Philip –
The discussion seems to have gotten off track here. My comments addressed solely the matter of AGM vs. flooded batteries. Now gel batteries are back in the mix.
Gels require a special charging regimen, as you noted in your original post. As you also noted, if you treat a gel cell properly, it is a very good battery. There is no argument here.
AGM batteries do not require a special charging regimen, which was your original question and the subject of my follow-up. I think you have agreed with this conclusion, though I’m not sure. Again, do you have information to the contrary?
As to whether or not AGMs are “worth it”, that is a separate question. And as to whether or not you can believe the manufacturers’ claims of extended life, that is also a separate question. You asked about charging regimens.
Like you, I tend to discount manufacturers’ claims for their own products. I try to find independent sources of info, from sources that are knowledgeable but don’t have a direct financial stake in selling you the product. On the question of batteries, there are many. I tend to like Northern Arizona Wind and Sun. They are a nationally-known company that deals with solar power systems, largely for homes, rather than RVs or boats. Their financial interest is in selling you a solar power system that you will like over the long haul. They don’t want to deal with unhappy customers, so they concentrate on good reliable equipment. They used to sell both AGM and gel batteries (as well as flooded). They dropped gel batteries, and they explain why in the tech library portion of their web site. They were just having too many calls from unhappy customers, because of the charging problems. If they sell you a gel cell and a special charger, all is well and they have a happy customer. But if they sell you a gel cell and you add your own charger, and the gel cell dies, guess who gets the nasty phone call? They got tired of that.
I included a link to Northern Arizona Wind and Sun in my post above. I think their explanation of the differences between the three types of batteries is comprehensive and quite understandable. They cover physical construction, charging requirments (and why gels are different), recombination of hydrogen and oxygen, lifetime, cost, and other interesting topics. You might read it.
So again, on the question of whether AGMs require a special charging regimen, the answer is “No”. Are they worth the extra cost? That is a separate question and different people will have different answers.
Bill
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