Deep Cycle Battery maintenance

[Wave]

How do you guys maintain your deep cycle batteries so they last?

I am now having to buy my 3rd deep cycle battery for my car.
I have the 2nd battery installed in my engine bay, connected with a split charger, but this morning the battery is dead (according to my dual battery monitor) The vehicle is in daily use and the split charger is not a timed charger, it switches on as soon as the main battery voltage reached 13.8v

[Thunder02]

Hi, what system do you have in the vehicle?
Solenoid or Mppt.

[Wave]

Solenoid

[BushWacker]

... I think deep cycle, lqd xtal L-Life etc
is mainly just a big con to make sales guys a big profit...

About 6 years ago I bought 2 old recon-batteries for R200
each and just charged and maintained them as necessary used for camping etc , run FLAT countless times etc etc
and they only packed up in last 6 months ...
Seldom does one normally manage to get weekends etc of more than about 4 nights max and if you alternate Pb acids daily can normally get by on longer trips ...
(ie 2nd battery running freezer while 3rd on charge say under HCDP and main car starter battery no 1 stays put)
only problem arises when you stay at one camp for 3+ days with no motoring etc how often does that happen...
Pb Acid batteries a fraction of the price .

I think I know ...
eg did over 26 camping-type weekends last year ...

[Wave]

It makes no sense, I have a Conqueror trailer, it has 2 deep cycle batteries, they are the original batteries, so now 8 years old, I charge them once a month for a weekend or so with a C-tek charger, and that's just since I bought the trailer just over 2 years ago, the previous owner never looked after the batteries, he hadn't used the trailer in 18 months when I bought, he only used the trailer 6 times over 6 years and if I go by the info he gave me he would just put the trailer on charge the day or so before leaving for a trip, I have another battery, as in OP, in my car, and I am now on battery #3 in 3 years, the car gets used nearly everyday, the batteries are charged full, according to my battery monitor, and I keep having to buy new batteries, I first bought a Deltec, good battery, lasted 2 years, then I bought a Royal, things were a little tight so I bought cheap, it was R1000, so maybe R1000 per year is ok, this time I bought a Raylite from Battery Centre as I was lazy and they are up the road, it has a 2 year warranty, lets see if it lasts.

[grips]

I have also lost 4 Deep cycles over time. Two in the Xplorer Caravan an the other two in dual battery systems. Xplorer had them connected to a C-Tek charger and the dual battery systems National Luna dual battery controllers.

Lately I make use of battery boxes with lead acid batteries with Anderson plugs. Can be plugged into any of our 4x4`s using DC to DC chargers and solar panels . Done a week trip last December down the West coast with two 4x4`s running two fridges with no hassles.

[Saxj]

I needed to replace my main battery, so went to battery centre. The guy checked the battery with a device which is a large box with gauges on the front. It is obviously buggered (I knew that before the time) so I get them to replace it. I ask him to test the second battery which is high cycle battery (Only 1 1/2 years old). He gets out another handheld device with which he tests the battery and it displays "Replace Battery". I told them to shove it. My battery monitor shows it's full, and it quite happily jump started the car easily every time over the last few days. I'm pretty sure there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. How can I test it myself?

[Saxj]

From the information I can find, there is nothing wrong with my second battery. It read 12.7 Volts in the evening and 12.7 Volts in the morning.
Battery Centre in Midrand will not be seeing me again. Sharks!