Are my Trojan T-105 Batteries any good?

[LJ-TJ]

OK! I just bought two used Trojan T-105 6 Volt Batteries. I put my meter on them one read 6 Volts. Put my meter on the other and it read 6 Volts. I put a cable from one positive post to the negative of the other battery and checked the Volts and it showed 12 Volts.
Question? are they any good. Should I use a regular 12 volt charger to bring them up to something like 13 or 14 volts?
Can I run my micro wave off them. Will they run my TV,,Coffee maker. I haven't got a clue guys.  D:oH! Oooops I guess that obvious.

[khantroll]

6 volts is "nominal rating" of the batteries, so if they are registering that then they should be good. The spec sheet from the manufacturer should say what the voltages should be when depleted and when fully charged.

If it were me, I would slap a charger on them and watch the voltmeter carefully. Once 8th got to close to 5 he fully charged state I would turn it off.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Trojans are the best batteries, followed by Interstate.  One connected together to make 12 volts you can use any 12 volt charger.  And yes, through an inverter they will run your toaster and your microwave.  Once fully charged, they should read around 12.7 volts once the float voltage reading of around 12.9+ volts goes away.  Don't let them get below 12.2 volts too often and they will serve you a long time.

Kev

[circleD]

You are good. Just make sure you hook up the correct positive and negative when doing anything.

[ibdilbert01]

Right on TJ!!!  Hooking them in series will give you 12volts.    When connected like this treat the pair like a 12v battery.     This is the same configuration I have, except I'm using Interstates.      Trojans are the best, and if treated right will last many, many years......

[LJ-TJ]

Ok! Good stuff. Now can I us my micro wave off the batteries?
                             can I run the furnace all night?
                             can I us my coffee maker in the morning. Do all these things run off my...............................

   
• Progressive Dynamics.
  Power Converter Model PD699
  Transformer: input 120VAC. 60Hz 3.5
  Amp.-Output: 12 VDC 20 AMPS
  *Includes Battery Charger (Option 3AMPS MAX) Hm?

[khantroll]

Well, your Converter is what makes your shore power charge the batteries and run the automotive lights in the RV.  It takes 120VAC and makes it 12v.

Your furnace's 12v blower will run off the batteries. I should think two T-105s should have plenty of power to run that fan all night long, and still have enough juice to run the breakfast appliances before needing to be recharged.

In order to power your microwave or coffee maker, you'll need an inverter (or 12v versions of those appliances).

[LJ-TJ]

   
• Ok! be gentle. I know I'm not the brightest candle in the chandelier. But I'm slowly starting to get the idea. I have a Motomaster Eliminator 1750 converter. So if I under stand right I have to mount it as close to the two Trojans as possible and then hook it to the Trojans with as short a leads as I can with the biggest welding cable I can find. Then install an standard out let to be use strictly for the coffee maker, TV,DVD Player. Will the micro wave work off a 1750 converter?

[sasktrini]

Your Eliminator is an inverter (creates AC from DC), which is different than the converter that's standard in most rigs that convert AC to DC.


Your 1750W inverter may handle all those things, but I think will be tested by the microwave, air conditioning and coffee maker, even if only running one of those appliances at a time.  If you are trying to draw more wattage than the inverter can handle, it would shut down to avoid overheating.


Any hard-wired inverter… yes to short runs of thick gauge wires (and a fuse) to the batteries is recommended.  I used 6 ga. with less than four feet of wire.  I found Princess Auto sold it in their welding section.  PLUS they sell the terminals for larger wire, to be attached to welding machines.  4 ga. was more than I wanted to spend, and 8 ga was too flimsy for my comfort.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It'll run everything but your air conditioner.  You'll need to run your genny if you want air conditioning.

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

OK! So here goes nothing. The Trojans were at twelve volts yesterday so I put them on the charger over night. When I went out this morning they were bubbling not boiling but bubbling. I checked the voltage and they were at 14 Volts?? I'm about to install them and we're about to head out for the weekend. What'da yeah think? Good/bad/ I'm screwed! Hey gang thanks for your patients and all your help.

