Is one deep cycle battery much like another? I am looking to buy one (100AH) and welcome any suggestions about brand. Anyone know about Ironhorse batteries? I will only use it a few times in summer this year, then put it away for a year before our first three month trip in 2014. Will it deteriorate much in that time?
" Will it deteriorate much in that time?" Yes for sure you need to keep it on auto charge and suggest you connect it up to something and cycle it from time to time batteries are a black art and need to be used....as far as brands go I have the same problem,, suggest you have a look at the exploroz site to gain some info re batts....i personally dont think that price is always a good guide except at the top of the range such as optima which are very expensive as i say they are a black art and i will probably go medium range pricewise,,have no heard about "ironhorse' send some detail i would like to have a look
Deep cycle batteries need to be given a 24 hour charge every couple of months and if you remove it from your van do not sit it on a concrete floor as this will damage it, as for brands the Bush Tracker Caravan club recommends the Full River brand of battery which are made in the USA. I purchased one on ebay and paid $205.00 6 months ago..
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IMHO, most deep cycle batteries are designed to be 'regularly' discharged to an average of around 50-60% stated capacity... and then recharged to '100%' as soon as possible afterwards.
If that is possible for you, that will give a quality lead-acid, deep cycle battery its (theoretical) longest useful life for many years.
Brands/labels are quite generically-based. So...please consider a little investigation for scientific test results (eg choice.com.au) prior to purchase.
-- Edited by EllenajoeL on Friday 2nd of November 2012 10:09:35 PM
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Deep cycle batteries need to be given a 24 hour charge every couple of months and if you remove it from your van do not sit it on a concrete floor as this will damage it, as for brands the Bush Tracker Caravan club recommends the Full River brand of battery which are made in the USA. I purchased one on ebay and paid $205.00 6 months ago..
I asked two friends (both retired technicians) about whether sitting a battery on a concrete floor will damage the battery. Both of them said that it will make no difference what it is sitting on. They both said that to keep the battery in good condition you should regularly charge it up.
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If there is such a thing as a tourist season.... why cant we shoot them?
