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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Ideal location for a battery disconnect switch
    Posted: 21 Sep 2018 at 12:26pm
David, if you're interested, this is a good general summary of the various factors that limit lead acid battery life. Lots of other good stuff on this website too. 

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/corrosion_shedding_and_internal_short

One factor he's not mentioning here is temperature. Rule of thumb is that the rate of chemical reactions (in this case battery internal corrosion) doubles with roughly every 10 deg C temp rise. So 8 years in the UP of Michigan might become 4 years in coastal NC and maybe only 3 years in Phoenix. 

Many people think that its bad for batteries to be stored in cold conditions, but its really not as long as you keep the electrolyte from freezing, which you can do even in cold places just by keeping the battery charged. The battery won't perform well when cold but after you warm it back up it should be fine. 
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2018 at 11:58am
Yeah, I love all the great sunrises and sunsets and the beach and kayaking in the sound too, which was why we bought the house here originally. But its a little bit different thing to live here full time. Then after awhile what you want is some actual land that is more than 2-3 feet above sea level, a road that doesn't wash out in every tropical storm and nor'easter, and a Home Depot or Lowe's that is closer than an hour and a half drive each way. Don't know what I'd do without Amazon Prime, much better to let the UPS guy drive the company truck through the salt water...
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2018 at 9:03am
Originally posted by offgrid

Not to take away David from your 18 year old starter battery, that is really great.


Odd thing is - there is nothing special about the battery. It is just the standard AutoZone 3 year(?) warranty battery. It has not been pampered at all and has been allowed to get flat a couple of times. It has evolved into a challenge for me to see just how long it will live.

When it does eventually die, someone should do an forensic autopsy on it to determine what was "special" about it! (And duplicate it in future batteries)

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furpod View Drop Down
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2018 at 7:57am
Originally posted by offgrid

Great at least some of us are getting some really good battery life.

I'd love to have a classic car again but here in the outer banks cars turn into rolling piles of iron oxide in short order. Wouldn't be worth the heartbreak.  And because of the flooding  ground level enclosed garages aren't a great idea.  Better to just leave them outside and let the rain rinse at least some of the salt off, and don't get too attached...


But.. you get those fantastic sunrises almost every day, and all that.. Smile Smile Smile 
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2018 at 6:05am
Great at least some of us are getting some really good battery life. 

As I'm sure most everyone knows, SLI (starter, lights, ignition) auto batteries are a different animal from golf cart deep cycle batteries. There are lots of compromises: plate thickness vs surface area, lead alloys, sulfuric acid concentration, etc. that trade off between longevity, cranking rates, and cycling ability. 

SLI batteries generally are never expected to cycle at all, 30 seconds cranking a starter at 300 amps is still only a couple of amp hours.  And temp has a huge impact on corrosion lifetime. When I lived in Phoenix I don't think I ever got more than 3-4 years on a SLI battery.

There are high quality telecom UPS lead acid batteries that are still serviceable after 25 years or more, but they are very rarely cycled, aren't expected to produce high currents, and are kept constantly charged in an air conditioned room.

So I should have been more clear: I think 8 years is very very good for golf cart type flooded batteries, which are designed to take lots of cycling and charging abuse at the expense of higher corrosion rates and relatively shorter life spans due to that.

Not to take away David from your 18 year old starter battery, that is really great.

I'd love to have a classic car again but here in the outer banks cars turn into rolling piles of iron oxide in short order. Wouldn't be worth the heartbreak.  And because of the flooding  ground level enclosed garages aren't a great idea.  Better to just leave them outside and let the rain rinse at least some of the salt off, and don't get too attached...
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3220 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2018 at 7:44pm
Right behind you MarWayne, our batteries were purchased in February 2011, so the math shows 7.5 years and still going strong.  Just got back from a 3 day stint in Manistique, MI boondocking for 3 days along Lake Michigan, used the furnace a fair amount for 2 nights, three day report still showed 2/3 battery life; I am not complaining.

Furpod,  the Mustang thing has me thinking about a couple of great cars I wish I still had but 1 was "borrowed" and never returned, a '64 Dodge Polara 500 with hemi and then a '69 Corvette convertible with removable hard-top.  That one I had to sell during my junior year at Michigan State as I was putting my way through school and was running out of money.  Sold the Vette with the 2 tops and bought (can you believe?) a brand new AMC Gremlin and was still had $ 1200.00 left in my pocket and the insurance was going to be 75% less as well.  A humbling thing to do but I was able to finish college w/o having to borrow a cent. 
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"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2018 at 2:19pm
I don't think that was a malfunction.. I think it was user error, looked to me like the T shirt came out just as designed.. ROFL.

Did make me jump a bit when it did.. Stern Smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2018 at 1:46pm
Originally posted by furpod


Originally posted by David



Though.. I have started to have pretty serious thoughts of letting the old Mustang go..



I understand about the 'stang. I go back and forth about letting go of the Impala.

"Some folks think a wire is a wire. Others think a proper sized wire is awire. Then there’s those who will only settle for 105C rated ABYC/USCG approved marine-grade tinned wire from Ancor."

On a given day/mood/task, any of those positions might work with me. Most of the time, when undertaking a task, I'm very pleased if I don't end up like "Chip the Buffalo".
https://start.att.net/news/read/article/gannett-colorados_costumed_mascot_accidentally_shot_self_i-rgannett/category/sports



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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2018 at 11:56am
Just saw this in "another group" but it kind of fits here, so I stole it...

"Some folks think a wire is a wire. Others think a proper sized wire is a wire. Then there’s those who will only settle for 105C rated ABYC/USCG approved marine-grade tinned wire from Ancor."

BTW, that discussion isn't about wiring, batteries, pedestal connections, tire ratings or fridge on propane..

It's about how much is reasonable to pay for your truck.. LOL
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2018 at 11:29am
Originally posted by David



My set up is the same as furpod's first 2 pictures (switch on the battery box).

Offgrid - (just for FYI/giggles) I have a starting battery in my 1963 Impala SS that is 17-18 years old! It still starts the car just fine. I can't remember if I bought it in 2000 or 2001. It came from AutoZone. I've never heard of any battery lasting that long.



It's another one of those things.. yes a sitting battery can/will sulfate, BUT will it do it bad enough that A) it won't clear up when the battery is charged hard, and B) how long does it take to really cause damage noticeable to a casual user? Again, while I KNOW there is absolutely "the right way" to care for batteries, the military drilled into me, because my life depended on them working 100% in all conditions.

It turns out for many casual users, "good enough is.. good enough".

Starting battery in our hot rod was put in in 2010. Red Top Auto Zone battery, has been completely flat a few times, car gets about 750 miles a year in a good year, (hasn't been out of the drive this year) Battery still takes and holds a charge fine. It just sat for 8 weeks because of my needing both RV spots open for my parents visit. Put it on a old Craftsman 10/6/2 charger for 12 hours, cranked up just fine, moved 3-4 times since, started every time. I will be more than happy if I get anymore life out of it, let alone another 10 years. Though.. I have started to have pretty serious thoughts of letting the old Mustang go..
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