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Have TH and AP feeders and after 3-4 years of charging and recharging batteries they are starting to fizzle one by one. I can order a replacement battery from TH for $22 which seems competitive/fair. However, I've seen cheaper and some more expensive models - why? Some batteries are 7, 7.2, and 7.5 amp and up. I'd gladly pay more for a longer life battery, but I am entirely lost when it comes to these matters. Do the amps determine power and longevity of the battery? Anyone have a feeder battery source they can recommend to the forum? I have noticed the dimensions on 12V 12 and 14 amp batteries are larger than the 7.5 amp - not sure they'd work/fit in the TH or AP feeders. Could a stronger battery damage the feeders' electronic system? Sorry - total novice.

I can easily buy a replacement battery in town, online, whatever - just wanted to learn more about others' opinions and experiences to see if I can improve the performance - not that 2-3 years on a feeder battery is bad at all.

Thanks!



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Keep it charged up during the winter and it'll last longer.

More power is better......


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Batteries are finite. Esshup is correct in keeping them charged in the winter, but I would also keep them in a 50-60 degree place, basement, etc. As far as volts and amps go, the slightly higher amps 7.5, should be ok, if you are looking for a slight "Power" increase. The bigger amp batteries will not last longer, and the smaller ampacity battery may be calibrated to fit the feeders machanical properties.



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The amperage capacity is normally described in Ampere-hours. In the simplest terms, a 1 Ah battery will give you 1 ampere for one hour, over the battery's rated operating voltage. If it is fully discharged it will take 1 ampere for one hour to recharge it.

There are many other subtle characteristics. The operating voltage of a 12 volt lead-acid battery is approximately 10.5 to 14.5 volts for discharge to full charge. The Ah rating is not linear for charge or discharge, and it depends on the battery design. A car battery and a golf cart battery have very different characteristics for the same voltage and Ah ratings.

Going to a slightly larger battery as you want to do should not affect your feeder. But, the battery charger in the feeder may not have the capacity to keep the bigger battery at optimum charge, thus shortening its lifespan.

Ken


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TJ I need to take a pic we have 28 used batteries that are sitting there to be charged. We replace batteries while on routes. We used to test volts with volt meter, well that does not work. It might volts have charge but lose charge quickly. We now use a load tester (fairly cheap investment).
We have used many different brands and while you will have a lemon every once in awhile not a big difference with different amp hours between the range you mention. We sell two for $21 each but that does not seem to help you much. I have seen these same batteries locally for over $40. So THP has good prices.


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Thanks guys, wanted to troll for some information to educate myself better, and you happily obliged. Sounds to me between these posts and the PMs I received a 12V 7.5AH battery is what I need to continue using, and the prices on TH are fair. Guess I'll buy a few.

I do charge the batteries in the Fall and keep them in the basement, and charge again in the Spring. All my batteries are holding a full charge, but when I drop in the feeders they immediately drain again. Guess it's time to replace. TH here I come.


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Have tried several different approaches to this. I am now trying a 12v 10 amp to see the results. Have tried wiring 2 12v 7.5 amp in parallel and that works - I think. Have the same problem with batteries noted by TJ. A year of use is about right as an average.

Greg tell us about the load tester. Have tried volt meter with no results as to holding a charge.
















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One of the reasons I posted was because of something I stumbled across reading product reviews on batteries...several guys stated their original 12v 7.5ah batteries that came with the product [scooter, moped, wheelchair, alarm system, etc.] lasted for TEN years, and replacements only lasted 18-24 mos and they were disappointed with the limited life. I was hoping someone on the forum could verify the accuracy of battery performance like that noted, and if there was a source they could share for us all. Again, these were just product reviews so I can't authenticate. 10 years for a battery seems a stretch and then some, but worth asking. My tundra battery lasted for 10 years charging and draining, didn't know if maybe some smaller batteries might also share that longevity.

Do car batteries last longer because they are bigger? If so, would a more powerful 12V battery also last longer - say 10ah or higher? Sorry for all the questions...just trying to learn. If I could spend an extra 10 bucks on a stronger battery which lasts twice as long it might make fiscal sense, plus it reduces the amount of waste I'm creating...which is a bonus.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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TJ, interesting stuff. I wish I knew more about batteries. The TH that I bought (from Greg) has a solar charger and worked fine - I haven't used it in about
1.5 years except to hold the food while I hand feed.


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TJ- I am by no means an expert on batteries but I do have a little experience with 12V battery life. I designed my cabin to be 12V solar powered 10 years ago (had no choice couldn't afford running power that far into the swamp) and I am still running on the same battery pack (500 amp*hrs). The batteries we use for our fish feeders, depth finders, mojos and such have the same principles as a 12V solar powered building.

Battery style and construction are a big factor on battery life but the number of draw downs and % drawdown before recharge are equally as big factor on battery life.

From what I've been told to maximize my batteries; design to allow for no more than a 40% draw down at any one time. I set my systems to be no more than 20%.

The guys in the solar business are wizzards with 12V batteries.

FWIW

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Thanks for you input. I feed a pattern currently that may not be good for battery life: Every 15 minutes I have a 2 second feeding in the evenings. I do this to try and expose as many BG possible to predation, as predator aid in low light ambush conditions and also I'm trying to encourage YP feeding which is much better on my pond during lower light periods. Currently I'm feeding at 8:05; 8:20; 8:35; 8:50 and 9:05. I also do this in case of a windy day the fish have a better shot at cleaning up all pellets prior to being washed to shore or out of their typical feeding zone. They will chase pellets for a short distance, but don't like to stray too far from their normal zone. On windy days I routinely find uneaten pellets washed far down the shores which just aids the nutrient load. I wonder if fewer and longer feeding times [3 4 second feedings?] would benefit battery life?


