Recently purchased used catalina 22. The battery is shot. I'm looking for deep cell, group 24. What about the new "AGM" Batteries? Also, would a 5 watt solar panel keep the battery up?? Defenders has pretty good prices,any advise? Thanks.
Marine Battery
- Thread starter mowindsurfer
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charging question?
whether or not a 5 watt panel will "keep up" any battery is entirely dependent on how much it is discharged, regardless of what type battery it is. With respect to AGMs, the charge voltage must not exceed a specific level so unless you have a voltage regulated panel, you can quickly destroy an AGM. Choose a battery capacity based upon your usage and then decide whether or not to buy AGM, gels or wet cell batteries based, in part, on how you intend to recharge it/them - buying based solely on price makes no sense.
whether or not a 5 watt panel will "keep up" any battery is entirely dependent on how much it is discharged, regardless of what type battery it is. With respect to AGMs, the charge voltage must not exceed a specific level so unless you have a voltage regulated panel, you can quickly destroy an AGM. Choose a battery capacity based upon your usage and then decide whether or not to buy AGM, gels or wet cell batteries based, in part, on how you intend to recharge it/them - buying based solely on price makes no sense.
AGM
AGMs recharge rapidly and can be brought back from deep discharges very well. They are also maintenance-free. They are very good and I own one. The downside is that you really do need a "smart" charger such as the Xantrex 10 and they cost more. Don is correct that you need to calculate your electrical draw when considering if a solar will cut it. My sense is that if you use much power a solar panel, especially a small one, will not do it.
AGMs recharge rapidly and can be brought back from deep discharges very well. They are also maintenance-free. They are very good and I own one. The downside is that you really do need a "smart" charger such as the Xantrex 10 and they cost more. Don is correct that you need to calculate your electrical draw when considering if a solar will cut it. My sense is that if you use much power a solar panel, especially a small one, will not do it.
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