Battery Watering System

[Tikvah]

What say ye?

I'm installing my first set of real house batteries.  I'll have 8 golf cart batteries with a 3000w, 24v inverter.  The batteries will be up front where the coach heat system used to be, so they are not terrible to access, but I realize that adding water could be complicated, especially being able to see down into the battery.  I think there will be plenty of space for cable maintenance, but what do you folks think of watering systems?

Do you have a preference of what type?

Manual fill or auto fill?

[eagle19952]

The most dependable filler is a tried and true manual one. This gives you an opportunity to check terminal corrosion too.And they have a fail proof shutoff they will never overfill. JMW etc.





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[lostagain]

I have a plastic bottle especially made to refill batteries. You turn it upside down and insert the spout into the hole and it fills that cell up to about 1/2" below the top. No need to even look in there. Or if you really want to see, I use a small mirror and flash light. My bottle works good unless there isn't the room above for it, in which case you have to do something else.

JC

PS: Hey look, Eagle just posted a picture of what I am talking about while I was typing...

[TomC]

When I had wet type 8D batteries (2), I made a watering pump out of an old 12v fresh water pump (Sherflo) and had a cut off switch. Just attached the pump to the batteries, used a viewing mirror on a telescoping handle with a halogin light shinning in (have only two hands). Worked well.
What worked the best was buying AGM sealed batteries. Granted they are expensive, but my first 2 8D batteries lasted 7 years. In that 7 years I did virtually nothing to the batteries-not even cleaned the terminals since AGM's don't out gas. It was like the batteries weren't even there. I will always use AGM batteries from now on. Good Luck, TomC

[eagle19952]

they make them with an integral handle which fits in a 3-4 inch narrower space..

[chessie4905]

Can you recharge them if they accidently go dead?

[RobSedona]

Tom Just had to change one of my 2 8d lead batteries they are napa 1400 cost 199.49 and where 8 years old keep them topped and watered and they can last a long time and I have no equalizer the one the 12 comes off is the one that went bad
I will stay with them for now. Getting way to heavy now but love the cost and time they last

Rob