Comments by "Brad Griffin" (@BradGryphonn) on "TC Projects: Lead-Acid Battery Backup" video.

  1. I had a 13 plate 12-volt tractor battery (iirc 750 Cold Cranking Amps) in my Kombi years ago because it was a bitch to start on a hill or on cold mornings because of the 50 weight oil I used in it, and I had a pretty powerful stereo system in it that ate the 'standard' battery. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure the Kombi had a 55 watt alternator so it wasn't wise to discharge the battery because even after a jump start, you'd have to drive for 50 odd kilometres to recharge the thing (electrical geeks can correct on that figure). As it was, I could drive out bush to a campsite and run lights and the stereo for most of the night and still have plenty of crank in the morning to get her going.
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  2. Thank you thank you thank you. You just saved me some time and also confirmed my thoughts. I am planning on building a system similar to this and the batteries will be charged with a 160W solar panel. Running lights and a computer/monitor/speakers (maybe the van fridge) in a small caravan. I have most of the gear except the battery and inverter. I was going to go with a cheap deep cycle battery as you showed. However, I now know that is a baaad idea for a permanent solar charged battery system. Well, I kinda knew that, but you have confirmed my suspicions. I guess I'll spend the extra dollars and get a couple of fit for purpose batteries.
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