Perhaps Capacity is Not King
I don't want to derail the current "charging AGM batteries" thread more than I already have. During the course of that thread I was shopping for AGM batteries, trying to determine which ones could ...
Forum Discussion
Salvo wrote:
I've never bought into the notion that capacity is king. I'm for a balanced system. If you have solar then there's no need to go overboard on capacity. I see only one capacity sizing requirement. In your daily use, keep SOC above 50 to 60%. If you can maintain that with one battery then you don't need more.
Sal
Again, it depends on your use. I'm a 4-day weekender, at best. My 3 batteries get me through that without firing the genny, with room to spare over 50%. Then the alternator does most of the work on the way back home. Nothing but peace and quiet the entire stay. And only 1 cycle with no Progressive Capacity Loss.
Even with solar, I would want the high capacity. A crabbing trip to a foggy coast is not apt to garner a lot of sunshine. So if I was set up with lower capacity with the hopes of more easily topping with solar... I would have to run the genny at the foggy coast. No thanks.
YMM(certainly)V.
Like BFL, I'm a camper... not a long hauler or full-timer.
I also don't live in an area with 360 days of sunshine (yes, exaggeration) like Sal. If you do, then a balanced system with solar is probably a great way to go.
Otherwise... for campers... capacity is king.
A camper for 2 weeks or less doesn't need to top the bank. He can do that when he gets home. What he DOES need to do is have a bank that is ready and capable of accepting current. Once you get to about 85%, the smaller the bank, the less current it will accept while that generator is workin' away.
And what's the cost of 3 batteries? I paid something like $200 for mine and they are still at original SG after 3.5 years. If they last 7 years, that equates to less than one Starbucks a month (though I don't drink Starbucks.) Point is... that's peanuts for the convenience of all that peace and quiet.
BFL is a heavy battery abuser and he gets a LOT of mileage from his. At like 100A a day, he would need a pile of solar to replace that without running the genny.
The mantra we're discussing here was originally geared toward boondockers. And for any of them without solar that either wish to or are required to limit genny time... the mantra holds.
