How do they compare cost wise?

Later,

Tom

Probably among the most cost effective batteries you can buy. My batteries came
with a ten-year warranty, and the first seven are not pro-rated. If a cell
takes a dive at six years, eleven months, they will replace it straight across.

I get a lot of stuff at wholesale, sometimes even well below, through my
business connections. I think I remember paying $600-700 for a pair of 8D's
with two very nice new battery boxes. And that was 2 or three years ago, I
think. You would probably need to shop pretty hard to get the same deal if
you're buying retail- but it may be out there. This is a couple of times the
price of a pair of
"ordinary" batteries, but I can expect 2 and
a half to three times the useful life. Remember that when you replace the
cheapie battery you buy today, you will be paying the inflated price for the
second, and maybe even the third battery needed to provide the same service as
a top quality product. You also get the fun of wrestling with those heavy
batteries, or paying somebody else to wrestle them, more often when you go with
the BIC Disposable approach.

There are times when the cheapie battery is appropriate. Need to replace a
battery in a boat you're trying to sell? Few buyers would be willing to pay the
additional difference represented between a new WalMart special and a new
Rolls, for example.

Never mind - I just looked them up.

You can buy a lot of batteries every couple of years for that kind of
money.

Sheesh.

Every time you buy a new round of disposables they cost more than the last.

Plus there's the time/labor/inconvenience for installation.

Plus there is increased risk of battery failure prior to replacement when a
battery is of lesser quality.

It's always a good idea to buy the best battery you can afford, unless you're
planning to sell the boat right away. Even then, you don't want to go too
cheapie-cheapie. There have been plenty of boat sales shot down in flames
because the *&*#! thing wouldn't start for a prospective buyer.

On 06 Oct 2004 23:40:53 GMT, (Gould 0738) wrote:

How do they compare cost wise?

Later,

Tom

Probably among the most cost effective batteries you can buy. My batteries came
with a ten-year warranty, and the first seven are not pro-rated. If a cell
takes a dive at six years, eleven months, they will replace it straight across.

I get a lot of stuff at wholesale, sometimes even well below, through my
business connections. I think I remember paying $600-700 for a pair of 8D's
with two very nice new battery boxes. And that was 2 or three years ago, I
think. You would probably need to shop pretty hard to get the same deal if
you're buying retail- but it may be out there. This is a couple of times the
price of a pair of
"ordinary" batteries, but I can expect 2 and
a half to three times the useful life. Remember that when you replace the
cheapie battery you buy today, you will be paying the inflated price for the
second, and maybe even the third battery needed to provide the same service as
a top quality product. You also get the fun of wrestling with those heavy
batteries, or paying somebody else to wrestle them, more often when you go with
the BIC Disposable approach.

There are times when the cheapie battery is appropriate. Need to replace a
battery in a boat you're trying to sell? Few buyers would be willing to pay the
additional difference represented between a new WalMart special and a new
Rolls, for example.

You make some good points and they are well taken.

I'm changing engines on the Contender this winter to new ones and have
been thinking of AGM technology for batteries. According to some I've
talked to, these tend to last longer than wet or gel cell batteries,
but I have a lot of electronics on the Contender and there are times,
while drift fishing for example, that everything is on - finders,
radar, radio, etc. I have been using a small Honda 1.5 Kw generator
for that, but would like to use batteries instead. I have some spare
space where I could mount three deep cycle batteries in parallel which
would be more than adequate and if it's a long drift, the Honda comes
into play.

It's something to think about - price be damned. ;)

Thanks for your advice.

Later,

Tom

On 06 Oct 2004 23:45:49 GMT, (Gould 0738) wrote:

Never mind - I just looked them up.

You can buy a lot of batteries every couple of years for that kind of
money.

Sheesh.

Every time you buy a new round of disposables they cost more than the last.

Plus there's the time/labor/inconvenience for installation.

Plus there is increased risk of battery failure prior to replacement when a
battery is of lesser quality.

It's always a good idea to buy the best battery you can afford, unless you're
planning to sell the boat right away. Even then, you don't want to go too
cheapie-cheapie. There have been plenty of boat sales shot down in flames
because the *&*#! thing wouldn't start for a prospective buyer.

LOL!!!

Oh man, I could tell you stories.... :)

Take care.

