6 volt vs 12 volt Trojan batteries.

[Davo1404]

Have you looked at the Australian made Century 6 volt?

[a64pilot]

I believe most any battery will have a manufacture date code stamped into the case or terminals.
This explains Trojans date codes, scroll down until you see date codes
https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I believe most any battery will have a manufacture date code stamped into the case or terminals.
This explains Trojans date codes, scroll down until you see date codes
https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/

Presumably they are shipped dry and the acid is added by the someone else down the distribution line (????)

Any idea of the shelf life of a new but dry battery?

[a64pilot]

Back in the day batteries used to be shipped “dry charged” the aircraft batteries we got by the pallet were too, it was to avoid hazardous shipping I’m pretty sure, but I don’t think small lots are done like that. I don’t see the local West Marine filling and charging batteries prior to sale, or Walmart either.
Trivia but aircraft batteries acid is stronger, it’s a different specific gravity than automotive acid.
Either way the date on the post is the date it leaves Trojan’s factory I believe. I would suspect 90 days isn’t an unreasonable request for a battery?
I’d let whoever I was buying them from something along the lines of I won’t pay for a year old battery or similar.

[a64pilot]

Rolls says shelf life could be several years
Activating Instructions Dry Charged Batteries (detailed) : Technical Support

[Wotname]

^^ thanks for the Rolls link

[odonnellryan]

One thing to consider on a sailboat anyway I'd the orientation of the cells. They are often different for 6v vs 12v. The idea is the liquid (for lead acid) will expose more of the plates in some configurations.

I used Trojan's 6v AGM batteries and they seem very solid. I went 6v because the size allowed me to get the most battery for the space I had available in the bilge (4 batteries).

[GILow]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I believe most any battery will have a manufacture date code stamped into the case or terminals.
This explains Trojans date codes, scroll down until you see date codes
https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/

Thank you, very, very useful information.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by odonnellryan

One thing to consider on a sailboat anyway I'd the orientation of the cells. They are often different for 6v vs 12v. The idea is the liquid (for lead acid) will expose more of the plates in some configurations.

Yep, timely reminder.

[Ozzlawrence]

I changed from 4 x 6v Trojan T105 batteries which gave me approximately 450AH @ 12v to 3 x 12v 165AH HTL batteries which fit in the same space. The HTL batteries have a higher duty cycle life, can be run to a lower voltage without damage and still be recharged, give me approximately 495AH @ 12v, are sealed so there is no constant filling or acid spills, can run at an angle (boat heeled over while under sail). So far, I have found only upsides to using the 12v HTL batteries over the Trojan T105 6v batteries. If 1 of the 12v batteries fails, I still have two thirds of my capacity instead of losing half which would be the case with the 6v T105's.

[Jim Cate]

What is a "HTL" battery?

Jim

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

What is a "HTL" battery?

Jim

Looks like it might be a “high temperature gel battery”.

If so, it’s a new one to me.

[RaymondR]

One of the problems with assessing battery performance is that one is not generally sufficiently knowledgeable on the subject until they actually fall over. I found that with a sufficient number of T105s and a sufficiency of solar panels this could be at least six or seven years.

[Ozzlawrence]

Hi Jim Cate,
HTL batteries are High Temperature Lead batteries. The three I have fit nicely into the same battery box as four T105 Trojans. They each have a mass of 41.5Kg.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Ozzlawrence

Hi Jim Cate,

HTL batteries are High Temperature Lead batteries. The three I have fit nicely into the same battery box as four T105 Trojans. They each have a mass of 41.5Kg.

Does high temperature mean they are tolerant of high temperatures or does it mean they run hot?