New Battery recommendations, please

[mashenden]

...My favorite of the premium brands these days are US Battery. Their US 2200 is the T-105 killer and many golf car companies and courses have moved to using US Battery including Yamaha which now ships their golf cars with US Battery as opposed to Trojan.. They are considerably less money and built to as good if not better spec than Trojan. They also have very slightly more Ah's than a T105 @232 vs. 225..
.

Any changes in thoughts on favorite wet cell batteries? I will be needing to replace my Rolls CH 375s batteries in the not too distant future. Any insight on brand or suppliers would be appreciated.

The CH 375 specs are 6V, 375 ah, 11.75" l x 7.12" w x 16.75" h.

[mashenden]

I'm currently comparing the following:

• Four Duracell EGC2s, which would give me 460 ah, with 700 cycles for $475 (Sams Club). This works out to be approx $0.0015 per ah per cycle. This would require redoing my battery box to accommodate this configuration, and adds 6 more cells to maintain water levels, but is a higher capacity than the current configuration (if it were healthy), and they are locally available.
• Two CH 375 Rolls, which would give me 375 ah, with an estimated 1,100 cycles for $850 (Internet). This works out to be approx $0.0021 per ah per cycle. No battery box mod needed, but they are not available locally - seem hard to find.
• Still need to research batteries for home solar systems.
• Anything else I should be considering?

Right now I am leaning toward the Sams Club option, but need to look at how much effort the new battery box would be in the locker.

[jen1722terry]

We put in 3 Odessey AGMs last year, after the old Interstate AGMs failed to stay charged through the Canadian winter. The Odesseys charge quickly and are no maintenance, other than greasing the posts and checking connections. Plenty of juice, even for the new fridge we're installing.

We hope to get at least 10 years out of them, which should make the very high cost palatable. If you don't plan on keeping your boat, maybe the Sears AGM or sealed wet batteries are the wiser choice

And yes, you should ensure your charger is set up for AGMs, shroud you go that route.

[David Morton]

I'm surprised no one has suggested a good gel battery. I have a triplet of East Penn 90 amp-hr gels bought in 2004 and still taking a full charge, recommended by Maine Sail a while back.

[mashenden]

We put in 3 Odessey AGMs last year, after the old Interstate AGMs failed to stay charged through the Canadian winter. The Odesseys charge quickly and are no maintenance, other than greasing the posts and checking connections. Plenty of juice, even for the new fridge we're installing.

We hope to get at least 10 years out of them, which should make the very high cost palatable. If you don't plan on keeping your boat, maybe the Sears AGM or sealed wet batteries are the wiser choice

And yes, you should ensure your charger is set up for AGMs, shroud you go that route.

What size/model did you use?

My charger is capable of AGM, but unless I am mistaken all have to be the same type, which means I would also need to replace the starting battery with AGM as well - that may upset the cost/value balance.

I guess I was steering away from AGM because of that and probably largely because of a lack of knowledge. There is something to be said for no maintenance, if that is truly the case.

Does anyone know of a good article that compares AGM to Wet Cell in terms of advantages and disadvantages?

[mashenden]

I just read Maine Sail's post here - http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index. ... ce.124973/. It was very helpful. It is nice to have someone who's advise I do not have to question (although granted I did at first ) - I can take it to the bank.

I have a TrueCharger2 40 amp shore charger and the stock alternator that came on the Yanmar. Regarding the AGM's quick charge abilities, I think this means I am in good shape when on shore power, but would need to upgrade my alternator to take advantage of this when charging using the motor.

Since at this time the boat rests at the dock, I should be able to maintain 100% SOC.

Long story short, I need to consider AGMs, if not cost prohibitive (while also replacing the Starter batteries).

I welcome input on what AGMs I should consider to get a system that has 375 to 400 ah capacity.

UPDATE: Upon doing further research, I have decided to stick with Wet Cell, for the following reasons:

• The additional cost of AGM or Gel batteries, further compounded by having to also replace my starting battery so all are the same
• The likeliness that I would then want to upgrade my alternator (mo' $$)
• Most importantly, the possibility that I would do something wrong in the charging to shorten their life

[mashenden]

Updated options I am considering:

• Four Duracell EGC2s, which would give me 460 ah, with 700 cycles for $475 (Sams Club). This works out to be approx $0.0015 per ah per cycle. This would require redoing my battery box to accommodate this configuration, and adds 6 more cells to maintain water levels, but is a higher capacity than the current configuration (if it were healthy), and they are locally available.
• Two CH 375 Rolls, which would give me 375 ah, with an estimated 1,100 cycles for $850 (Internet). This works out to be approx $0.0021 per ah per cycle. No battery box mod needed, but they are not available locally - seem hard to find.
• Two US L 16 XC 6 US Battery, which would give me 380 ah, with an estimated 1,100 cycles for $616 (Infinigi). This calculates out to be approx $0.0015 per ah per cycle. No battery box reconfig needed... huummm.
• UPDATE - See below on the US L 16HC XC 6 batteries (420 ah) that I found for $270. That calculates out to a unit metric of $0.0012... I think we have a winner

I have decided to stick with Wet Cell, for the following reasons:

• The additional cost of AGM or Gel batteries, further compounded by having to also replace my starting battery so all are the same
• The likeliness that I would then want to upgrade my alternator (mo' $$)
• Most importantly, the possibility that I would do something wrong in the charging process to shorten the life of AGM or gel type

Given that the unit metric of the US Battery option is about the same as the Sams Club option ($0.0015), I am leaning in the direction of the US Battery option. Its quite a bit more up front, but I would not need to modify my battery box, not have as many cells to maintain, and not have to replace them as frequently (hopefully ).

