I know the conventional wisdom (especially on this forum) is never draw a battery down that low but real life experiences of using lead acid batteries for 50+ years in many different applications say differently, especially in the last 20 years.
I'll leave it at that.
I was the Chief Engineer of a large naval diesel electric submarine (SSK). Keeping our lead acid battery banks healthy was a good way for me to avoid a court martial. They were the lifeblood of the boat and as such we took very good care of them. Although Captains always liked to keep the batteries fully charged this was rarely achievable for any length of time. On many occasions we ended up in the 10%-20% capacity range (I can even recall being below 10% a few times) before being able to recharge. Indeed, deep discharges were a required maintenance routine (sometimes using load banks ashore). As long as the deep discharge was followed by a good charge we would be ok. Gassing the battery (continuing to charge once battery was at full capacity) was also a critical maintenance routine. It helped to keep the plates in the cells clean. It is when these plates become permanently fouled that it becomes time to replace the cell.
Also, we did not normally talk about battery voltage, we used the battery specific gravity (corrected for temperature) to ascertain battery capacity/state.
The dealer installed battery was a legal safety item. To power the breakaway switch. Not provide power to the trailer! Way, not enough to run the heater overnight.
Choose carefully on batteries. Another cheap 12 volt is not the best choice.
Gassing the battery (continuing to charge once battery was at full capacity) was also a critical maintenance routine. It helped to keep the plates in the cells clean.
Congrejoloco, how often did you do this? My stand alone smart charger has this routine available, but it warns you not to use it too often. Does the gassing simply help mix up the electrolyte?
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Congrejoloco, how often did you do this? My stand alone smart charger has this routine available, but it warns you not to use it too often. Does the gassing simply help mix up the electrolyte?
If memory serves me correctly we would conduct an equalising charge at not less than 2 monthly intervals. These charges lasted for ~8 hours or so after a specific voltage had been reached(the final charging rate). We would do a deep discharge on a quarterly cycle. This would be immediately followed by an equalising charge. Hence there would be 2 equalising charges per quarter. The gassing will mix the electrolyte but that is not the purpose. Gassing is the result of the final charging rate being held after a certain voltage is exceeded. The goal was to make sure every cell in the battery compartment was fully charged. We would top up the cells (with distilled water) once the battery had cooled down.
Bottom line is don't let your battery be in a discharged state any longer than is necessary, but don't be afraid to discharge it as long as you charge immediately afterwards. And make sure you top up your battery with distilled water. Don't ever let the plates be uncovered. The subsequent oxidation will kill them.
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