and take it as far as you want.