Am I off base in my assumptions in any notable way? Is there anything else I should be considering?

[Joe Myerson]

I also followed Maine Sail's advice, getting a pair of US Battery lead-acid batteries. Until this past year, I've been maintaining the batteries myself, leaving them in the boat all winter, but charging them once a month. This year, because I forgot to tell the yard to leave the batteries in situ, they took the batteries out and stored them. I'll see if there's any difference in performance, other than the charge for battery storage.

US Battery makes a great product, IMHO.

--Joe

[mashenden]

Apparently Infinigi has a 4 battery minimum so I looked up the "local" distributor for US Battery on the web, and there is one not too far from me - Parker Batteries in Franklin VA .

And there was more good news - they are cheaper ($279) than what I was expecting, they have two in stock, and hold Saturday hours (8-1).

Unless someone tells me that the US L-16HC XC2 (420 ah @ 20 hr) is a bad choice, it looks like my decision is made.

[Maine Sail]

...My favorite of the premium brands these days are US Battery. Their US 2200 is the T-105 killer and many golf car companies and courses have moved to using US Battery including Yamaha which now ships their golf cars with US Battery as opposed to Trojan.. They are considerably less money and built to as good if not better spec than Trojan. They also have very slightly more Ah's than a T105 @232 vs. 225..
.

Any changes in thoughts on favorite wet cell batteries? I will be needing to replace my Rolls CH 375s batteries in the not too distant future. Any insight on brand or suppliers would be appreciated.

The CH 375 specs are 6V, 375 ah, 11.75" l x 7.12" w x 16.75" h.

For flooded batteries US Battery, Trojan & Crown all make good batteries as does Rolls... The Rolls CH375 is essentially an L-16 battery. Trojan, US Battery, Crown & Deka all offer L-16 case sized batteries. I use more Trojan L-16's than anything and they hold up well. I don't use a lot of Rolls batteries, unless the customer is mostly alternative energy, because they only advise charging that .1C. Other flooded brands have designs that allow charging at upwards of .2C - .3C. Most all of the L-16's are pretty durable and the RE (renewable energy) products even more so as they are designing them for demanding PSOC (partial state of charge) use like we do on boats.

[mashenden]

I also followed Maine Sail's advice, getting a pair of US Battery lead-acid batteries. Until this past year, I've been maintaining the batteries myself, leaving them in the boat all winter, but charging them once a month. This year, because I forgot to tell the yard to leave the batteries in situ, they took the batteries out and stored them. I'll see if there's any difference in performance, other than the charge for battery storage.

US Battery makes a great product, IMHO.

--Joe

For flooded batteries US Battery, Trojan & Crown all make good batteries as does Rolls... The Rolls CH375 is essentially an L-16 battery. Trojan, US Battery, Crown & Deka all offer L-16 case sized batteries. I use more Trojan L-16's than anything and they hold up well. I don't use a lot of Rolls batteries, unless the customer is mostly alternative energy, because they only advise charging that .1C. Other flooded brands have designs that allow charging at upwards of .2C - .3C. Most all of the L-16's are pretty durable and the RE (renewable energy) products even more so as they are designing them for demanding PSOC (partial state of charge) use like we do on boats.

Good to know. Thank you.

If up-front costs were my main concern, I'd give the EGC2 option from Sams Club a try (which I believe MS also favors in some situations based on other posts), but I am more interested in longevity if the unit price (that considers ah and cycles) is not notably higher.

All that considered I am going to go with two US Battery type L-16HC XC2 (420 ah @ 20 hr) at $279 each (not including tax), purchased locally (somewhat) to avoid the high freight costs due to the weight and material. Dollar for doallar, US Battery seems like the best option - please check back in 10 years for confirmation (That's how long my shriveled up Rolls lasted)

[mashenden]

...All that considered I am going to go with two US Battery type L-16HC XC2 (420 ah @ 20 hr) at $279 each (not including tax), purchased locally (somewhat) to avoid the high freight costs due to the weight and material. Dollar for doallar, US Battery seems like the best option - please check back in 10 years for confirmation (That's how long my shriveled up Rolls lasted)

A done deal. As quoted, they were $279 each... and came with 2 bags of roasted peanuts at no charge. DEAL!!

If you are in the VA area, it is worth a look - Parker Batteries in Franklin VA.

[fmueller]

Joe,

I just put a pair of Exide Nautilus deep cycle Grp 27s into my boat. $270 for the pair Boston Boat show price. J's Automotive Warehouse, Salem I see them for somewhat less online. Doh!

Basically I just got tired of thinking about the issue so much, and just replaced what was there. I had exposed the plates of the old set last summer by not paying attention, and they were loosing charge pretty quickly. Have no idea how old they were.

I have a Xanterx 1800 inverter/charger and "could" handle AGMs and even lithiums etc. but don't really trust the output of the old alternator on my ancient Yanmar, so I just went with tried and true and less expensive flooded, which tolerate wide voltage fluctuations and current levels on charge cycles. AGMs want lots of current in a controlled range - fine if I am at the slip and connected, but exactly NOT what the little device on my engine will do.

The guy at the warehouse where I picked up the Exides said care and "feeding" count for more in longevity.

[Steve Darwin]

After eight years of use, I replaced the East Penn Deka group 24 batteries (deep-cycle) with a pair of same. Less expensive from C. E. Beckman Co., New Bedford, than from WM.

[Paul D.]

I am on my second set of 6 volt Trojan T-105's. The first set lasted ten seasons and were still working fine just running down faster than normal so it was not an emergency fail in any way. Even in the cold Minnesota winters I left them onboard with the 60 w solar panel tilted north for trickle charing. I check the water levels during spring commissioning and fall winterizing.