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Interstate cranking batteries....

It is the warehouse that supplies the wholesale accounts but will have retail sales also. We pass one on the way to the lake house in KY.
 
BigKahuna said:
I've already talked to a couple of local forum members about this subject. I have the 2 battery set up on our boat and I religiously maintain them in the off season. I usually just keep the onboard battery plugged in all winter but now that we're keeping it in dry storage they don't allow the charging or maintaining of batteries in the storage area amongst other boats. So once a month this past winter I had them take the boat out and put it at the wash rack and I would plug it in for a good 24 hours then they would put it back the next morning. (Yes, I was too lazy to take the batteries out and bring them home this winter) So this was the next best thing. Anyway, I'm coming up on the 4th season on these batteries. They say the average lifespan of a marine battery is 3 to 5 years. Just had the battery die in my wife's Cadillac and also in my lawn tractor. Both purchased in 2019! How long have your batteries lasted in your boats?!? The interstate cranking battery in my old Bennington I/O lasted 10 seasons...... Even though I have 2 batteries I still carry a lithium jump pack out of habit.....
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YMMV, but I don't personally think you need to maintain the batteries that religiously in the off-season. I hit my batteries with a full top-off/desulphate session once before putting into storage, and once after storage - and I've had fantastic luck with my batteries (8 years from my last boat).

Unheated indoor storage in Minnesota. On my old boat It was kept wrapped in my yard during the offseason.
 
CLDave said:
YMMV, but I don't personally think you need to maintain the batteries that religiously in the off-season. I hit my batteries with a full top-off/desulphate session once before putting into storage, and once after storage - and I've had fantastic luck with my batteries (8 years from my last boat).

Unheated indoor storage in Minnesota. On my old boat It was kept wrapped in my yard during the offseason.
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Cool. Just keep doing what you're doing! It's working! My only concern is how much does that battery level drop over the winter months? They say it's bad for a battery to be in a discharged state. But shoot if your batteries are 8 years old, you're doing something right!
 
BigKahuna said:
Cool. Just keep doing what you're doing! It's working! My only concern is how much does that battery level drop over the winter months? They say it's bad for a battery to be in a discharged state. But shoot if your batteries are 8 years old, you're doing something right!
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They seem to drop to about 75% over winter. Not too shabby! i do completely disconnect them of course :)
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
Depends on how the batteries are used and cared for. Deep cycle lead acid batts that are discharged below a certain % (IIRC 60%) start losing their capacity much, much quicker than those kept/maintained above those levels. I think also the longer they are kept in a discharged state starts killing them quicker as well. Lastly # charge and discharge cycles also take life out of them. I've been able to get 5+ years out of my lead batts but I'm also pretty anal about maintenance. Some of my other buddies might only get 2-3 in part because they abuse them.

I believe one of the biggest benefits of lithiums are less maintenance and ability to withstand harsher use and storage conditions.
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But, one has to be careful with Lithium (some detailed research related to RV use) - A standard LifePo4 is NOT designed to start an engine because the BMS (Battery Management System) restricts discharge rate (vs a jump start system with a modified BMS), you can't charge them below freezing (some come with heating pads), they also have an ideal operating range of 80% charge down to 20% discharge to get the 6,000+ cycles often advertised, but they have a much, much small loss per month, and they can be charged much, much faster (plus they are lighter!!!).
 
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rbtnt said:
Is anyone using absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries? Mercury says this is a requirement for their V6 Verados and V8s, not sure about other engines. My dealer did not install an AGM battery on my 2020 Mercury 250 PRO XS. It has lasted 3 seasons and I would not be surprised if it needs replaced during this season. My battery is kept in a heated barn that stays above 40 degrees in the winter.
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I had AGM batteries, although not your standard AGM. I had Northstar batteries which are a Thin Plate Pure Lead(TPPL) battery. They can be left without charging for two years (inside of course) but they can be discharged up to 80% without causing irreparable damage. They are able to accept and distribute a large amount of current instantaneously due to their very low resistance. Odyssey is another brand that is a TPPL type. They have slightly different charge/float parameters than AGM, but are still in the AGM category. IMHO, best batteries on the market. Definitely not cheap, and definitely heavy! Haha
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
I had AGM batteries, although not your standard AGM. I had Northstar batteries which are a Thin Plate Pure Lead(TPPL) battery. They can be left without charging for two years (inside of course) but they can be discharged up to 80% without causing irreparable damage. They are able to accept and distribute a large amount of current instantaneously due to their very low resistance. Odyssey is another brand that is a TPPL type. They have slightly different charge/float parameters than AGM, but are still in the AGM category. IMHO, best batteries on the market. Definitely not cheap, and definitely heavy! Haha
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Thank you - this is so VERY insightful - I was not aware of TPPL's, certainly an interesting option to LifePo when you have a need for starter surge!
 
Had a Precision Marine battery in my 2014. Left it in the boat after it was shrink wrapped so it got no care over the winters. Charge it in the spring and use it all season. Lasted 7 years without a problem. Bought another, hope to get the same results.
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
I had AGM batteries, although not your standard AGM. I had Northstar batteries which are a Thin Plate Pure Lead(TPPL) battery. They can be left without charging for two years (inside of course) but they can be discharged up to 80% without causing irreparable damage. They are able to accept and distribute a large amount of current instantaneously due to their very low resistance. Odyssey is another brand that is a TPPL type. They have slightly different charge/float parameters than AGM, but are still in the AGM category. IMHO, best batteries on the market. Definitely not cheap, and definitely heavy! Haha
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Didn't you have like 8 batteries on your boat?!? Ha!
 
BigKahuna said:
Didn't you have like 8 batteries on your boat?!? Ha!
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Haha, had to distribute guests accordingly otherwise we kept turning to the right!! 300lbs worth 3 group 31's for stereo and a single group 24 for starting and dash accessories
 
I purchased my John Deere zero turn in 2015. Expected I would need to replace the battery this year but it is still going strong. Didn’t even put it on a charger this spring and it started right up. When it does die, I will replace with a John Deere battery. Don’t know who makes them.

On the boating side, probably 15 years ago I was buying boat batteries from a big box fishing store. Every year the battery wouldn’t take a charge so I replaced under warranty every spring for 5 years before I got rid of the bow rider. So new battery every year. No issue with them during the season.
 
Batteries update!!! Back from our 2 week British Isles cruise. Went down to the marina early today and removed both batteries and had them tested. Both failed the load test and lost almost half of it's cold cranking amps. Apparently I didn't maintain them as good as I thought! So I installed 2 more Interstate 24M Cranking batteries with 1000 MCA and 800 CCA after only 3 1/2 years. We'll see how these perform. Was thinking of buying Diehard marine batteries with the same specs and it cost about $50 less a piece. But stuck with Interstate!
 
2011 Bennington. Replaced both batteries in spring of 2017 and now replacing those this week while boat is getting some work done at our marina. So I get 6ish years out of them. My marina uses Exide batteries and l I think they are Group 24's or 27's (can't remember)

On our golf cart, we have 4 12V Trojans. We get 7 years out of them but damn those things are expensive. $300 bucks a pop if you can find a deal. I make sure I fill with distilled water every fall and spring as it sets at our cottage not being used. Honestly, I take better care of those batteries then I do the ones in my boat. :cool:
 
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