They take a licking and keep on ticking...

[joshuajim]

I did my regular battery maintenance today on my Costco 6v. SG was 1.275 to 1.28 on all cells with a +3 for temperature (1.283). I have a quality float type hygrometer that is probably 30 or more years old and generally corresponds to a cheap one I also own.

One battery needed about 1/8" of water and the other was OK.

I installed these battery on my previous trailer. I noticed the manufacture date sticker on the battery and it read 8/08. That makes these almost 8 years old.

On my previous 95 Terry, they were charged by a standalone no name charger with only a single voltage unless you flipped a manual switch to boost to 14.4. I did that occasionally before a trip.

Next, they moved to a '11 Wildwood in May. Yes I had the Terry for 15 years and then sold it to a friend who still has it.

For the first year, the batteries "survived" on a WFCO. In May of 12 I bought a PD60 from Best. They have mostly been maintained by the PD since then. I kept the WFCO installed as a backup if needed and sometimes I forget to plug in the PD after a trip. It's wired separate from the trailer circuits.

I amazed at the longevity of these batteries and expect that they may go another year or 2.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

China is a vast ant hill consuming metals in the billions of tons. Copper, lead, silver and gold get swallowed up by the soy sauce dragon. Billions of tons of poor quality coal are conspiring with manufacturing waste to turn southeastern China into a toxic waste pit that makes the exclusion zones around Fukishima and Chernobyl look like pristine wilderness. The price of -speculated- raw materials continues to soar.

[Kayteg1]

I had Sam's golf cart batteries still holding voltage after 12 years. The capacity visibly suffer.
Paid $46 a piece 12 years ago and got sticker shock at Costco last week.

[joshuajim]

opnspaces wrote:
A bit off topic but I noticed your rope for lifting the batteries. I did that too on my first set and it always hurt my hands. Now I use one of these handles. Link

I like that. I've worried if the rope would deteriorate from the acid fumes and break just as I get it about 3' off the ground!

[opnspaces]

A bit off topic but I noticed your rope for lifting the batteries. I did that too on my first set and it always hurt my hands. Now I use one of these handles. Link

[MEXICOWANDERER]

There are several online pieces about synoptic syntax suicides. I find my left hand/fingers err quite frequently. Thank you all for your patience. A hygrometer may come in handy for those who abuse flooded batteries and encourage dust storms down in the cells. 🙂

[time2roll]

fla-gypsy wrote:
Can't see the brand name. Which 6v are they?

Back then I believe they were US Battery with 208 amp/hrs. But there was some debate back then if 208, 220 or 232.
Mine are fine and two years older. Hardly get discharged anymore with solar. Should go a long time yet.

[joshuajim]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Sounds like you've taken care of them to get those years. Most batteries die of abuse and neglect.

Unless you are checking humidity, you are using a hydrometer.

Doncha just love spell check?

[beemerphile1]

Sounds like you've taken care of them to get those years. Most batteries die of abuse and neglect.

Unless you are checking humidity, you are using a hydrometer.

[fla-gypsy]

Can't see the brand name. Which 6v are they?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

A gut feeling tells me warehouse batteries are no longer made in the USA. LTH battery of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, recently boasted their production of "carro para golf" batteries has soared 1200% in the last 5-years. Mexico is a veritable horn-of-plenty for virgin lead. USA Recycled lead is loaded aboard ships and sailing across the Pacific. China is manufacturing flooded lead acid batteries by the hundreds of millions for the Asian and African market.

Makes a person wonder. But no matter, warehouse big-box batteries seemingly have improved from days of yore. Mexico is keeping the price of virgin lead fairly lucrative - well below the price the EPA would extract for mining, processing and shipping USA lead across country. DEKA is the only OEM that has a lead smelter and processing plant. I would love to play fly-on-the-wall merely to learn how much recycled lead they process. It is far more expensive to process junk lead than it is virgin lead (which as noted is really only available from Mexico in fully processed ingots). AGM batteries demand absolutely pure lead to start off with, then proprietary additives come in, especially for the grid base. Fascinating area (for me anyway). Forged? not Cast? Grids?

[westend]

It's all about having enough capacity along with the care and proper feeding.

FWIW, my truck battery went 10 yrs., one month. It did not live a pampered life. I've seen these cart batteries still having last breathes of output into years 15-20.