[Rickf1985]

14 volts is a surface charge, that will dissipate quickly as soon as you put a load on them and then settle in at at steady voltage.

[PwrWgnWalt]

14 +/- volts when charging is ok, whether by engine alternator or converter/charger.
24 hours after charging, with no loads having been applied, it should be around 12.6 volts for a fully charged battery (or battery bank) in good shape. My 2 new-this-spring Interstate GC batteries wired in series read 12.7 volts. 


A little bubbling at 14 volts charge rate is normal. However, such a high continual charge rate will lead to exposed lead plates and resulting battery damage in days/weeks due to accelerated evaporation of the water inside the battery (bubbling).  Better is a float rate charge, of around 13.2 volts, once the initial charge gets the batteries up to par.  This is why I installed the Powermax Boondocker, it goes to float rate automatically and can stay there indefinitely with no problems created.  (Still, it's a great idea to check battery fluid levels and Specific Gravity on occasion... Monthly for me, which may be too often)

[Froggy1936]

I have found that with my Progressive Dynamics convertor built in charger that keeps house batts @ 13 V in float mode I have extended water checking to 1 time a year after every 30 60 90 day periods found no ser needed And even then they need very little water They are Batts from Pep Boys( second set )1st set lasted 5 yrs .& they still checked good but ! Frank

[LJ-TJ]

Thanks everybody for your detailed replies!!  We just spent the weekend in Pt Huron recovering from our BBQ, doing absolutely nothing of consequence... all seems well with everything we tried to use here on the new batteries!  Will be double-checking them when we get home later tonight - winter project is a new-fangled converter.
Cheers!  LJ and TJ

[LJ-TJ]

Ok! While away in Port Huron I picked up a Schumacher battery charger Model Sc-10030A. Says she's 100amp engine starter,30<>12amp rapid charger,2amp maintainer fully automatic. It will let you read the percentage of battery charge, the voltage and the alternator percentage. I was thinking of trying to mount it and hook it up permanently in the battery bay or some were handy to the batteries.That way I'd have a easy way to check on the condition of the batteries. What cha think? Good idea/bad idea. Did I pick the right charger. I'm using to charge my Trojan T-105's?? Hm?

[Rickf1985]

If you run the batteries down to less than 11.5 volts then that charger will probably give a battery fail code and not charge. I am NOT a fan of digital chargers!

[DRMousseau]

Get a good battery hydrometer!!! It's really the only way to know the condition of your batteries charge state AND the balance of charge among the individual cells! Specific gravity of the electrolytic in fully charged batteries should be about 1.265 corrected to 80F,... REGARDLESS of battery size 6V or 12V!!!

Got a new pair of T-105's myself sittin' on the floor beside me, ready to replace the automotive 12v the PO had used as a house battery in the ol' RV. I jus put in a new "Boondocker" last night, to replace the old Phillips converter and FINALLY put a charge into that old 12V before I remove it. Dang sealed battery that I cant measure, but good enough I think, that my buddy can use it a bit, to replace a failed 12V in his work van.

I'm also installin' a Tri-Metric Battery Monitor this weekend! This might be extreme for most folks, but with this kinda care and good records, those T-105's will likely last me 7-10yrs!!! These new batteries will "ripen" and reach a peak capacity in about 2-3yrs of general use, and slowly decline after about 5yrs, and if ya give 'em really good care, they'll last a long, LONG time.

Now the ol' Phillips IS faulty, it puts out 12V for use ok, and has been satisfactory till I updated some lights. One of 'em is a LED touch-controlled dim/bright/off over the dining set, and it seems the converter voltage is a bit too "dirty" for it to function properly. Operates fine on battery, or if the furnace fan is running while on the Phillips. But when the furnace shuts down, the light flickers badly at about half the AC 60 Cycle rate, can't even turn the light on when the furnace fan isn't runnin', jus a blink is all,... jus won't turn on. The furnace fan might be bufferin' the line, so the Phillips might have a bad cap in it, or jus maybe one bad diode. Don't matter much,... it's been repaced!! And everything is jus fine now,.. just as I expected.

