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battery purchase recommendation wanted
* Gogarty wrote, On 6/2/2007 7:48 AM:
In article xGW7i.8$Uy4.3@trndny09, says... I need to purchase two new batteries. Part # DC 24 That is Deep Cycle .. and 24 refers to size. I know, West Marine sells batteries. I just figured maybe someplace else has a better product. How about Sears? Or XXXX? Any recommendations? Size 24 seems small. Our boat originally had 27s. We upgraded to two 4D for house batteries and a 27 for a starting battery. At the time, we bought Rolls. They lasted about one day longer than the warranties, i.e., four years. The case on one of the 4Ds even broke. Damn good thing it was in a battery box. I reported it to Rolls but they didn't seem very curious about it. Wow! If you could crack the case of a Rolls after 4 years, you really did something nasty to them! The only way that I know is to leave them flat over a cold winter (that's what I've done), though I suppose severe overcharging could also do it. And of course, if one was dropped, it could have a hidden flaw that would show up later. We now have Exides all around and I'll bet they will last just as long as the Rolls at one third the price. My advice: buy deep cycle wet cell maintenance free at as good a price as you can find. The question you have to ask though, is if you could crack a case on a Rolls, what are the chances that a "maintenance free" (that is, impossible to maintain) battery surviving the same abuse? This is why I chose Trojans, which I was able to get for 20% over the Exides. They should withstand "normal abuse" and while not the same as Rolls or Surrette, they are stronger than normal batteries. In any case, I don't think I would get a "maintenance free" unless I was just daysailing and weekending - the odds of an abrupt failure seems rather high. If the regulator wire fell off a fair amount of water could be boiled off in short order. In a normal battery you can simply add the water back. In a "maintenance free" this is a permanent loss, perhaps a killer. My maintenance free starter batteries lasted about 3 years - I replaced them with AGM's. I had a friend who was the epitome of the "absent minded professor" - he would leave his door wide open when he went on vacation, and if there was anything he could leave running, he would - he always bought the cheapest battery because he knew that whatever he got, it wouldn't last the season. At the end of the season, he would be starting the engine in the slip, and then leaving it running all day, because it was doubtful it would start off the battery. For him, the cheapest probably is the best. |
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