Trojan battery questions

[BobnLesley]

I've always been a 'buy cheap leisure batteries and regularly replace them' sort of bloke, but having reached the Caribbean, I've discovered that it's no more expensive to buy 4 x Trojan 105's than to get four 'cheap' 105/110 amp hour leisure batteries.

The Trojans must be better for longevity, but I'm assuming that I ought to look after them a bit better, so questions for the panel:

Is it OK to connect my anchor windlass to the Trojan battery bank?

Do they have any cranking power, or must I ensure that they're isolated and that I'm only drawing from the starter battery when we fire up the motor? Currently I only switch over to start battery when I think that the domestic bank might be a bit low.

In addition to the Trojans, there also appear to be Deka and Duracell equivalents available out here too; has anyone any knowledge/experience of either of these?

Thanks, Bob.

 

[Bobc]

Trojans are FAB.

While you're at it, order yourself a Sterling AtoB charger. This will automatically sort the charging of both the starter battery and house batteries in a proper way to ensure that they are not overcharged and well maintained. It's easy to fit, simply replacing the diode splitter.

You will then only have your starter battery dedicated to your engine, and your house batteries for everything else.

The Trojans are fine for driving the windlass, but have the engine running while using it to give it all an extra bit of oomph.

 

[Marsupial]

I've always been a 'buy cheap leisure batteries and regularly replace them' sort of bloke, but having reached the Caribbean, I've discovered that it's no more expensive to buy 4 x Trojan 105's than to get four 'cheap' 105/110 amp hour leisure batteries.

The Trojans must be better for longevity, but I'm assuming that I ought to look after them a bit better, so questions for the panel:

Is it OK to connect my anchor windlass to the Trojan battery bank?

Do they have any cranking power, or must I ensure that they're isolated and that I'm only drawing from the starter battery when we fire up the motor? Currently I only switch over to start battery when I think that the domestic bank might be a bit low.

In addition to the Trojans, there also appear to be Deka and Duracell equivalents available out here too; has anyone any knowledge/experience of either of these?

Thanks, Bob.

If you can buy Trojan for the same price as a "cheap" battery then go for it why would you not? - the other way of looking at is that Trojan as a name has premium that is not deserved over this side of the pond. I get at least 8 years out of "cheap" batteries - the last 110AH I bought was £69.00 and I only changed because the original (Tudor) was old but it still held charge.

 

[Melleman]

We went the trojan way.
4 t-105 were installed in favor for the 3 old big 120Ah something in the beginning of this season and it has work a treat.
In the process we throw the old diodsplitter in the bin and changed to a VSR.
The windlass works with or without the engine charging.

 

[TQA]

I have 6 T 105 size batteries plus a starting battery. The boat came with Trojans and they were 6 years old when one went down. I could only get Dekas in St Lucia so fitted them. That was two years ago. My Lofrans Tigres runs off the house bank without a problem although I usually have the engine running so charging.

I have also started my Perkins 154 using the house bank when the starter battery failed.

If you can get Trojans go for those but the Dekas get good press and I believe the store branded generic golf cart batteries come out of the same factory.

 

[BobnLesley]

Thanks everybody, as always the PBO Forum's given me the answers that I needed.

Bob

 

[KellysEye]

>Is it OK to connect my anchor windlass to the Trojan battery bank

No they are deep cycle golf cart batteries for domestic supply, not cranking batteries that you use for winches, engine and generator. Trojans have the best reputation and a five year life if used and charged properly. Running the engine apparently works but it wont do the batteries any good regarding life time because you are putting a very high load on them which they are not designed for.

 

[macd]

>Is it OK to connect my anchor windlass to the Trojan battery bank

No they are deep cycle golf cart batteries for domestic supply, not cranking batteries that you use for winches, engine and generator. Trojans have the best reputation and a five year life if used and charged properly. Running the engine apparently works but it wont do the batteries any good regarding life time because you are putting a very high load on them which they are not designed for.

I'd beg to differ. So would Trojan. This from their web site:
Deep cycle batteries can be used for engine starting but starting batteries should not be used for deep cycle applications. A deep cycle battery may have less cranking amps per pound than a starting battery, but in most cases a deep cycle battery is still more than adequate for the purpose of starting an engine.


By the same token, their deep-cycle batteries can be used for windlass operation, which in most cases draws a max of 100A at 12V, and for the most part substantially less. As with any other batteries, it's prudent to have the engine running whilst using the windlass, which obviously reduces the load even more. For the T105 (and the rest of the deep cycle series), Trojan actually quote a 75A rate for each model.

 

[Modulation]

I agree. I regularly used my Trojan 105s for starting to no ill effect

I'd beg to differ. So would Trojan. This from their web site:
Deep cycle batteries can be used for engine starting but starting batteries should not be used for deep cycle applications. A deep cycle battery may have less cranking amps per pound than a starting battery, but in most cases a deep cycle battery is still more than adequate for the purpose of starting an engine.


By the same token, their deep-cycle batteries can be used for windlass operation, which in most cases draws a max of 100A at 12V, and for the most part substantially less. As with any other batteries, it's prudent to have the engine running whilst using the windlass, which obviously reduces the load even more. For the T105 (and the rest of the deep cycle series), Trojan actually quote a 75A rate for each model.

 

[KellysEye]

>Deep cycle batteries can be used for engine starting but starting batteries should not be used for deep cycle applications. A deep cycle battery may have less cranking amps per pound than a starting battery, but in most cases a deep cycle battery is still more than adequate for the purpose of starting an engine.


I'm not surprised they say that they want to sell more batteries but at least they accept they have less cranking amps than a starting battery. I must admit I've gone through life buying things that are designed for what I want, thus Trojans for house batteries and cranking batteries for the engine and generator. I don't see why others would want to compromise when there is a better solution.

 

[macd]

I quite agree with 'horses for courses', and certainly a starter battery should be just that.
But the OP asked "Is it OK to connect my anchor windlass to the Trojan battery bank?". The answer to that is yes. True, it's not perfect, but it's definitely OK.
And it is, of course, a compromise, as are most things on boats. The ideal for a would be a large cold cranking source, but few of us have room for that.