[Rick Shaw]

I was having trouble with my 6volt coach batteries.   I use a 12 volt fan all night long and never had a problem with it.  I did not know that I could run the furnace all night and still have enough power.   I was always afraid to do that.   Anyway, all of a sudden, my fan shut off and none of the lights would work in the coach.   I checked the coach batteries and saw that one of my "Exide" 6 volt batteries had split and lost its acid.   I replaced it and still had the same problem.   I sat and thought it over and said that it feels like a battery problem.   I went to Advance Auto and bought a Hydrometer (5 bucks).   I went to test the other coach 6 volt and I could not get any acid to suck into the meter.   The best 5 bucks I ever spent was on that hydrometer.  After pulling the other 6 volt battery, I found that that one had split on the backside also and was not visible from the front.   I strongly urge anyone who reads this .....DO NOT BUY EXIDE BATTERIES....The two batteries that split, were both manufactured in Feb. 2014.   I found this problem in Feb 2015.   It seems that Exide will not stand behind their batteries even though they were less than a year old.  Exide will not replace or warranty any of their batteries that split.  Incidentally, I first went to CampingWorld to address this thinking I would get two new batteries because they were less than a year old.  CampingWorld told me that they would not warranty the batteries because the reason they split was because I was driving my RV in New York State, and also said that they did not know what I had done to the batteries.   Two of the lamest excuses I have ever heard.   Needless to say, I do not deal with CampingWorld anymore.

[ibdilbert01]

No wonder they are having issues....


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-11/exide-shareholders-lose-bid-for-bigger-role-in-bankruptcy

[Froggy1936]

Missing some info, The only reason a battery will split is if the acid goes back to water then the battery freezes . This is never a fault of the battery.   What type of weather did this happen in , & what type of charger was in use ? Frank

[DRMousseau]

Did you know,....

...Your half-charged battery will read 6V with a SPG of 1.200, and will FREEZE on a cold Jan night in New York, of jus barely below zero?!?!

...and a fully charged battery will only have 1/2 it's amp-hour capacity on those cold nights?!?!

It doesn't take long to drain a good battery in sever cold, to dangerously low levels that can result in unseen permanent internal damage or even cause them to split within a few short hours!!!!

Specific gravity readings MUST be temprature corrected. Electrolytic levels checked as much or even more often than other vehicle & engine fluid levels, and monitored jus as closely,.... especially in sever environment conditions of heat and cold. And keep 'em clean too!!! Even a dusty surface can cause problems for batteries.

[Rick Shaw]

I use my RV year round so there is never a time when the batteries charge gets below what it should be.   We did have a very brutal winter here in upstate, ny but the batteries should never have split.  It would be safe to say that if Exide cannot make a battery that will endure an upstate ny winter then they should not be allowed to sell batteries here.   I have had Interstate, duralast and other brands that have  been able to sustain a charge in the winter here.  It seems that if Exide has been in business for 125 years, they should have been able to get it right during that time.

[Rick Shaw]

One more thing that really bothers me is when a company does not stand behind their product but rather hides behind a self serving policy.  I did nothing to these batteries that were manufactured less than a year ago.  I did not add water to them.  I ran them as I normally do but, Exide will not warranty a split battery no matter how it happened.   

[Froggy1936]

Battery,s that fall below SPG 1100 will freeze @ 0° If it remains @ that temp for 6 hrs they will crack (does not matter who makes them) Cast iron engine blocks crack when coolant freezes , Plastic and hard rubber are less strong . I bet all manufacturers state protect from freezing .  Fact: water is the only chemical that expands Hot & Cold !  Frank