Jim wrote:
A day of learning:

Two 6 volt, 220 amp batteries joined to make one 12 volt battery has 220
amps. Even though the guy at the battery store told me otherwise.

My old 8Ds had a rating of 215 amps. 220/215, not much gain there.

The cost of the 6 volt batteries is about 1/2 the cost of an 8D. A
little more or a little less. $65 + $65 = $130. 8D, $140. Not much
gain there.

What this means is that there is little gained, initially, by going with
the golf cart batteries. Since I have to buy battery boxes, it will
cost me more.

The golf cart batteries SHOULD be good for many more deep discharges
than the 8D. The golf cart batteries are easier to move around, and
have a smaller foot print. The battery boxes have more options for
dimensions.

I'm buying the golf cart batteries from a battery store. A few dollars
higher than Costco. Five dollars each battery. I get the cables free
from the battery store, so it's actually cheaper than Costco.

I'm upgrading my charger to a Xantrex "True Charge" 40 amp, 3 stage
charger. The "Equalizer" function is important to maintain the batteries.

The old battery boiler charger is going in the trash.


Just curious. How many years did you get
from your old 8Ds and your old charger?

How many more years do you expect to get
from the golf carts and a new charger?

Chuck

chuck wrote:
Jim wrote:

A day of learning:

Two 6 volt, 220 amp batteries joined to make one 12 volt battery has
220 amps. Even though the guy at the battery store told me otherwise.

My old 8Ds had a rating of 215 amps. 220/215, not much gain there.

The cost of the 6 volt batteries is about 1/2 the cost of an 8D. A
little more or a little less. $65 + $65 = $130. 8D, $140. Not much
gain there.

What this means is that there is little gained, initially, by going
with the golf cart batteries. Since I have to buy battery boxes, it
will cost me more.

The golf cart batteries SHOULD be good for many more deep discharges
than the 8D. The golf cart batteries are easier to move around, and
have a smaller foot print. The battery boxes have more options for
dimensions.

I'm buying the golf cart batteries from a battery store. A few
dollars higher than Costco. Five dollars each battery. I get the
cables free from the battery store, so it's actually cheaper than Costco.

I'm upgrading my charger to a Xantrex "True Charge" 40 amp, 3 stage
charger. The "Equalizer" function is important to maintain the
batteries.

The old battery boiler charger is going in the trash.


Just curious. How many years did you get from your old 8Ds and your old
charger?

How many more years do you expect to get from the golf carts and a new
charger?

Chuck
Chuck;
The old batteries were purchased exactly three years ago. Hard to
believe that it has been three years . . .

One cell is bad in one battery because the electrolyte boiled off and
left the cell dry.

While the other battery checks out ok, I'm not going to take it out so I
can replace the battery behind it, then put it back.

If I had replaced my old charger with a new one three years ago I may
not have that dead cell. Of course, if I had watched the water level
closer I may not be replacing it either.

I do check the water level, but obviously not as well as I should have.

How long do I expect the new setup to last? I have heard from a
knowledgeable fellow that his have been in constant use for 7 years, and
are still going strong. And he's been all over the South Pacific in the
last 7 years.

He's the guy who's recommendations I'm going to follow.

Jim wrote:
chuck wrote:
Jim wrote:

A day of learning:

Two 6 volt, 220 amp batteries joined to make one 12 volt battery has
220 amps. Even though the guy at the battery store told me otherwise.

My old 8Ds had a rating of 215 amps. 220/215, not much gain there.

The cost of the 6 volt batteries is about 1/2 the cost of an 8D. A
little more or a little less. $65 + $65 = $130. 8D, $140. Not much
gain there.

What this means is that there is little gained, initially, by going
with the golf cart batteries. Since I have to buy battery boxes, it
will cost me more.

The golf cart batteries SHOULD be good for many more deep discharges
than the 8D. The golf cart batteries are easier to move around, and
have a smaller foot print. The battery boxes have more options for
dimensions.

I'm buying the golf cart batteries from a battery store. A few
dollars higher than Costco. Five dollars each battery. I get the
cables free from the battery store, so it's actually cheaper than
Costco.

I'm upgrading my charger to a Xantrex "True Charge" 40 amp, 3 stage
charger. The "Equalizer" function is important to maintain the
batteries.

The old battery boiler charger is going in the trash.


Just curious. How many years did you get from your old 8Ds and your
old charger?

How many more years do you expect to get from the golf carts and a new
charger?

Chuck
Chuck;
The old batteries were purchased exactly three years ago. Hard to
believe that it has been three years . . .

One cell is bad in one battery because the electrolyte boiled off and
left the cell dry.

While the other battery checks out ok, I'm not going to take it out so I
can replace the battery behind it, then put it back.

If I had replaced my old charger with a new one three years ago I may
not have that dead cell. Of course, if I had watched the water level
closer I may not be replacing it either.

I do check the water level, but obviously not as well as I should have.

How long do I expect the new setup to last? I have heard from a
knowledgeable fellow that his have been in constant use for 7 years, and
are still going strong. And he's been all over the South Pacific in the
last 7 years.

He's the guy who's recommendations I'm going to follow.



Thanks for the info, Jim.

I'd say you're getting good advice.

Good luck!

Chuck

One other thing, golf cart batteries IIRC are designed to be discharged
a bit more deeply than are regular deep cycle batteries. Running a
golf cart around a course all day is pretty taxing work for a battery.
You'll probably get far more usable power out of the golf cart
batteries than you did out of the 8D. And if you have a cell fail, as
you did in the 8D, you won't have to spend as much to replace it. I do
generally recommend that the batteries in a bank be the same age and
make, but if you kill a cell, swapping in a newer battery of the same
make is often doable.