Trailer Battery Load Support
As a followup to my recent discussion about my newly acquired CTEK Multi US 7002 Charger I'd be interested in some further input on the subject of trailer battery load support. :) First, I should c...
Forum Discussion
Nope, never did the Ctek.
I instead went with an adjustable voltage 40 amp Switching power supply to use as a manual charger.
Couldn't be happier, and neither could my High $$ Northstar AGM battery.
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27969414/srt/pa/pging/1.cfm
I modified it with an external 10 turn bourns potentiometer for adjusting voltage, a Wattmeter, and extra ventilation and heatsinking. I love it.
Cost way less than 250$ too, modification labor not included.
I'd have no fear of any group31 AGM battery by Lifeline, Northstar or Odyssey. I wish I spent the ~20$ extra for the group 31 Northstar instead of my group 27.
In fact if you do not have height restrictions:
http://lifelinebatteries.com/products/marine-batteries/gpl-30ht/
Mex refers to this as the tall boy group 31 or something similar. Its weight, capacity, and CCA figures indicate its plates are even thicker than the Lifeline GPL-31XT, which is an impressive battery in its own right.
Lifeline specs a 14.4v absorption voltage at 77F, and this can be achieved with a PD92xx series converter with the 'wizard'. I'd go for the PD9270.
I do not have any data as to how well it can maintain voltage under high loads compared to the TPPL AGMS of Northstar and Odyssey, but it certainly will out cycle them when recharged properly, and at 150AH capacity, has more to give.
Cheaper AGMS, well, no thanks.
The East Penn Deka intimidator AGM (often relabelled) rated cycle life is poor and so are the longevity reports coming from the marine forums.
If you are going to invest in proper charging equipment, the high$$ AGMS will reward you. If not, then do not bother with the higher end AGMS, or agms at all.
Lifeline recommends no less than 20 amps per 100Ah capacity on a deeply cycled battery and flat out says more amperage is better.
Odyssey recommends no less than 40 amps per 100AH capacity.
Northstar is similar to Odyssey.
There is another option, not yet proven, called the Firefly AGM, which uses some sort of carbon foam on the plates that is said to be able to recover full capacity after many cycles of only partial recharges, or partial state of charge cycling.
I am waiting for more reports and am not recommending them, only bringing up their appearance on the market.
http://www.bruceschwab.com/advanced-energy-storage-systems/firefly-energys-oasis-group-31/
If they prove to be able to recover 100% of their capacity after prolonged cycling at partial states of charge, they are a game changer.
But I think both regular AGM and Gel batteries made the same claims when they first arrived on the market, which have proven false.
Northstar AGM batteries re sold by Batteries plus and relabelled as X2Power.
I instead went with an adjustable voltage 40 amp Switching power supply to use as a manual charger.
Couldn't be happier, and neither could my High $$ Northstar AGM battery.
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27969414/srt/pa/pging/1.cfm
I modified it with an external 10 turn bourns potentiometer for adjusting voltage, a Wattmeter, and extra ventilation and heatsinking. I love it.
Cost way less than 250$ too, modification labor not included.
I'd have no fear of any group31 AGM battery by Lifeline, Northstar or Odyssey. I wish I spent the ~20$ extra for the group 31 Northstar instead of my group 27.
In fact if you do not have height restrictions:
http://lifelinebatteries.com/products/marine-batteries/gpl-30ht/
Mex refers to this as the tall boy group 31 or something similar. Its weight, capacity, and CCA figures indicate its plates are even thicker than the Lifeline GPL-31XT, which is an impressive battery in its own right.
Lifeline specs a 14.4v absorption voltage at 77F, and this can be achieved with a PD92xx series converter with the 'wizard'. I'd go for the PD9270.
I do not have any data as to how well it can maintain voltage under high loads compared to the TPPL AGMS of Northstar and Odyssey, but it certainly will out cycle them when recharged properly, and at 150AH capacity, has more to give.
Cheaper AGMS, well, no thanks.
The East Penn Deka intimidator AGM (often relabelled) rated cycle life is poor and so are the longevity reports coming from the marine forums.
If you are going to invest in proper charging equipment, the high$$ AGMS will reward you. If not, then do not bother with the higher end AGMS, or agms at all.
Lifeline recommends no less than 20 amps per 100Ah capacity on a deeply cycled battery and flat out says more amperage is better.
Odyssey recommends no less than 40 amps per 100AH capacity.
Northstar is similar to Odyssey.
There is another option, not yet proven, called the Firefly AGM, which uses some sort of carbon foam on the plates that is said to be able to recover full capacity after many cycles of only partial recharges, or partial state of charge cycling.
I am waiting for more reports and am not recommending them, only bringing up their appearance on the market.
http://www.bruceschwab.com/advanced-energy-storage-systems/firefly-energys-oasis-group-31/
If they prove to be able to recover 100% of their capacity after prolonged cycling at partial states of charge, they are a game changer.
But I think both regular AGM and Gel batteries made the same claims when they first arrived on the market, which have proven false.
Northstar AGM batteries re sold by Batteries plus and relabelled as X2Power.
