I have 3 year old non-deep cycle 24's four of them and they seems to be ok but don't have a lot of staying power.

I bought them at Auto Zone almost 3 years ago and had them checked out a month ago with their tester and all were ok. I just did that again yesterday and again they check out ok.

They seem to be low in the morning, with no furnace or other major things running overnight. I charge them before I go to sleep. Normally I could use the inverter to turn up the heat and make a pot of coffee, but now the voltage drops to 11.9 or 12.0 and if it goes lower the gen set will not crank over.

They were better before but Auto zone will not replace them under warranty unless they test bad.

Any comments. I will limp along for the next few weeks and then I park it for 8 months anyway, so I don't want to BUY new batteries and then let them sit, I would do that next year.

However my warranty is expired before I would get back next year.

Tom

Your warranty should be VOID if your using the batteries as coach batteries. This is the wrong type of battery for this purpose as I am sure most of you know. This type of starting battery will warp the plates when constantly drained. They are not made for this purpose.

I would park it and next year purchase the proper type of deep cycle battery.Consider yourself very lucky to have gotten 3 years of that type of service from a starting battery.

Costco has a good deep cycle battery selection and golf cart batteries too for a decent price and reasonable quality. I use 2 Group 27 and a solar panel and never run short of power even at Q in January.

Cheers

I'd replace the four with golf cart batteries wired in series-parallel.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
I'd replace the four with golf cart batteries wired in series-parallel.

That's what we use. My last pair golf cart Trojans were still pretty decent at over 9 years. I fully expected them to go 11 or 12. I replaced them only because I wanted a matched set of four.

I only use 12v batteries, I have no isolator nor do I use a solenoid to parallel my batteries.

There are 2 4D Interstate batteries hooked in parallel on the center and right for the house. I have a group 31, on the left, for the starting circuit.

If you use 6v batteries, like Bill H and Rusty has, you'll need to wire them up like this.



Here, at this link is a description on the different setups with Series/Parallel circuits.

I have no preference as 12v or 6v are both equally good.

If you do go the 6v route. I've heard great things about the Trojan 6v battery.

ON our coach and new inverter we have a bulk floating charge of 14.5 volts after a while it drops to 13.8 volts.I charge all 4 12 volt batteries at the same time IS this ok?
lenny

I have done that for years. The downside to treating the batteries as one is that when one goes I feel all should be replaced to keep the uniformity.

Thanks for the info.

I was surprised that Auto Zone are ok with my use of the batteries, both places would replace the batteries free of charge if they were found to be bad. The second place said they would actually replace them with deep cycle batteries for any difference in price.

I have space issues, some deep cycle are too high and others are too long. The trays are for 24 size and are wired for 12 volt, which all looks original.

I will get new ones next season and start out fresh. I saw deep cycle in K-mart (yep) for $50 each, or the high end interstate for $140, so is if better to get cheap ones and replace more often due to seasonal use, or go expensive and expect they last longer. Same reserve capacity for the cheap or expensive.

My question was how do these guys tell if a battery is bad using their little toaster gadget. I know that these batteries do not have the same reserve capacity as when new, but they test out OK when Auto Zone tests them for starting.

I would like to use a fuel cell........ wonder if I will live long enough.

Tom

Shortly after High School I worked for a guy that would charge the battery in his car every 2 weeks. He used only distilled water to fill the battery and said he always got 7 to 8 years out of a battery. This was in Michigan and it was brutal on batteries up there. It was also duing a time when most of the cars on the road still had generators.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom Loughney:
The second place said they would actually replace them with deep cycle batteries for any difference in price.

That sounds pretty good.

quote:

I have space issues, some deep cycle are too high and others are too long. The trays are for 24 size and are wired for 12 volt, which all looks original.

Golf cart batteries are taller. However, they are available from Trojan in several terminal styles, some lower than others. The regular post with the threaded stud on top can be used with automotive clamps with the cables attached to the pinch bolt. The stud can be cut off for more clearance. I had to do a little cutting to provide clearance at the top of the compartment opening.

If you decide to do the 12 volt thing, be sure to get honest-to-God deep cycle batteries, not some combination or dual purpose thing. A general rule is that if they state cranking amps, it is not true deep cycle. General rules have exceptions, though. If I were doing the 12 volt thing, I would use trolling motor batteries and ask my fisherman friends for advice on which brand.

quote:

I will get new ones next season and start out fresh. I saw deep cycle in K-mart (yep) for $50 each, or the high end interstate for $140, so is if better to get cheap ones and replace more often due to seasonal use, or go expensive and expect they last longer. Same reserve capacity for the cheap or expensive.

That is a tough question. I bought Trojan again, but really looked at Costco GC batts. They are cheaper, and are reported to last not as long, but the numbers seem to balance out. My decision was made for me by the gift of a pair of Trojans, causing me to buy two more to make a set of four.

quote:

My question was how do these guys tell if a battery is bad using their little toaster gadget.

The toaster is probably a load tester. This is a good tester for cranking batteries, but deep cycle batts should be tested over a longer term lower amperage discharge cycle. I use a conductance tester, as do several automotive chain stores. A simple home test is to charge it fully and take a hydrometer reading.

quote:

I know that these batteries do not have the same reserve capacity as when new, but they test out OK when Auto Zone tests them for starting.

The real test is how they work for you with your discharge style and charging style. My general rule is the batteries have to last overnight. The next day the solar or generator can charge up again.

quote:

I would like to use a fuel cell........ wonder if I will live long enough.

Tom

I used one last year in winter. It was louder than a fridge but not quite as loud as a water heater. It was a good concept, but needed some work on the charging algorithm. It needed a proprietary mixture of alcohol and distilled water, as the membrane was very sensitive to impurities. The company is now working on a propane-fueled version, but, again, impurities are an issue.

Tom - check out http://www.pulsetech.net/

They have a XC100-P 12V 5-Stage Charging Unit that can bring back sulfated batteries to life again.

I purchased on 4 years ago and it rejuvenates dead batteries.

rb

quote:

Originally posted by DougZ:
Shortly after High School I worked for a guy that would charge the battery in his car every 2 weeks. He used only distilled water to fill the battery and said he always got 7 to 8 years out of a battery. This was in Michigan and it was brutal on batteries up there. It was also during a time when most of the cars on the road still had generators.

A lot of that depended on the sophistication of the regulator and how it was set. My dad adjusted his for summer and winter. (Longer and shorter days)

The practice of charging every two weeks is still good today for deep-cycle batteries. This, again, depends on charge settings, but an old-fashioned non-automatic charger can bring a battery up better than many RV or automotive chargers. A hydrometer will tell the tale.

Contemporary RV converters have sophisticated circuitry that not only taper- and trickle-charge, but also have desulfating cycles.

quote:

Contemporary RV converters have sophisticated circuitry that not only taper- and trickle-charge, but also have desulfating cycles.

Contemporary is a loosely used adjective. Does 1981 qualify? If not, what can I do without spending a ton of money?

Somewhere around early '90s converters seem to have evolved from dual-output to single output.

The first generation of Progressive Dynamics' converters featured a desulfating cycle.

Expect to pay ~$150, plus having to do a bit of rewiring.