Monday, July 11, 2016

a very bad battery indeed...

Just as I suspected...there is a dud in the mix.  I had a feeling it was this battery because it had gotten a little low on water a couple of months ago - I topped it off and it seemed to be OK for awhile but I reckon the damage was done.  Unlike the other 3 batteries it was also bubbling away and warm to the touch - NOT a good sign.  The others all checked out at 12.7 volts.  Lost this one after only two and a half years of service.  This particular battery model (Duralast/Marine 29DP-DL) has gotten some bad reviews but I thought I would try them anyway.  Could very well be that I lost this one only due to carelessness.  I will buy one more of these (on sale for $120 at AutoZone) but if I get another dud in the next year I will go a different route.  Not a great idea to add a new battery to a 2 1/2 year old bank but I will give it a shot.  Until the next battery bites the dust, I will check the water levels monthly from now on instead of every 6 months.  (FYI - I got almost 6 years out of my first set of golf cart batteries.)  99,106,82,0,B  
Posted by at
Labels:

6 comments:

rpm said...

golf cart batteries rule!

July 11, 2016 at 9:57 PM
davidfe said...

John, My MH [in which I live full time] has NAPA 6 V Golf Cart Batteries. On shore power they are charged with a 110V AC charger system. The 12 V DC system powers all interior and exterior lights, ceiling exhaust fan, water pump, A/C controls and propane furnace fans.

I have fought the 12 V system and replaced two sets of batteries. I don't recall
the first brand. But, I changed over to NAPA with one going bad last year. They have
a prorated warranty and it cost $ 36.00 to replace it. I don't know who makes them.
But, for the few bucks more, they proved their worth.

My chassis battery [for the engine only] is Walmart and prior to sorting out the 20+ year old systems it had to be replace annually for NO cost and the 5 year warranty began a new.

You might want to consider trying a NAPA.

July 12, 2016 at 6:24 AM
Larry G said...

this guy - https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-battery-charging-puzzle-2/

has some interesting (and opinionated!) thoughts and agrees on the golf cart batteries


He thinks a battery monitor and a hygrometer are the only way to really know the charge
and he believes that most solar battery systems do not fully charge the batteries...
and goes into the reasons why he thinks that.

would be curious to know if John and davidfe, others here - agree with him or not

July 12, 2016 at 7:05 AM
Happy Prospector said...

John, I installed the Pro Fill Battery Watering System on my battery bank, it makes filling the batteries with water a 5 minute chore once a month.

It's the Bee's Knee's!

July 12, 2016 at 7:12 AM
Margery Billd said...

Well that's still less expensive than paying utility bills. Then the golf cart batteries sound better (like I know about this.��).

July 12, 2016 at 10:07 AM
quercus said...

Been away for a while and was just catching up on the blog. Golf cart batteries are the way to go. Marine batts just don't have enough amp hours and thy don't seem to like the heat. Got 7 years out of my last ones.

October 23, 2016 at 10:59 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)