On my recently purchased Cat 30 I have to replace the batteries, not so much due to a failure but due to age. The present batteries are Gel, however the current charger is an old Ray Jefferson model 330. The PO claims they have been in use for over 5 years without any problems. Now the question. I always though that Gels required special chargers that maintained lower charging voltages. The current charger seems to work fine and has 3 outputs, which is important as I plan on adding a dedicated starting battery. Is this lower voltage stuff for real, or can I get away with using the existing charger and continue with Gel batteries.
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Ray Jefferson model 330
Warren The charger was, and still is a toaster. It'll just EAT your batteries. Try the link below and learn about batteries and charging. There are lots of other sources to learn from. The bigger a bank for a given load, the longer your batteries will last. The dumber a charger you have, the shorter the life of anything you connect to it will be. The link should be a good start to your own homework on the subject. Stu
Warren The charger was, and still is a toaster. It'll just EAT your batteries. Try the link below and learn about batteries and charging. There are lots of other sources to learn from. The bigger a bank for a given load, the longer your batteries will last. The dumber a charger you have, the shorter the life of anything you connect to it will be. The link should be a good start to your own homework on the subject. Stu
All gel or no gel
Warren - If you have to replace your batteries, I would replace the charger as well (go with a "smart" charger that cycles through bulk, absorption and float). More sophisticated chargers have two settings for gel and wet batteries. I haven't compared costs, but I believe standard wet batteries are less expensive and more readily available. The starting battery you plan on adding doesn't need to be "deep cycle" like the house batteries. Like Stu mentioned, there is a lot to learn about this subject. Best of luck, Trevor
Warren - If you have to replace your batteries, I would replace the charger as well (go with a "smart" charger that cycles through bulk, absorption and float). More sophisticated chargers have two settings for gel and wet batteries. I haven't compared costs, but I believe standard wet batteries are less expensive and more readily available. The starting battery you plan on adding doesn't need to be "deep cycle" like the house batteries. Like Stu mentioned, there is a lot to learn about this subject. Best of luck, Trevor
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