Deep Cycle Battery?

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bajaphile said:
Either way, I am not wasting my $$ on an AGM again. I spent $250 on a AGM DieHard and it is already crapping out. Charges to 12.5V. I always have been one to buy just standard flooded Interstate batteries and they've lasted for several years. The Die Hard AGM is only 1.5 years old.
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I spoke to a friend, car guy and battery expert (in the context of data center UPS) before embarking on the Pan Am. He was in favor of standard lead acid for the car application, particularly for hot climates. I would say based on my experience he was right.
 
greentruck said:
Just to clarify, was this a standard marine deep cycle or a marine cranking/deep cycle?

Yeah, if the standard marine deep cycle, repeated cranking isn't good in the long run.

I've actually had real good service life from the Interstate marine cranking/deep cycle. It's 5+ years old and sitting at 12.76v right now. The primary is at 12.42v. That's where we have trouble, because unless we're away for a trip, the truck is driven only 3 or 4 days a week and all short in-town trips, plus the truck has several small parasitic loads from onboard equipment. Not been getting 4 years out of the primary, but its the tough operating profile that's the issue for it.

Haven't had AUX out overnight lately, so would want to test that given its age before relying on it for a long trip, but no issues with it not providing the expected service when needed.
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Your primary battery issues plague us all. For vehicles that aren't driven daily it is best to either connect a trickle charger or a small solar panel and charge controller. Either way it is a small cost to increase the life of your primary battery.
 
MODist said:
Your primary battery issues plague us all. For vehicles that aren't driven daily it is best to either connect a trickle charger or a small solar panel and charge controller. Either way it is a small cost to increase the life of your primary battery.
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Yeah, those are the solutions. My issue is getting into the truck in a dark garage, opening the door and then driving off pulling things loose from the wall...:bag:

Solar doesn't work because it's dark in there.:peeking:

In the end, probably safer to buy a new battery as needed -- for me.:doh:

I could leave the hood up, but it needs new struts or a 2x4.:crybaby: Fortunately, I just reached the time of the year when the truck is the subject of attention before the winter sets in. New hood struts are on the list. Maybe I'll get a trickle charger for Xmas, I don't trust my 15 year old one any more and sure don't want to burn the house or truck down...:muted:
 
greentruck said:
Yeah, those are the solutions. My issue is getting into the truck in a dark garage, opening the door and then driving off pulling things loose from the wall...:bag:

Solar doesn't work because it's dark in there.:peeking:

In the end, probably safer to buy a new battery as needed -- for me.:doh:

I could leave the hood up, but it needs new struts or a 2x4.:crybaby: Fortunately, I just reached the time of the year when the truck is the subject of attention before the winter sets in. New hood struts are on the list. Maybe I'll get a trickle charger for Xmas, I don't trust my 15 year old one any more and sure don't want to burn the house or truck down...:muted:
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I wired a short pigtail to the battery with power pole ends. When it is time to drive I just unplug it and go. The connector sits right between the hood and grill. Another possibility is to wire up a trailer plug and connect it to the back towing socket.
 
I've always thought about a magnetic connector for a battery charger. Snap the lead from the charger to a matching one on the grill, and when you drive away it will automatically disconnect when you back out.

These are rated for 8A, but are discontinued: Magnetic Electrical Connector Set by Magic Smoke
 
greentruck said:
Just to clarify, was this a standard marine deep cycle or a marine cranking/deep cycle?

Yeah, if the standard marine deep cycle, repeated cranking isn't good in the long run.

I've actually had real good service life from the Interstate marine cranking/deep cycle. It's 5+ years old and sitting at 12.76v right now. The primary is at 12.42v. That's where we have trouble, because unless we're away for a trip, the truck is driven only 3 or 4 days a week and all short in-town trips, plus the truck has several small parasitic loads from onboard equipment. Not been getting 4 years out of the primary, but its the tough operating profile that's the issue for it.

Haven't had AUX out overnight lately, so would want to test that given its age before relying on it for a long trip, but no issues with it not providing the expected service when needed.
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This was a standard marine deep cycle. I was trying to find a reasonably cheap alternative and cost myself instead of saving.
 
Running MAIN regular battery and AUX deep cycle with master switch.
 
