ecotrek batteries using 6 internal amps

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Well, the 50% rule is there because there are SO MANY variables. It's presented as the safe approach, which it's still hard to argue that it's not.

That's probably why you have people that say they've taken care of their batteries and they've lasted 8 years, while others say they only have gotten 2 or 3 years out of them.

The 50% number is clearly safe but why is it 50% instead of 40% or 60% or other discharge limits that seem just as reasonable based on real data and not anecdotal evidence. If other manufacturers beside Lifeline provided real test data then you could see if the 50% number is a real limit for other batteries but it clearly is not a hard limit of any sort for Lifelines...

How are these anecdotal users killing their batteries? Are they just lower performing batteries that aren't as capable of handling discharge past 50%, are they not keeping them fully charged, are they discharging them completely repeatably which will not be good for any AGMs, are they exposed to high temperatures and being charged with chargers with no temperature compensation resulting in overcharging, are they using chargers which are not getting full charges on the batteries??

The focus on the 50% number is likely giving people a false sense of security and they are ignoring more likely causes for the early demise of their batteries...

Just my humble opinion...

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

The 50% number is clearly safe but why is it 50% instead of 40% or 60% or other discharge limits that seem just as reasonable based on real data and not anecdotal evidence. If other manufacturers beside Lifeline provided real test data then you could see if the 50% number is a real limit for other batteries but it clearly is not a hard limit of any sort for Lifelines...

How are these anecdotal users killing their batteries? Are they just lower performing batteries that aren't as capable of handling discharge past 50%, are they not keeping them fully charged, are they discharging them completely repeatably which will not be good for any AGMs, are they exposed to high temperatures and being charged with chargers with no temperature compensation resulting in overcharging, are they using chargers which are not getting full charges on the batteries??

The focus on the 50% number is likely giving people a false sense of security and they are ignoring more likely causes for the early demise of their batteries...

Just my humble opinion...

I'm not really disagreeing.

Most likely they focus on it as a benchmark so people can compare brands of batteries. If battery A is good for 1000 cycles, but battery B is good for 1500 cycles, then battery B is better, right?

Could be that running changes in production can make the battery cheaper, and has an effect on other performance aspects, but they can still hit the 50% use cycle life. That wouldn't really be all that shocking, would it?

One of my electrical engineers used to work for a battery manufacturer. He confirms they keep a tight lid on their testing data.

[booster]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Most likely they focus on it as a benchmark so people can compare brands of batteries. If battery A is good for 1000 cycles, but battery B is good for 1500 cycles, then battery B is better, right?

I would want to see the entire discharge vs life cycles chart before saying that. The could be equal or better at any one spot, and very much different over the rest of the curve. Some of the AGM starting batteries like Optima are very poor if the are run down very far, as are a lot of wet cell starting batteries, for instance.