Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingingfork
Thanks everyone for the great comments concerning my replacement battery on the trailer. I was looking at Walmart this evening and they had a deep cycle with 92 Amp Hour rating for under one hundred dollars and with a 24 month free replacement warranty.
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I agree with all who replied. Putting a car battery on a camper is just plain silly for lack of a better word. Those that don't know, the phone company's central office systems primarily runs on batteries... actually cells, because they are about 2.17 volts (DC) each depending on type, which are arranged in strings, then continually charged. They are deep cycle but they don't drop very far before a huge generator kicks in... or hopefully it does. An office like this is in trouble with out commercial power or generator in as little as a few hours. The 3 chargers were 800 AMPS each. These cells are huge, expensive and with proper care, will last a very long time. I have seen some older than 30 years. The cells are kept at the same temperature and cells monitored for consistency of specific gravity, temperature and voltage not to mentioned kept clean.
The one or two batteries we hang on the front of a camper can't and won't get this kind of care; some folks don't care for them at all. But, we can do a few things that will save money by making them last longer. I have found most factory inverter / chargers are not the way to go... but by isolating batteries from each other (when stored) and having a battery charger (such as Battery Tender) one for EACH battery; make sure the electrolyte is kept full; try keeping them from extreme temperatures (when possible), the resulting long life will surprise you. Take a look at this very informative article:
Solar Battery Blunder Prevention @ Survival Unlimited.com