Another Battery!

[Shenandoah MF1760]

A lot depends on the circuitry, the usage and the environment.

I have a Jayco 5th wheel that drove me crazy by destroying AGM batteries due to letting them fully discharge down to nothing.

Since I keep the trailer on property that's 100 miles from home it was difficult to spend time troubleshooting.

I finally discovered that the battery disconnect only cut out the major loads leaving parasitic loads that would eventually kill the battery over a couple of weeks or more.

In the end, I increased my battery storage capacity from 65 Ah to 200 Ah using lithium batteries connected to a separate full disconnect that still allowed 200 watts worth of solar panels to remain in circuit.

During my time replacing dead AGM batteries, I discovered that Costco had far better prices than places like AutoZone etc.

Unfortunately, lithium batteries don't take kindly to being either overcharged or rapidly discharged (i.e. starting a vehicle). the only vehicle starter batteries that are lithium tend to be for motorcycles. Even the majority of UPS systems for computers are mostly lead acid.

Too much vibration, heat, cold, moisture, dust, etc. are contributing factors to diminished battery life.

The battery is really only there to start the vehicle, once it's running it's the alternator that keeps you going. Adding a full disconnect switch isn't a bad way to help extend it's life.

 

[Grumpycat]

What is really sad is how people equate their poor experience with lead-acid starter batteries with expectations of an EV traction battery.

The two couldn't be farther apart.

"$20,000 battery every three years! You are crazy!"

After 10 years my 2013 Tesla Model S battery had fallen to 93% of it's original capacity. Meh. Nothing. Nephew was delighted to get it.

 

[lacritz]

the usual. Termanials, power to starter soloniod, problem I had with a Kioti.

 

[JRH02]

I went out to use the tractor and move some wood chips around. Turned the key and nada, zilch, no clicking, no lights on dash, nothing. 5 years and 21 days on the Legend from Napa. I was sort of surprised because ever since I put that Legend in on 8-01-2019 it's had a BatteryMinder 1500 hooked up and plugged in.

I was hoping that would get me 10-15 years of life from the battery, but nope! So I'm not sure if the battery just had a specific lifespan or if my BatteryMinder Chargers are just not up to snuff; or I was expecting/hoping for to much! Probably the last!

I guess I'll just have to stick with a 5 year lifespan on batteries. I know that's what a lot of you have all said but I was sort of hoping to beat the odds and get a battery to last for a really long time! I ran down to Napa and got another one and I'm still "hoping" for a "long" lifespan but I'm not going to hold my breath!!

$110.00 in 2019 and $224.00 in 2024, $114.00 difference for the same darn item - that "probably" won't even last 5 years this time! Go figure!!
Oh well, I need my beast to fire up at any moment that I have the need so that's what it takes. It's just sorta hard to accept that big of a change in cost for the same darn thing!!

Years ago I bought a battery disconnect for the old Kubota. I have a pigtail that fits the BatteryMinder attached to the battery + & - post clamps. It only takes a moment to open or close the disconnect. My batteries last a lot longer now and I use the disconnect ALWAYS unless I am just stopping for a short time. The 'generator' on that old unit doesn't make much power anyway.

It is curious that if I forget to open the disconnect, sometimes it's fine and sometimes the battery is pretty low. It's not like I left something 'On' that is draining the battery. I rewired almost everything on it a few years ago.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Yep, battery disconnects can be quite helpful. The Unimogs can sit for a year or more without losing a lot of juice.

Of course, they also have two quite large batteries.

 

[John_Mc]

AGM is lead acid.

I'm assuming he was comparing the AGM to a flooded lead acid battery.

 

[John_Mc]

Never did try a gel battery, just regular wet ones and AGMs, both of which are acid based.

Probably wouldn't even know about them if it wasn't for chargers with a setting for gel batteries.

Don't bother with the gel batteries. They are extremely picky about how they are charged, and require a lower charging and float voltage than a flooded lead acid battery. A gel battery can be damaged by charging from a charger designed for a flooded lead acid or AGM battery.

Some (but not all) AGM batteries like a slightly higher charging voltage and float voltage than a flooded lead acid battery. Using a charger designed for a flooded lead acid battery on them is better than not keeping them topped off at all, but you'll get even better life and capacity using a charger with an AGM cycle. (NOTE: Last I checked, Optima batteries specified the same charging and float voltages as a flooded lead acid battery, so I use that setting on a charger with selectable charging profiles - or just use a charger designed for Flooded Lead Acid batteries.)

All three of these battery chemistries (Gel, flooded lead acid, and AGM) benefit from using a charger that is temperature compensated: The higher the temperature, the lower the charging and float voltage.

I have run into a couple of Harbor Freight chargers that are way off in their charging voltages. They seem to be all over the map. Some of them are too high (which can boil off electrolyte over time), some of and some are right in the optimum range, even when checking multiple examples of the same model of charger. If not yet run into one that is too low, but I've only checked about 5 or 6 them.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Some (but not all) AGM batteries like a slightly higher charging voltage and float voltage than a flooded lead acid battery.

I have run into a couple of Harbor Freight chargers that are way off in their charging voltages. They seem to be all over the map.

I wish I would remember which pot to adjust for what on the early BatteryMINDers, or find my notes. After learning how to set them for more AGM friendly values I modified three of four of them, then marked them accordingly.

Didn't know that the Harbor Freight ones were off on voltages, but I'm certainly not surprised. I would never use one, primarily because I don't want to risk an entire building and its contents, or even a single vehicle, just to save a few bucks by buying the cheapest one possible.

There are plenty of extinguishers in all buildings, but why push it?

 

[John_Mc]

I wish I would remember which pot to adjust for what on the early BatteryMINDers, or find my notes. After learning how to set them for more AGM friendly values I modified three of four of them, then marked them accordingly.

If you find that info, let me know. I've got a bunch of BatteryMINDer chargers (the oldest is approaching 25 years old and still going strong).

There are a good number of AGM batteries that are fine with the flooded lead acid settings (Optima is one). Some do prefer slightly higher voltages (Odyssey is one. I checked with Yuasa for the AGM battery in my UTV. They did not give actual voltages, but said "use the AGM setting")

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Unfortunately, the odds I'll find those notes are very slim. I played around with them at about the time you got yours. Haven't lost one yet, by the way, some having run almost constantly.

Guess one of us could try tweaking one and see what happens. For some reason I think the one at the upper right is the one for voltage.