deep cycle battery?

I would expect so.

So, what do you think it is?

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**** Yes *** It would work well. But, if you wish to put your mind at ease, buy a deep cycle battery labelled "for RV use"....... These are used for the purpose you want in RVs , campers, and motorhome to run the inverters, as well as the 12 incandescents. They also work very well for trolling motors...

I think these may be essentially the same battery, with only a labelling difference to appeal to different markets, but I'm not really sure......

Andy in Eureka, Texas

Some sort of hybrid...

"A dual or starting marine battery is a compromise between a car and a deep cycle battery that is specially designed for marine applications. A deep cycle or dual marine battery will work as a starting battery if it can produce enough current to start the engine, but not as well as a car battery. For saltwater applications, AGM or gel cell batteries are highly recommended to prevent chorine gas."

I think I saw the word "starting" on the battery as well. Not sure; don't remember.

I guess I'll look for an RV deep cycle then.

When I do find my RV deep cycle, would a regular cheap battery charger (such as is used for charging car batteries) properly charge a deep cycle battery as well?

Thanks,

Michael

Andy answers: Yes. The battery chemistry is the same but the deep cycle battery will have internal plates of a different thickness... If you can charge the battery at a lower rate , say 2 to 6 amps, it will be better . Since you are using if for campling, I assume you will be using it on weekends and have the entire week to charge it. That is a good scenario.... Buy yourself a hydrometer. They cost 3-4 bucks and give a reading of the specific gravity of each cell . They are the very best indication of the state of charge of the battery. If you do a google on "lead acid batteries" you should find a wealth of data on what the readings should be..... Make sure your battery allows you access to each cell. Sealed batteries do not. You need this capability to maximize the battery life. Do NOT use battery terminal voltage to determine state of charge. There are many reasons why this is inaccurate.

There are two really good ways to ruin a lead acid battery. The worst is to leave it in a discharged state. The other is to overcharge it......

The SG hydrometer will tell you the battery condition after the camping trip, and you can put on the slow charger, and every day take a reading till you get to a fully charged state......Then you can disconnect it, or use a "float" charger. One is sold by

for about 6 dollars..... It isn't very good for charging , but for maintaining the charge to counteract the battery self-discharge ( aka leakage)..... Some battery chargers in the 2-6 amp range have this capability built into them.....

By the way, there are two uses for marine batteries. One is for starting a big boat motor. They deliver a big slug of current just like in a car, and used the boat's alternator to recharge, just like a car. The other is to run a trolling motor at 3 to 15 amperes for 10 or

15 hours. They are NOT made to deliver massive slugs of current and are deep cycle type...... The fisherman uses the motor to ride around drinking beer all weekend while he pretends to fish , and then goes home and puts it on a small charger until the next weekend... These two goals are almost opposites. A battery that is claimed to do both jobs is optimum for neither.... However, a deep cycle battery MIGHT give enough of a current slug to start a big motor, but the internal heating could buckle the plates. Best to use a battery suited to your operation , and RV batteries are not ambiguous.....

Andy in Eureka, Texas

I think they're also known as "Traction" batteries. (as opposed to "starting" batteries.)

By that logic, the batteries in a submarine would be "Subtraction" batteries? ;-)

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Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

[snip]

You might want to splurg and get the AGM type. Much less chance of a mess and you can recharge it in the house or garage without outgassing worries.

Absolutely NOT.

If you're buying one, a proper charger will cost as much as the battery, particularly if you're going to maintain the state of charge (float) when you're not using the battery (or even if you are).

For my RV use I built a linear charger (switchers are a blight on the rf spectrum) using the TI UC3906 IC. Recommend you look this up for info on the charge process.

Thanks for the info.

Michael

Good info! Ed

My Winnebago has a knife switch, so when I park and plug into

115, the 12V "AC-DC Converter" can keep both the motor battery and the house battery on a float charge. Of course, I open it to start the motor.

You're right - either kind can live on a float charge almost indefinitely. :-)

Cheers! Rich