Tom

"The beatings will stop when morale improves."
E. Teach, 1717

Many thanks to you both, especially Mike G. for your
lengthy reply.
The boat has a voltmeter, not an ammeter. In the old days,
ammeters seemed more common and gave, in my opinion, a
much better idea of the charging process. The voltage reads
about 14V while the engine is running, which seems reasonable.
What I do not know is whether the connections to the battery
from the alternator were sound as corrosion readiliy develops
during the season.
I will keep the regulator in mind, particlularly since you say a
faulty regulator can result in premature water loss due to
overcharging. So we could have overcharging dry cells
weak battery, or undercharging weak battery.
As for the current condition of the battery, I agitated the water/
acid in the "bad" cell and the hydrometer read the same. I did this
several times.
I will try having the battery checked at a different place. But
exactly how can a hydrometer lie???? The device is so simple
I would think it would be infallible.
Frank






On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 16:53:27 GMT, frank1492
wrote:

Earlier I had reported that I was in the process of recharging a
battery that had been weak and I thought might have lost its water
prematurely. After a trickle charge of 24 hours, a hydrometer test
still seemed to reveal one weak cell (the five balls would rise to the
top, then drop back down. On other cells, only one ball would drop.)
The bad cell was not one of the originally dry ones. Very little
"gurgling" action was shown in the cell while charging.
I had the battery tested at the local Autozone. He put it
through a load test and proclaimed it to be in excellent condition.
(The voltage was over 12 volts.) He said the bad hydrometer reading
was probably due to imcompletely mixed acid and water.
The battery has not been put back into service, but before I
did, I thought I would ask the experts! Did the hydrometer test lie,
or is the cell really NG, in which case the AZ guy was wrong and
I'll have a future problem again. (Really can't imagine the cell would
be bad if the battery put out more than 12 volts under load.)
Once again, thanks so much for your help!
Frank

The battery was tested by the manager, and he said it was putting out
13V to be exact.







On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 16:53:27 GMT, frank1492
wrote:

Earlier I had reported that I was in the process of recharging a
battery that had been weak and I thought might have lost its water
prematurely. After a trickle charge of 24 hours, a hydrometer test
still seemed to reveal one weak cell (the five balls would rise to the
top, then drop back down. On other cells, only one ball would drop.)
The bad cell was not one of the originally dry ones. Very little
"gurgling" action was shown in the cell while charging.
I had the battery tested at the local Autozone. He put it
through a load test and proclaimed it to be in excellent condition.
(The voltage was over 12 volts.) He said the bad hydrometer reading
was probably due to imcompletely mixed acid and water.
The battery has not been put back into service, but before I
did, I thought I would ask the experts! Did the hydrometer test lie,
or is the cell really NG, in which case the AZ guy was wrong and
I'll have a future problem again. (Really can't imagine the cell would
be bad if the battery put out more than 12 volts under load.)
Once again, thanks so much for your help!
Frank

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
Really....well, who makes such a beastie (Tom asked because he is
always looking for new and interesting technology that he's never
heard of before)?

I see those a lot on very large batteries, often found on very large solar
panel arrays. They are really, really big, and really expensive. I can't
imagin replacing one at a time, however.

Rod

In article , frank1492
@worldnet.att.net says...
I will try having the battery checked at a different place. But
exactly how can a hydrometer lie???? The device is so simple
I would think it would be infallible.
Frank



That's pretty much the reason why I am inclined to go with the
hydrometer test.

Good luck with it. On the up side, if you are living in a winter bearing
climate as I am, pretty soon you won't have to worry about it for
another bunch of months.


--
MikeG
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net

In article ,
says...
There isn't any reason for one cell to be low on electrolyte and the
others ok - it just doesn't settle that way.



I concur but, and I may be disremebering it, one cell failed the
hydrometer test but the low electrolyte was pretty much across the
board.

But the memory isn't always as reliable as it used to be.

Take care


--
MikeG
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net

In article ,
says...
There isn't any reason for one cell to be low on electrolyte and the
others ok - it just doesn't settle that way.



I concur but, and I may be disremebering it, one cell failed the
hydrometer test but the low electrolyte was pretty much across the
board.

But the memory isn't always as reliable as it used to be.

Take care


--
MikeG
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net