I just put in the O'Riley brand AGM in my truck. More CCA and reserve than the battery it replaced in a smaller and lighter size. My 80 sees daily use so I'll see how long it lasts. The engine cranks considerably faster with the new battery. I was going to do the deep cycle X2 battery from Batteries + but it was almost $75 more than the O'riley battery.
 
Soon to install in the 100.

J

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Odyssey batteries are indeed hardcore. Still, I'm worried by what I read that said automotive alternators don't charge them correctly which shortens their life. Maybe that's just a ploy to get you to buy one of their chargers, though.

Has anyone tried a pair of 6V golf cart batteries? I was even thinking about having a smaller starting battery dedicated to nothing but the starter. Something like a smaller odyssey, isolated from the rest of the 12V system. Then you could forget about any need of CCA on the "house" batteries.
 
mct75 said:
Odyssey batteries are indeed hardcore. Still, I'm worried by what I read that said automotive alternators don't charge them correctly which shortens their life. Maybe that's just a ploy to get you to buy one of their chargers, though.

Has anyone tried a pair of 6V golf cart batteries? I was even thinking about having a smaller starting battery dedicated to nothing but the starter. Something like a smaller odyssey, isolated from the rest of the 12V system. Then you could forget about any need of CCA on the "house" batteries.
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AGM's do have several advantages but they do not handle overcharging well. With good charge controller they will last a long time. However vehicles charging systems are nothing more than a poorly regulated power supply. In a daily driver you would not see as many issues as a part time vehicle.
 
biggest concern is keeping them charged. agm or flooded. use a trickle or solar if not being driven often . this will ensure the life of your battery. as for agm or flooded. flooded gets the vote for most applications that don't have high vibration.. RVS for one. crown makes some grear 6v that I considered for my lx450 Chinook but after talking with many folks the performance gains vs. the additional upkeep of the flooded didn't warrant me moving away frim agm. flooded batteries need maintenance and given how much mine sits it didn't make sense for my application. I run a Morningstar dual battery charger. been working flawlessly for the last year. batteries topped up when I finally drive it. freezer went for 2 weeks and no issues.
 
SWCruiser said:
biggest concern is keeping them charged. agm or flooded. use a trickle or solar if not being driven often . this will ensure the life of your battery. as for agm or flooded. flooded gets the vote for most applications that don't have high vibration.. RVS for one. crown makes some grear 6v that I considered for my lx450 Chinook but after talking with many folks the performance gains vs. the additional upkeep of the flooded didn't warrant me moving away frim agm. flooded batteries need maintenance and given how much mine sits it didn't make sense for my application. I run a Morningstar dual battery charger. been working flawlessly for the last year. batteries topped up when I finally drive it. freezer went for 2 weeks and no issues.
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Bingo! The two biggest concerns are not keeping it charged and overcharge. Flooded handle overcharging with ease, just top off and go. Overcharging will kill AGM's fast. Even with a good charge controller keeping your vehicle charged you run the risk of overcharging it from the alternator once you start driving it. The maintenance of adding water to a flooded battery is simple and the frequency is usually overstated. I run two 6v flooded golf cart batteries in my trailer. Over the past 3 years I haven't had to add much water to keep it topped off. Another issue that isn't talked about but happens more with AGM is cell imbalance. With AGM it is a narrow line between fully charging all cells and over charging. Of the AGM batteries I have seen fail a large portion are due to a single bad cell. Many think it is a manufacturing defect or just a bad battery. In reality the cell failed because it was the weak cell and not fully charged leading to failure.
 
All this talk about overcharging. How does one do that? just by driving it daily? Are we talking about too much charging at normal voltage or the off chance that the voltage regulator is damaged and is sending more amps to the battery than it should?
 
Both AGM and flooded can be charged safely using 14.4v or slightly higher. There needs to be a difference in voltage between the supply and the battery for it to charge. Once the battery is fully charged it should be held at a float voltage to keep it from self discharging. If it is kept too high the battery will gas. The higher the voltage the faster the gassing. Flooded that means it will need to be topped off with water, however it would take a lot of gassing before you notice a level change. AGM are sealed and can handle some gassing as it will recombine in the battery. If the pressure gets too high in the battery it will vent and that water is lost with no way to be replaced. AGM float is ~13.6v. My alternator output hangs around 13.8v to 14v with light loads. That would not hurt a charging AGM but it would be bad for a fully charged AGM.
 
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