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Jonathan Ganz

In article .com,
wrote:
If the solar charger is causing problems, it will affect "maintenance
free" even more as they cannot tolerate high charging voltages.
I would use wet lead acid - cheaper to replace than others and get a
solar regulator so that long term float voltage is not too high - no
more than 13.8v for wet acid cool temp. Reduce if ambient temps are
high - above 70F. Batteries do not like heat. It is not the current
from the solar charging that is the problem, it is the voltage.
Gassing starts at 14.4v.

Adding to all this that there's really no excuse to fail to check the batts... gotta do it otherwise all the fancy hardware to prevent overcharge, desulify, etc., won't matter. Batteries that can be checked should be checked on a regular basis. I believe you can get an auto-fill kit - no idea how well they work.