What deep cycle battery do you use?

[Deeptank Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Deeptank]

What's your choice of N70 sized deep cycle battery? Mainly for running a fridge, plus maybe the odd camping fluoro light in the tent? Not hugely worried about cranking ability, but if it's there then that'll be a plus.

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

ive got 2 cranking batteries in mine, both 650cca, both overlander, will upgrade to deepcycle one day, a few fellas here use the exide extreme, it is sort of a cross between deep cycle and a cranking battery, can be used for winching as well as running fridges etc, where the straight deepcycle is only for running low current draw not like a winch, this will kill them very quickly

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

For me it's been Exide Extreme's for the last two.

I only replaced the first one a week a go (actually moved it to the camper where it'll just run fluro's, no fridge) It's five years old and been in two vehicles.

For me it came down to value for money, I got one last weekend at K-mart for $150 (20% sale). It's a hybrid crank/deep cycle battery 90AH/680CCA.

It'll run the fridge for 3-4 days plus a camp fluro and recharges a lot quicker than a true deep cycle.

While it may be old technology wet cell design, it is a proven preformer.

Mick

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

For Auxillary battery applications (deep cycle - not winching or cranking), AGM batteries will provide much better performance and life expectancy than a wetcell battery.

I run a Deep River 110AH AGM DC series battery. These are are a Chinese made AGM battery. The quality is resonable, though not as good as the American made batteries (Lifeline etc.) But the price is approx. 60-70% less than the premium quality American made batteries.

Leachy

[dustie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dustie]

I'm thinking of changing my Century Deep cycle (given me good service) battery to a Rocket Calcium battery. Sick of Lead Acid spilling for various reasons.

I buy from these guys:

http://www.apollobatteries.com.au/marineprod.htm

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

I have an HGL 120-12B Fullriver AGM 12V. Due to a couple of hiccoughs in the dual battery installation / fridge problems it has copped a hammering lately and survived when a conventional lead acid battery would have rolled over and died. Downsides are it is a big heavy thing 240 h x 331 l x 175 w and 35 kg - need a custom tray for the length. You also need to ensure that the charging system charges the AGM battery as a stand alone (unless your starting battery is also an AGM) and systems like Piranha dont. I thought it did but know from first hand experience that using a Piranha with a conventional starting battery and an AGM auxiliary will cook the conventional battery. The AGM can take a big charge and some proportion of that was always being trickle fed into the starting battery and boiling it. Advantages are it gives up more energy (Ah) than a normal battery and can be discharged more often and lower without damage and should live a longer life. Also the batteries are more efficient and charge more easily as they have less internal resistance. Google AGM batteries and read up but they are more $.

[waltec Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close waltec]

Info on the Full River Batteries. We run them at work on a copy of our vehicles. Had a few fail early on, they are in our 100 series link trucks, but it turned out they don't handle the heat as well as trojens, the 100 series spend a fair amount of time each day idling on site, engine bay temps are herendous.

We originally went to these batteries as their recover time is a lot shorter than most batteries, which means that after a short charge they will have more capacity than others.

Where these batteries are used in conventional dual battery systems, we have had no trouble at all.

I will be running one in my dual batttery setup soon (replacing one of our vehicles, and I don't think it will go with the near new battery that is in it atm!!! lol)

Matt

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

I'm watching with great interest, as I am trying to find time to research AGM versus wet-cell technology. Given the many benefitits of AGM batteries, as espoused here, I'm surprised that AGM seems to still be in the minority. I have still, much to learn.

I will be running one in my dual batttery setup soon (replacing one of our vehicles, and I don't think it will go with the near new battery that is in it atm!!!

Matt, can you elaborate on this comment? From mjrandom, he has been able to do this, provided a stand-alone charging system is used.

Is there some other reason you feel an AGM will not work with your near new battery?

Cheers,
LFaR.

[dustie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dustie]

I'm back after seeing the battery guys re: Calcium battery. If you run it flat it takes a long time to charge back. They recommend charging back up with a battery charger. Otherwise it tends to have the memory effect same as a mobile phone battery.

:roll: back to the drawing board...

The Rocket calcium battery is a good starting battery, comes in 680CCA and 780CCA and they are sealed.

[plucker Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close plucker]

I have an AGM deep cycle battery as the second battery and am yet to have a hot beer cause it has gone flat. However I normally only go away for a night or two at a time and drive there so it is fully charged on arrival, then drive home and charge it on route.

