Thread: Who make the best deep cycle battery?

I just had to repower after 6 years on a Trojan SCS225 mainly due to my stupidity of not charging it last winter and letting it freeze......it was still going strong on its last use.
Trojan Battery Company

I also use these gadgets on all my batteries and they seem to keep them in top shape as long as you water correctly.

WizbangPlus

I used to run battery chargers with de-sulphating and equalization cycles but had trouble with the reliability of my preferred brand.....

These things just run all the time and work great.....

Originally Posted by Wfolds

I replace two Optima last November that I had installed when I purchased my boat in 1999. The cost at least twice the price of a regular deep cycle, but the way I figure 3 to 4 times the life (12 yrs.) is worth it. I have an onboard charger and as soon as the boat is put up, I charge them. Also the Optimas charge faster than a standard battey. I tested the batteries on a weekend trip fishing about 3 hours on Friday, 8 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday. This was done without charging beteeen days. Near the end of the time on Sunday I noticed the trolling motor starting to slow down. Got home @ 2pm on Sunday and put the batteries on charge. By 10 pm my charger showed a full charge.

I personally never use GEL or AGM batteries such as the Optimas for deep cycle use such as trolling......The problem with these is that you cannot recharge at a rate more than about 10 amps without damaging the battery...
Charging produces Hydrogen Sulphide gas as the battery charges.........Charging at a high rate in Gel type batteries causes gas bubbles in the gel which causes cell degradation and failure over time........

If you are running Optimas or any other Gel or AGM charge them slow!

Originally Posted by Bulls Bay

I personally never use GEL or AGM batteries such as the Optimas for deep cycle use such as trolling......The problem with these is that you cannot recharge at a rate more than about 10 amps without damaging the battery...
Charging produces Hydrogen Sulphide gas as the battery charges.........Charging at a high rate in Gel type batteries causes gas bubbles in the gel which causes cell degradation and failure over time........

If you are running Optimas or any other Gel or AGM charge them slow!

I don't reccomend charging any deep cycle over 10amps.

I used to work for the now defunct manufacturer Voltmaster. They were bought out by East Penn Corp. several years ago. Today there are only a hand full of lead acid battery manufacturers left in the USA. The one thing I think most guys miss that will tell you whether or not your battery is charged and in good working condition is a good volt meter. The Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) on a 12V battery should be 12.6+ VDC. First charge the battery and then check the OCV. Let the battery sit for 12 or more hours (24 is better) and recheck. If it has at least 12.6 + volts then the battery is likely still a good battery. If it reads 11-12 volts it is questionable. If it reads 10 - 11 VDC then it likely has a dead cell and is junk. Less than 10 volts you may well have a parasitic drain. Yep it is as easy as that. We used to check the specific gravity but today's batteries are mostly maintenance free (impossible) so we have to rely on OCV.

I have the same and never had a problem with them..T secret to keeping your batteries in good shape is always charge them within 12 hours nof use..

I don't reccomend charging any deep cycle at a rate of 10AMPS..Always charge the batteries at the 2 AMP rate and within 12 hours of use.

Originally Posted by chet

I don't reccomend charging any deep cycle at a rate of 10AMPS..Always charge the batteries at the 2 AMP rate and within 12 hours of use.

Not true. 10A is generally always much better than 2A, and some batteries need to be charged as fast as 0.4C which translates into 40A.

Not true. 10A is generally always much better than 2A, and some batteries need to be charged as fast as 0.4C which translates into 40A.

...

True, but only for free acid batteries. GELs, etc are a different breed.