Battery Prices From Sam's Club, cost per amp Options

[pianotuna]

Hi All,

Battery prices from Sam's Club

G29 125 AH $79.42
G27 115AH $68.87
Golf Cart 6V 220AH $71.28

Based on dual batteries this equates to:

G 29....@....250 amp/hr = $0.63 per amp hour
G 27....@....230 amp/hr = $0.60 per amp hour
Golf Cart @ 220 amp/hr = $0.65 per amp hour

Before anyone does the "old saw" that six volt batteries last longer I'll point out that my last set of 12 volt batteries are six years old and still going strong. The "secret"? A 30 watt solar system with an old style charge controller.

I'll also point out that the dual G 29 set has 12% more amp hour capacity than the "twin" six volt set.

[Denali]

Don:

With your boondocking style and solar system you will be in a good position to test the folk wisdom that golf cart batteries will withstand many more discharge/recharge cycles than cranking, deep cycle, marine, etc. 12 volt batteries.

That said, why do golf carts all use golf cart batteries it there is no advantage to them?

--
Dave, considering adding four more GC batteries to the four he has

[pianotuna]

Hi Dave,

Well, if you want to buy me some Golf Cart batteries to torture test--I'll be pleased to do so LOL!

The theory is that thicker plates last longer. I don't dispute that theory, but in "real life" for me at least it has not been proved to make any difference. Six years is a long time for a deep cycle battery to last.

What matters is the space beneath the cathode plate. The material "shales off" and builds up until the anode and cathode short against each other. The cathode plate is made from a different alloy to try to ameliorate that process. Some alloys are better than others. Some are more expensive than others.

I think the golf cart thang is due to the change over from 6 volt to 12 volt in the 1950's. Obviously there were inventories of six volt batteries--and golf carts needed 24 to 36 (sometimes 48?) volts. 12 volt motors that would provide the sort of raw torque needed would have to have huge windings. Speed controllers were in their infancy too.

A modern design would probably use 3 phase AC electric motors and 72 or more volts, but their are huge numbers of old design golf carts--and the infrastructure is there to support them.

It's rather like the qwerty keyboard vs Dvorak. Everyone knows that Dvorak is better--but almost no one uses it because all the standard key boards come in qwerty.

Don:

With your boondocking style and solar system you will be in a good position to test the folk wisdom that golf cart batteries will withstand many more discharge/recharge cycles than cranking, deep cycle, marine, etc. 12 volt batteries.

That said, why do golf carts all use golf cart batteries it there is no advantage to them?

--
Dave, considering adding four more GC batteries to the four he has