I bought the AGM for the fact that I have spilt too much acid over the years on Cape York roads and corrugations. I was topping the batteries up as much as the fuel in the ol Lux. You could also see where it had gone.

When the main battery fails I will be going sealed and probably AGM for that too.

The engine heat hasn't affected its performance which is why people shy away from them.

[Deeptank Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Deeptank]

Thanks for the replies folks - and keep 'em coming.

I am currently using a Waeco RAPS-36, which I've had for a few years now. As the name implies, it's a 36Ah jobbie and has been remarkably good, plus it's portable. I'll probably still hold onto to it after I've had a Pirahna dual battery system fitted.

I am pretty sure I'll want to go AGM for this as that's what the Waeco RAPS-36 is and still performs as well as the day I bought it. My fridge is a 40L Waeco compressor and it runs on about 1Ah on average. Now I'm really looking for something around the 100Ah neighbourhood. If it runs the Waeco for 3-4 days on its tod then that's me sorted out. Plus I want a quick recharge time - about a couple of hours back to 100% would be ideal.

[dustie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dustie]

also the blokes at the battery place said the Gel batteries must be charged slowly, which equates to more charging time? :?

[waltec Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close waltec]

I will be running one in my dual batttery setup soon (replacing one of our vehicles, and I don't think it will go with the near new battery that is in it atm!!!

Matt, can you elaborate on this comment? From mjrandom, he has been able to do this, provided a stand-alone charging system is used.

Is there some other reason you feel an AGM will not work with your near new battery?

Cheers,
LFaR.

Hi LFaR

Was just saying that I'm hoping to aquire a near new AGM battery, to use as my 2nd battery. If it doesn't work out I will be buying one.

also the blokes at the battery place said the Gel batteries must be charged slowly, which equates to more charging time? :?

Hi Dustie
Not sure if your meaning that an AGM battery is a gel cell? The best way to explain a AGM is they are a cross between a wet cell and a gel cell.
Gell cells are great for storage and can be run qutie low without damage, but as you stated fast charge rates boil the gel damaging it.
Wet cells can be damaged if run flat, but fast charge doesn't worry.

With an AGM they suspend the the acid in a fibreglass (think) matting, so you get the advantages of the gel, but the charging of a wet cell.

mjrandom,
We have never experienced a problem with running a std cranking batt with an AGM, only problem we have had with AGM is they don't like extreme heat (car idleing all day, 5 days a week). even with a simple dual isolator both batteries should be at the same voltage, and the charge cutout voltage determined by the alternator. Maybe you we getting too much voltage drop between your batteries??? When I was first recommended the Full river AGMs the supplier, he said they work fine just with a simple isolator, because their charge is similar to wet cells.

Matt

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

All I can comment on is my experience with my 90 series and the advice and information I subsequently obtained. As you guys know AGM batteries can accept much much larger charges than a conventional battery and if the dual system continually trickle feeds the main then the main will end up overcharged. In my case every weekend the battery fluid needed topping up until the damn thing died. I thought that it was simply because the starting battery was 5+ years old but the replacement starting battery did the same thing. A few months later I decided to get the D4D and sell the 90 so I swapped the AGM (to put in the D4D) for a conventional battery and overnight problem gone. So I was very careful about what system to get in the D4D and went with a Rotronics system because it definately charges one battery at a time and I can isolate the main battery from charging if I am only doing a few starts so I can keep the auxiliary topped up. If you can run an AGM with a 'normal' dual battery system and not have problems then well done, as for me I was not taking the chance again of shelling out for replacement main batteries or another dual battery system. The system I had was a Piranha by the way, the same as one of the TJM systems. Worked fine with two conventional batteries but overcharged the main in my 90 when used with an AGM. From discussions I had with a few installers they were all aware of the problem and were not surprised. That's about it.

Michael

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

Yes,

whatever aux. battery you use, to ensure the best performance and life expectancy from both the cranking and aux. batteries, a suitable charging system that correctly charges both batteries is required. If batterys are matched this is easily a achieved by the use of the common solenoid systems (Redarc etc.). But where difference types of batteries are installed an isolated aux. charging system (Rotronics, RanOx etc) may be required to prevent premature battery failure.

I have a wetcell cranking battery and AGM aux. but I have a isolated charging system that charges each battery independantly with charging regimes appropriate for each battery.

Leachy