House Battery replacement looking for suggestions

drtsr1

.
Nov 14, 2013
52
Hunter 460 Palm Beach
I currently have four golf cart batteries, need to replace. I would like to have longer lasting batteries. Any suggestions
 
Feb 16, 2012
198
Hunter 45 CC Alamitos Bay, Long Beach
I currently have four golf cart batteries, need to replace. I would like to have longer lasting batteries. Any suggestions
Lifeline AGM Batteries. We use them on our 2006 Hunter 45 CC. Let me know if you need any additional information.

Jeff
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
longer lasting than what?.... new batteries WILL last longer than old worn out batteries. significantly longer.

as for your "golf cart" batteries, that isnt telling us much other than they are 6v, and were once probably true deep cycle batteries... letting us know the brand of them will share a LOT of information.

I like the conventional wet cell Trojan batteries.
they have a good reputation of being among the top performers, and their warranty is good.

it really doesnt matter what brand or type of battery you purchase, because all batteries, due to their nature, usage, and mis-usage, have a higher chance of premature failure than any other component or system on your boat.
the more batteries you have on board, the greater chance you have of one or more of them failing well before their normal life expectancy is reached.
and one bad battery, if it isnt taken care of reasonably quick, can bring down the other good ones that are in the same bank with it.
buying a good reputable brand will lessen the chances of that happening.

as for life expectancy of the batteries, it really depends on the health of the entire system rather than the type of the battery you buy.... some conventional batteries can last 10-12 years, and some of the "new technology" batteries can be taken out in a couple years by faulty chargers or improper use... but all things being equal, some of the newer technology can offer some advantages, but again, its depends on how the batteries are going to be used and treated.
 
May 12, 2004
1,505
Hunter Cherubini 30 New Port Richey
I have to agree with Centerline. I have four wet cell Trojan 6v batteries with two wired in series to make two 12v banks. I typically get about 10 years of service from them. There's a lot of info on this site regarding batteries. Whatever is in your budget and fits your needs, as long as you take care of them, should give you many years of service. -R.
 
Jan 4, 2006
7,308
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
Pretty much what Centerline said.

Next spring I'm replacing my (2) Trojan SCS200 deep cycles after nine years of service. This is after re-charging ASAP after usage, maintaining the water lever, and watching the depth of discharge on the Xantrex Link 10 battery monitor. My (1) Trojan starting battery is still good after 15 years and with a little luck, may hold out for another 5.

IMO, I think most any big name deep cycle battery will give reasonably good life if properly maintained, which in my case is about 15 minutes per year.
 
Last edited:
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
IMO, I think most any big name deep cycle battery will give reasonably good life if properly maintained, which in my case is about 15 minutes per year.
Absolutely... Thats about all it takes to check to make sure the system is healthy.... yet so many people cant find the time to do it or dont know how.... then end up needing to replace their batts every 3-5 years. and its NOT the batteries fault.

a good properly maintained bank of quality batteries should give nearly the same performance after 5-6 years of use, as what it gives when new...and then gradually start to drop off as the remaining years slip by.

knowing intimately how the system works and what is proper for it so you can recognize and repair a problem early, will give much better performance for a long, long time, without the expense and trouble of replacing all the batteries...
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
1-bank

I have 4-6-volt Trojans and it is 1 large bank instead of
2 banks.
1 -big bank is better than 2 separate banks,I have them new since 2011
and are still very good and do use solar panels to charge them.
Nick
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,714
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I currently have four golf cart batteries, need to replace. I would like to have longer lasting batteries. Any suggestions
Sounds like you need more capacity or better charge and battery management practices. It is pretty tough to beat golf cart batteries in terms of cycle life, durability, abuse tolerance and cost per cycle/Ah..

If you are having short life with golf cart batteries it is not the fault of the batteries. Going to a better or different chemistry battery will only put a bigger hole in your wallet.. I have many golf cart banks in excess of 10 years out there.

Give us more info/details and we can likely help you get longer life.....
 

drtsr1

.
Nov 14, 2013
52
Hunter 460 Palm Beach
Sounds like you need more capacity or better charge and battery management practices. It is pretty tough to beat golf cart batteries in terms of cycle life, durability, abuse tolerance and cost per cycle/Ah..

If you are having short life with golf cart batteries it is not the fault of the batteries. Going to a better or different chemistry battery will only put a bigger hole in your wallet.. I have many golf cart banks in excess of 10 years out there.

Give us more info/details and we can likely help you get longer life.....
What types of details would you like?
4 house batteries two banks, one starter all wet.
All items other than lights, sump pumps, bilge pump are 110. The sump pump is the only one that runs to empty the water from frig. Other than bilge all other items are normal turned off
Charger runs all the time other wise batter indicator light goes red (low) in1-2 days.
Please me know what additional info required.
Hunter 460 2000
 
May 12, 2004
1,505
Hunter Cherubini 30 New Port Richey
I have 4-6-volt Trojans and it is 1 large bank instead of
2 banks.
1 -big bank is better than 2 separate banks,I have them new since 2011
and are still very good and do use solar panels to charge them.
Nick
I absolutely agree with Seadaddler that one large bank is better than two smaller banks. I have my two house banks wired to a selector switch which allows me to run bank 1, bank 2, or both. I always run both. The hot from that switch goes to the main panel selector switch. Position 1 is the house. Pos. 2 is the dedicated starting batt. Both is both. -R.
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Batteries

Sounds like you need new batteries and yours are shot and that
is what happen to mine charger was always trying to charge the batteries.
I have 1 large bank of 4-6 vollt t-105 Trojan's and i did add a start battery for engine and gen starting with a switch over from the bank to starter just in case.
And have my alternator goes to the Larger bank and inverter echo charge or my solar controller charges the start battery.
Nick
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,714
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
What types of details would you like?
4 house batteries two banks, one starter all wet.
All items other than lights, sump pumps, bilge pump are 110. The sump pump is the only one that runs to empty the water from frig. Other than bilge all other items are normal turned off
Charger runs all the time other wise batter indicator light goes red (low) in1-2 days.
Please me know what additional info required.
Hunter 460 2000

How many Ah's per day are you using?

Do you leave the fridge running?

Are you sure the fridge is not an AC/DC model?

What are the parasitic loads on the bank?

Are you using both house banks as one bank or alternating use?

How many amps is the shore charger?

What brand & model of shore charger?

What are the voltages set to for the shore charger?

How is the shore charger wired to the banks?

Do you have an ammeter or battery monitor?

Do you have a voltage display or just red lights?

Does the system have a diode isolator in it?

With the battery switch OFF how many amps are flowing from the house bank?

What brand & model of battery?

How long have the batteries been installed?
 
Jun 1, 2009
1,852
Hunter 49 toronto
2 things

I currently have four golf cart batteries, need to replace. I would like to have longer lasting batteries. Any suggestions
Stay with golf cart batteries
Get water miser battery caps.80% less water evaporation.