Deep Cycle Battery

[Tobler Creek]

What is the useful life span of a 12 volt deep cycle battery and how should one be maintained? I bought a new on this morning as the old one lasted two years. Thank You, Jim

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by Tobler Creek

What is the useful life span of a 12 volt deep cycle battery and how should one be maintained? I bought a new on this morning as the old one lasted two years. Thank You, Jim

Not all deep cycle batteries are created equal. Many of the deep cycle batteries in the big box stores are "marine type" deep cycle. They are kind of a cross between a starting battery and a deep cycle.

I am seeing more and more of the big box batteries labelled as "deep cycle", but when you read the data plate and see CCA listed on them is a good bet it's not a true deep cycle. In my area it's becoming harder to find a true 12V deep, so I went to the 6V golf cart batteries awhile back.

[Tobler Creek]

Thank's for the answer Jim. I bought it at Walley World so I guess it is not a true deep cycle. It is an Everstart, 750MCA (?) made by Johnson Control and Batt. It says for marine and RV use and is maintenance free. We use our TT once or twice a year, sometime's two months at the time. The rest of the time I store it on our property. I want it to last as long as possible. Do I need to buy a trickle charger or charge when needed? Regards, Jim

[hddecker]

Sorry, Jim

I missed answering that part of your question. If I'm not plugged in, I use a small portable solar panel, to ke the battery topped up. A good trickle charger is a good option. Depending on how much time between uses you may want to add a battery disconnect switch to shut off the parasitic drain, then wire your trickle charger directly to the battery with a 2 wire connector.

To use whatever device you prefer just plug in to the connector and let the charger do it's thing. For my setup, I put self adhesive Velcro on the charge controller then stuck it to the battery box. I stand the portable solar panel up, stick the charge controller to the battery box and plug it in.

As far as life expectancy of a battery, it will come down how far you discharge it before it's back on the charger. The deeper the discharge before getting it back on the charger, the harder it is on the battery and the shorter the life.

My own preference is for batteries that want me to maintain them. You can tell what is happening inside and to the battery by how much water each cell it using and the overall health by monitoring the specific gravity.

[DesertRat]

Originally Posted by Tobler Creek

Thank's for the answer Jim. I bought it at Walley World so I guess it is not a true deep cycle. It is an Everstart, 750MCA (?) made by Johnson Control and Batt. It says for marine and RV use and is maintenance free. We use our TT once or twice a year, sometime's two months at the time. The rest of the time I store it on our property. I want it to last as long as possible. Do I need to buy a trickle charger or charge when needed? Regards, Jim

Jim
My son and I both have RV's on my property. Mine stays plugged in but he uses a small solar charger that keeps his batteries charged.
It's like this one Robot Check

[HudsonFrog]

Originally Posted by Tobler Creek

What is the useful life span of a 12 volt deep cycle battery and how should one be maintained? I bought a new on this morning as the old one lasted two years. Thank You, Jim

The typical lifespan of an RV battery is 4-8 years depending on the usage and quality. I would say the average life should be in the 5-6 years if well maintained.

The lifespan of a deep cycle battery will vary significantly with how it is used, how it is maintained and charged etc...

Top cause for battery damage is overcharging and undercharging.

Overcharging cause battery to dry and damage the internal plates by destroying their surface. Make sure there is always enough acid in the battery by monitoring the level and ensuring the plates are always covered. If you need to add water, always add distilled water (only). Poor quality chargers will cause this. It is better to plug your RV for a day or two every month then leaving it plugged all the time if your charger is not good.

Undercharging will cause sulfatation and also allow battery to freeze in cold conditions. This is simply when you leave the batteries unplugged for too long.

Even though they are deep cycles you should avoid completely discharging the batteries. They deeper you discharge them, the less they will last.

The battery should be kept charged without being plugged in all the time unless you have a good quality charger that prevent overcharging.

[RickNTee]

I got rid of the 12v batteries and got 2 6-volt Trojan batteries. Best decision I ever made. Keep them in the garage on a tender all winter and put back on the trailer in the spring.

4-day camping trip recently and my batteries were still at 2/3 power when we were packing up.

I did a lot of research before purchasing these batteries and am very happy witht he choice/result.

[Tobler Creek]

I put a Battery Tender jr. on the new battery and also a disconnect on the neg. post and I think I have it pretty well covered now. Thank all for your input!!, Jim

[hddecker]

That works. I use one on my bike battery when it's hibernating for the winter.

[nickthehunter]

The biggest killer of RV batteries is letting them fully discharge too many times. The more times it is fully discharged the shorter the life span.