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Old 07-23-2019, 08:53 PM   #4
Maerin
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City: East Coast
Vessel Name: M/V Maerin (Sold)
Vessel Model: Solo 4303
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 886
Chronological age isn't as telling as number of cycles, and how deep those cycles are. If your batteries have regularly been discharged to a reasonable DOD (<50%) with regular charging to 100% SOC, they'll last longer than an identical bank that's been cycled deeper than 50% DOD and not recharged to 100%. How long they'll last is difficult to predict. You can do a capacity test and check specific gravity to determine the capacity of the bank, there are instructions on performing capacity tests, that may give you some insight into what sort of life is left in the bank, but I wouldn't arbitrarily replace them based on age alone. I'd check individual battery temps, if there's one that's hot, I'd be inclined to replace. That choice also might be influenced by cruising plans. If you're cruising in areas where it's not a problem to replace the bank, running them to failure may not be terribly risky. Golf cart batteries are pretty commonly available.
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