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You could leave your feeding cycles the same and just simpley up your amp*hrs in the battery or parell another 12V battery to increase the amp*hrs. How is the battery being charged now and how often? Do you know the motor draw at start up?

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Darn it..I completley forgot to type, "It all depends...." grin

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Originally Posted By: mnfish
Darn it..I completely forgot to type, "It all depends...." grin


Good catch! grin

mnfish said it well!

I would just like to add, that DC motors are constant torque type of animals. They are looking for voltage to make speed, but require amperage to maintain constant torque. If your voltage drops, they will suck more amps to maintain torque, but not speed. If your amperage drops to the point that voltage is dropping (under load) pretty much toast at that point, if you let it go.

A good battery maintenance plan, is something simple to do. Not all batteries are created equal tho.

I bought my truck, New, July 25th of 2004. It has the original OEM battery that came with it. I constantly run inverters to hook my laptop and other devices in remote locations, and it works, simply, fine!

Must have gotten a good one, because, I have never had one last for eight years.

Hope that was clear as Mud! crazy

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Years ago, I was a battery expert. Many things in the battery world have changed considerably -- except for the shysters and snake oil salesmen.

There is so much hype, I couldn't advise on good vs. bad. Don't buy from ebay. Buy a good name brand, from a major store -- and I know that is difficult these days.

I do know that whatever they put in my new Nexus 7 is one heck of a battery, along with the batteries in my cordless tools.


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The only charging being done to my batteries from April until October is via the solar panel. Maybe I should be happy to get two years service considering how long they are in constant, daily service draining and recharging. Am I supposed to be charging these on my battery charger on some sort of monthly schedule to ensure longer life? Ignorantly I assumed the solar panel on the TH and AP feeders was doing that job on its own.


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Generally, one would want to put a battery on an automatic trickle charger when not in use.

I failed to do that last year on the Bobcat and ended up shelling out 112.00 bucks for a new one when I sold it last week mad

When I build my battery backup system, I am going to use this brand: Concord

My camper batteries are close to toast also, so there is another wad of cash. The camper has an automatic battery maintainer, but they are almost 5 years old.

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About 12 years ago I got a pulse maintanence battery charger and it really seems to help extend the life of lead acid batteries.
My boat battery is almost 10 years old and my truck battery is 7 years old.
I periodically rotate this charger on all my batteries and I believe it makes a difference.

Mine is similar to this one.
http://www.batterymart.com/p-2012-batteryminder-12-volt-2-amp-charger.html



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Thanks AP for the info. I am still trying to figure out the best way to deal with batteries.
















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This has been a informative session guys, I really appreciate the knowledge shared.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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JKB- Concord is the brand I've been using to power my cabin. They were a little more up front but I have been impressed with the life.

Side Note: I have a temperature sensor from my battery pack to the charge controller which has allowed me to never move or touch my batteries in 10 years! I don't heat my place in the winter. When the battery pack hit a certain temp the charge controller lets the batteries get slightly over charged. An electrical heater of sorts for the batteries. Jan, Feb, Mar the heart of winter with numerous days below zero and the batteries stay charged. The technology I'm using is 10 years old now. I just think these electrical guys come up with some pretty cool stuff.

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My camper batteries probably have a good 300 deep cycle charges. I bought another one from Auto Zone to run my laptop from an inverter while dry camping. I was not very happy with that one.

I may have spoke too soon on my truck battery. While sitting in my truck today. Laptop thru inverter, wireless to coaster, the inverter started beeping after about an hour, indicating a voltage drop/loss of charge. It has never done that before in my truck. So maybe a new battery in the near future. 8 years for a battery ain't bad.

I have done some battery research, and the Concord seems to be the one to go with. At least for me.

mnfish,
What is your cabin rig all about? It would be cool to get some detail. If you have time, and don't mind.

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TJ, with your TH feeders, a 1x 4 sec feed time will use less juice than a 2x 2 sec. feed time. You are forgetting to take into account the motor/fan "spin up and spin to clear pellets upon shutdown" cycle."


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I have an american hunter with the varmit buster. I haven't hooked the varmit buster up yet. I got the feeder for Christmas and it was supposed to be for hunting but I figured why not use it for fish too. When I hooked it up the battery was dead so I charged it and it was fully charged and the next day it would be dead again. I called them and they told me its probably the battery. (Well duh!) So I guess I have to buy a new battery. They also said the solar panel isn't really a charger. (WTH is it then????) I have a lantern battery in it for now. I am looking to get the right one soon.

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JKB - Thank you for asking. The power for my cabin is a very simple 12V DC setup. My cabin is modest at 600 sq ft. Its like a fixed to the ground RV. 240W's of panels, charge controler, 500 amh*hr battery pack. If I could have gotten power back to where I was I would have done that in a heart beat. I don't recall the number but solar is like 10x more per kw hr (SWAG on the 10X). But I had no choice. For running power tools and high draw equipment I use a generator.

Shallow well pump, Toilet, Compact Flur. lights, Ceiling fans, Cell phone charger, Lap top, DVD player, all 12V.


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