Battery choice
Submitted: Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 13:00
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Hi all,
I am after a Trojan 12V 105amp deep cycle battery but have no luck to find a store which sell them in
Sydney. Do you know where can I find one and how much is it?
Regards
Dan
Reply By: David Au - Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 13:21
Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 13:21
Dan to digress a little, if you are going to use a Trojan in your vehicle as an auxiliary charged through a battery isolator, you will not get the life out of the battery for the money. Trojan is a good battery brand like the large majority of battery brands, provided it is charged and treated correctly. If you are going to charge the Trojan with a solar panel and quality regulator, I would say go for it, but not as an auxiliary battery charged through a battery isolator.
I would suggest something like an Apollo 882 (bottom of page) for approx $125.00 or any other reasonable quality deep cycle battery. You will get better life and performance out of two cheaper deep cycle batteries than one expensive one. From what I remember of the price of a Trojan battery of that capacity they are around $250.00, so approximately double the price of something like the Apollo.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Glenno - Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 13:56
Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 13:56
Go to -> www.trojan-battery.com. On the front page they have a country selector which will locate a dealer for you.
I run their 130A/hr battery with a 80 Solar panel and regulator along with a Pirhana dual system. I usually find that combining the solor output and a 30min drive every 2-3 days I keep the battery above 50% full.
Combined with a good quality 3 stage charger when I get
home keeps the battery in tip top form. From memory I paid $240 from Turbo batteries in Brendale Qld. They advertised a cheaper price than the distributer in Slacks creek would do.
Like the others said they are more expensive but im just sick of buying crap quality equipment which doesnt last the longhaul.
Cheers,
Glenn.
AnswerID:
93594
Follow Up By: David Au - Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 14:02
Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 14:02
Glenno I agree with you about poor quality gear, I loathe it as
well, however you are getting towards treating your Trojan battery correctly.
As a matter of interest, why don't you stick the battery on the solar panel when you get
home?
Are you using a quality Pulse Width Modulation charger with your solar panel or just a cheapie?
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352583
Follow Up By: Glenno - Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 17:27
Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 17:27
Hi David,
Havent bothered with Solar charging at
home. The regulator is mounted in my ply wood box in back of ute, so too much hassle to move it around. I just leave it hooked up to charger and put them under bench in the garage. Then just turn it on every month or so for a day to keep it topped up.
As far as pulse width modulation - NFI. Its just a normal 3.5a/hr 3 stage charger. Whats the difference between that type of charge and a normal 3 stage charger? Does it pulse verses continious charge or?
Cheers,
Glenn.
FollowupID:
352618
Follow Up By: Glenno - Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 17:31
Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 17:31
Think i miss read your post.
My solar regulator / charder is a "Steca Solarix 12A". One of these jobbies -> Reg
Not sure if thats a Pulse Width Modulation type or not.
Wish I would have got the one with the LCD. Would have been something to keep me entertained when im board with fishing on a trip!
Cheers,
Glenn.
FollowupID:
352619
Follow Up By: David Au - Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 17:45
Monday, Jan 17, 2005 at 17:45
Glenno nothing wrong with a Steca regulator. Yes they are pulse charge and a good regulator. That is one of the most common things customers say after not buying a regulator with a digital readout.
We have a US meter arriving in February suitable for those that want metering on their solar panels. The meter does input output amperage, voltage and various other features like 24 hour/7 day etc. Around $100.00 waterproof and UV stabilised case.
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352620