Let's talk about Lifeline Batteries

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Lifeline batteries do PERFECT under the hood of a motor vehicle that has a HALF A VOLT HIGHER CHARGE REGULATION and eighty degrees higher temperature than an RV battery undergoes.

My advice is to stop reading amateur's halfass op-ed opinions and start paying attention to reality. Only a very few sources offer truly accurate and trustworthy information about batteries. An AGM like any other battery on planet earth does not like float voltages that are also too high for a standard battery. But unique to the AGM is a dislike to be recharged at too slow a rate. They do not like low and slow solar power recharging.

There are enoigh krap articles out there to fertilize a half million Jack and the beanstock grade gardens.

Can you point us to the "professional" comparison charts and consumer ratings?

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
AGMs si

¿Cheap? No

A 20 lb lithium battery would be nice. But then I would have to start my own Cartel and wear polyester over Kevlar.

San Diego
seems to be the home of surplus UPS server batteries
I don't remember what you gave for that 'tall' lifeline

but I gave $70 each for my 102# 135ampHr (hernia maker) wonders, and that is the 8hr capacity, not 20hr capacity

SUrplus telco AGM seem to be available anytime for about $130
from several vendors who do this full time

Regarding Lifeline batteries: Last year I was prepared to buy a couple of deep cycle ones for our Class C, but passed on them due to their recommended float voltage of ~13.2 volts. I wanted to keep using my ~13.6 volt stock converter to maintain them so instead had to purchase a couple of AGM deep cycle batteries with a ~13.6 volt float spec.

(Spoiler Alert: Mex will disagree that this was a valid reason for me to pass up buying the Lifelines!)

AGMs si

¿Cheap? No

A 20 lb lithium battery would be nice. But then I would have to start my own Cartel and wear polyester over Kevlar.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
When you stumble across a nest of them, drop-kick one to me :)

You were just in the land of cheap 100+aH agms, were you not? Are you looking for smaller? I am not in CA now, but I may be again someday.

My foot winces at even metaphorical dropkicks of 100lbs of lead :B.

When you stumble across a nest of them, drop-kick one to me :)

Well, I have had these ones since '08 ('07 manufacture) and they are doing ok so far :).

I thought I was having trouble with them for a few months earlier this year, but it turned out the problem was that my smart charger turns its light green when it gets down to a few amps -- but keeps charging, if I keep it hooked up. I was unplugging it at the green light and that was not a full charge yet.

Since then, batteries and charger seem fine. I figure might as well use them till they are not, although if I happen across a couple agms...

Gelled batteries do OK for emergency lighting and alarm purposes where they might have a .0001% duty cycle. They live a long life with correct maintenance voltage

But like a Hungarian movie actress. One false move and they slash their wrist.

The best gel battery ever made was a Sonnenschein. And compared to even a spiral cell AGM they were inferior for anything other than work as outlined in the topmost paragraph.

I surely would stand on my head trying to chuck the gelled batteries for an AGM replacement. Charger performance would serve fine.

The MK website FAQ says:

The correct charging voltage for a Gel battery is 14.4 to 14.6 volts maximum at 68°F.

but the tech sheet I linked to above says 13.8-14.1, for absorption.

Thanks, everybody, for advice on my gels!

I found this tech info on the MK website, which I had not seen before. Very very useful.

Can y'all translate one bit for me, though?

Charge for 1 to 4 hours based on Ah accumulated
in first two stages:
<25% of C20 – 1 hour
25% to 50% of C20 – 2 hours
>50% of C20 – 4 hours

It seems backwards...