Dang! Ran my 6v batteries dead............

Vintage465 wrote:
Me and batteries on trailers! I can't tell you how many batteries have went to battery heaven 'cause of my complacency!

At this point, I feel it necessary to say.....again.....
You should replace those batteries NOW not later.

The next most common thing to happen to batteries that have been abused that bad is a cell or two shorting out. If that happens and is left to fester, the battery may boil while charging is applied and/or some of your charging equipment might be damaged.

To focus on answering a specific question, Rolls Battery manufactures the best flooded battery in the business. They are expensive and worth every cent. Like Dracula they are danged near immortal. I've recovered Rolls batteries so badly abused it would have killed even a Trojan battery 10 times over. Two total discharges that didn't sit eternities - the Rolls would laugh it off and keep on trucking. Sure cycle life would take an overall hit but not so severe as to cause alarm. Open-ticket design materials and construction can produce astonishing results. Super premium separators for example cost 4 times as much as garden variety ho-hum but their permeability is far far superior. A vat of plate paste can cost nine hundred dollars or twenty five hundred dollars. It's much like appreciating the difference between a Wiha screwdriver and one that comes in a $2.99 tool set.

Trojan makes fine GC220 batteries.

What do you guys think are the best 6v batteries for these application?

Best will cost you more than $350. I use those Sam's club Energizers and they are holding up well. Trojan T105 is the standard to measure reliability against and, sometimes, you can pick them up from a golf cart distributor for not much more than Costco or Sams.

The 6V AGM universe is expanding and there is little doubt an AGM would outshine a conventional FLA in an RV, especially for storage where an owner chooses little or no maintenance. You will pay for this convenience.

A few members here are using AGM telecom batteries bought from resellers and are having good luck. I have a small bank of three 12V AGM's bought used. They hold up well.

Yes the solar was always working then just the load was too high. If you have bulk charged them I would just let solar do its thing to top them off.

So I now have all the answers! I know how I killed them....with the break-a-way cable pulled, yes I mentioned that earlier. The "alarm" on the panel that reads low voltage and the "red light of death" was from accidentally bumping this tiny switch on the back of the Solar Controller that selects 24v or 12v. So it was thinking it needed a minimum of 19v on a 24v system. Switched it back to 12v and the Low Voltage Alarm is gone and the "Red Light of Death" is now green! I will pull the cell caps and charge them with a 10a charger for two full days. Hopefully there will be enough battery left after my blunders! If not..........it's an easy expensive fix @ $350.00 or so for couple new Interstate batteries. What do you guys think are the best 6v batteries for these application?

FULL CHARGE means CHARGE not tickle them to death. Apply the charge and the keep the charge going. Hours All Day Days. Thirty hours, forty hours. Let all 6 cells bubble for 48 hours that's TWO DAYS of bubbling cells. If the batteries grow hot - 120+ degrees, stop the charge. But 48 hours of solid bubbling is not going to "hurt" badly sulfated batteries. Do not let voltage exceed sixteen point zero.

Frequently I have had to put 10 amps through a GC220 and keep constant 10 amps going through it for TWO DAYS before the cell electrolyte made it back up to 1.280 Is this registering or am I wasting bytes?

This should be done with the batteries disconnected and using a GOOD RELIABLE HYDROMETER. This is the way the US Navy recovered submarine batteries, this is the way the BCI Battery Council International recovers badly sulfated batteries and this is way I revovered hundreds of sulfated batteries over a 38 year span. It works. No it will not recover a damaged battery. But yes it saved hundreds of "bad" batteries which stunned many owners who griped But but but I CHARGED IT!"
Your Call

Some solar controllers want you to disconnect the panels before the battery and reconnect the battery before the panels. Did not investigate yours.

After 28hr charge at 10amp/hr. the batteries have accepted all charge they will. When they recharged it started out on the charger gauge at
"no-charge" or "zero volt" and slowly and steadily worked it's way up to full charge or at least as full as they will take. Sitting at 13v with a digital hand multi meter. Other than buying new batteries if these don't work out, the only thing going is the solar controller won't re-set on the read-out to cancel the low-volt alarm. I think I may have to disconnect the Samlex 30a Solar Controller completely from the batteries for a "time" to reset. The manual is not real in-depth on what to do regarding re-setting. Only thing it says is: if the battery charge is 9v or less the "alarm display" will not correct. With it sitting @ 13v I would think it would recognize the voltage and re-set and display the current voltage and give me a green light and not the "red light of death" that is currently being displayed. Me and batteries on trailers! I can't tell you how many batteries have went to battery heaven 'cause of my complacency!

2112 wrote:

Vintage465 wrote:
OK! I found it! The darned break away switch for the brakes had the cable pulled. Still likely had some damage done with the flattening of the voltage. And yes, flat with a hand held volt meter.......flat!

If you drained them to 0.0V twice they are ruined. You can try to recover them with a proper equalizing capable charger or power source but they will never totally recover. Your best decision would be to buy new and don't do it again.

X2

However as a learning experience have them load tested.

Vintage465 wrote:
OK! I found it! The darned break away switch for the brakes had the cable pulled. Still likely had some damage done with the flattening of the voltage. And yes, flat with a hand held volt meter.......flat!

If you drained them to 0.0V twice they are ruined. You can try to recover them with a proper equalizing capable charger or power source but they will never totally recover. Your best decision would be to buy new and don't do it again.