Re: [SilverStreak] Newbie battery question

["Eddie" <Eddie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bev,
You are thinking correct. Lead acid. You want best replacement non-prorated 
warranty, biggest that will fit, least cost, and a exchange core to avoid 
the high $10+ core cost. Any core will usually do. Wal-Mart has a big yellow 
battery, usually a two or three year exchange warranty. Why?

Batteries are short-lived. Will last three to five years in your car, but 
that is used every day or with some regularity. That is good for the battery 
and is what makes it last. Batteries have cycles. Cycles are limited. You 
would naturally think that less cycles may mean longer life, but not so. No 
battery will last sitting in one state. The state of non-use either 
discharged or charged will most rapidly cause failure versus use. So 
batteries cannot just sit in any one state. Either use it like if in your 
car or you must have a deliberate usage you schedule. RV's mostly sit. So to 
make the battery last it needs to be run down some, and then charged some. 
No, you don't need to run it dead. No, you must not keep it topped off and 
constantly charged. So in your rv or collector car use the car one day each 
month and simulate rv use about once each month and then re-charge it, but 
don't overcharge it and thus "cook it away" by charging too long.

Manufacturers rotate battery stock every three to six months. A new battery 
six months old on the shelf is considered junk. It is an old wives tale that 
a battery sitting on the ground or concrete gets the life "sucked" out of 
it. It is in a plastic case! It simply sits and sulfates. Even if you were 
to shrink wrap it and put it in your fridge, it would be just as dead. Use 
is the key to keeping a battery healthy!

When you buy a battery, look at the little sticker on it. All are date 
marked. When using letters, the letters are A thru Z for each month, January 
equals A, Feb B, and so on. Most batteries have a dual sticker so it is easy 
to figure out. The sticker will have a color for each month. Sticker will be 
round. The size of a dime. One half will be D8 and the other half will be 
4/8. Retailers are smart. They push the old stock. Don't buy an old battery! 
Make them give you, or you look to the back and pick the month current. 
Don't buy a Feb 08 battery! This is April 08! Forget about the CCA (cold 
cranking amps). Bigger is heavier and is better. Heavier equals more lead. 
More lead equals more battery.

Most charger converters in rv's are the old style and will cook a battery to 
death so don't just leave it on. Charge for about 4 hours maximum only! Best 
to buy a cheapy automatic charger from some place like wal-mart, charge till 
done and disconnect. The old chargers and a lot of new ones will "finish 
rate" at 15.1 volts or higher. When charging above 14.6 volts indicated, the 
battery is being destroyed!

Keep that receipt and exchange the battery before the warranty period 
expires. Make sure you run it stone dead if not already dead before you 
exchange it or the clerk will decide you still have something left and deny 
the exchange. The warranty period will run off the date you bought it, not 
off the date sticker on the battery.

No need to "over think" batteries. Just buy cheap as you can with the 
longest warranty non-prorated exchange. Use it at least once a month for at 
least one to four hours. Then re-charge it the next day for no more than 
three to four hours. It will last thru the warranty period.

I know batteries. I work on electric forklifts, carts, and man-lifts. Most 
forklift batteries cost $3000. At that cost you must learn batteries and 
what makes them last or fail.

-Eddie-
Houston, TX

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bev Harris" <zia@ix.netcom.com>
To: <sslist@tompatterson.com>
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 10:32 PM
Subject: [SilverStreak] Newbie battery question


> So I'm ready to buy a deep cycle battery for my 64 SS 20 foot Sabre.  I've
> done my research via the web and the result is ... I'm totally confused!
>
> I thought the best thing was to buy a lead acid battery that was JUST deep
> cycle without cranking power ... but the more I look, the more I find I 
> can't
> find that in a lead acid.  Even when they claim to be deep cycle 
> batteries,
> they still seem to have 500 CCA or more.

> like it.  Offer any advice you think might be helpful.
>
> Bev