06-11-2006, 10:23 PM
I re-charge my deep-cycles nightly, about 200 times a year. Instead of charging for days at one amp, get a little portable charger that starts out at 8-10 apms, and trickles down as the battery becomes charged. Overnight, you will go from dead to full, and the acid will not come to a boil in most cases. Charger will fully shut off when charging is complete. If it doesn't, its time for a new battery.
Wal-Mart sells a completely sealed one with an 18 month free replacement if it fails, for about 80 bucks. I get between 300 and 400 re-charges out of 'em, using them daily in summer heat and sub-zero winter, and they're group 29, 875 CCA, leak-free powerhouses. And no, I don't get them free and Wal-Mart is not a sponsor. They don't fail, and they're cheap!
Don't get suckered, as I did, into those expensive Orbitals or "Al Lindner" Optimas. I've tried several, and none lasted a season, which for me is roughly 200 re-charges. The Dual Pro and other AGM batteries are great, but they cost $200 and up, and don't out-last the $80 by even twice as much, yet are triple the price.
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Wal-Mart sells a completely sealed one with an 18 month free replacement if it fails, for about 80 bucks. I get between 300 and 400 re-charges out of 'em, using them daily in summer heat and sub-zero winter, and they're group 29, 875 CCA, leak-free powerhouses. And no, I don't get them free and Wal-Mart is not a sponsor. They don't fail, and they're cheap!
Don't get suckered, as I did, into those expensive Orbitals or "Al Lindner" Optimas. I've tried several, and none lasted a season, which for me is roughly 200 re-charges. The Dual Pro and other AGM batteries are great, but they cost $200 and up, and don't out-last the $80 by even twice as much, yet are triple the price.
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