[SilverStreak] FW: Silver Streak Digest V1 #556

["JONATHAN TOUPS" <JONATHANT@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

-----Original Message-----
From: JONATHAN TOUPS [mailto:JONATHANT@CSPHOUSTON.COM] 
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2008 10:25 AM
To: sslist-admin@tompatterson.com
Subject: RE: Silver Streak Digest V1 #556

Bev,
Since a trailer battery does not normally have any sudden large electrical
loads placed on it, unlike the battery in a car that has to support the
electrical system and start the engine, the main things to look for in a
battery for a trailer is the AH, or amp hours.The AH rating is the ability
to support an amount of electrical load for an amount of time.  Load in
electrical systems is commonly referred to Amps or Amperes, which is kind of
like Horse power to an engine. 
For instance, if you have several lights on inside the trailer, and the
trailer is not plugged into a 120VAC wall outlet, the light will be using
power from the battery. To make it simple, let's say the lights are using
exactly 1 amp. If you have a battery that is listed as 100 AH, that means
that the battery has the potential to support 1 amp for 100 hours. Thus you
could run the lights that are using 1 amp of power for 100 hours before the
battery drops to a point that is cannot support the electrical load. If you
are using more or different lights that use 10 amps, with the same battery,
you could run the lights 10 hours before the battery goes dead.
It is simple multiplication of Amps X hours of use.
The larger the AH of the battery the longer it will support the electrical
system depending on it before it goes dead or needs recharging. 
Word of caution, never, never if at all possible let the battery be fully
discharged; this lessens the overall life and performance of the battery.
This is the common application of the deep cycle marine batteries, they
don't always have the better Ah ratings, but are designed to recover better
from being "deeply" discharged and then recharged hence the name "deep
cycle".
I personally prefer the spiral gel cell batteries like the Optima "style"
that was referred to previously by another forum member. Just keep in mind
that there are several different models of Optima batteries that are
categorized by intended use, which they designate Yellow Top, Red top, and I
think Blue top. Each different color has a different intended use. These
types of batteries are expensive, but require no maintenance, do not have
acid that will spill out if knocked over but have a life expectancy and
warranty several times better than conventional lead acid batteries.
I have one in my truck that I bought from NTB (National Tire and Battery)
that is an Excide brand, which actually had better ratings than its Optima
equivalent and was cheaper. The one I bought for my truck has the best Ca
and CCA numbers I have seen in a regular car size battery, and it also has
impressive AH ratings as well. I have been very impressed with it; to me it
was well worth the added expense, with batteries and tires, you get what you
pay for.
A final note, the battery can only do its job if the electrical terminations
are corrosion free and tight; that is probably one of the most important
things in dealing with electrical systems, and the root cause of the most
problems.
Hope this helps you in your battery purchasing experience.
-Jonathan-