New Battery -- thanks for the recommendation

I just removed my old Gill G-35 from my Archer and I'm waiting for a
Concorde RG35-AXC from Spruce. This non-sealed unit lasted a few months
past 8 years while being flown about 2 hours per week. According to some
spec's I was looking at (on the Concorde web page?) the sealed batteries do
not require a battery box and can be mounted in any position, so I guess
they are not expected to crack and vent.

The failure mode for the old battery was a shorted cell spewing electrolyte
against the inside of the battery box lid. Since it ate away the paint it
would be easy to pick up on a routine inspection of the battery.

Regards,
Mike.

"nrp" wrote in message
oups.com...
What are other people's experience with battery life?

C172M - I've always gotten at least 8 years from the last three
batteries. Just never let the plates get exposed to air, never let it
get discharged & keep the top clean. I do not put any trickle charger
on it unless everything is down for many weeks. I also have never had
to use the ground service plug - except when the FAA Certified Repair
Station left the master on after an annual.......

On 7/6/05 13:59, "Maule Driver" wrote:

What are other people's experience with battery life?

Going on six and a half years on a Concorde RG 25 in a Husky. However, I'm
flying about 150 + hours/year.

- Don
History does not long entrust the care of freedom
to the weak or the timid. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Maule Driver wrote:

What are other people's experience with battery life?

The Concorde RGs in my Maule lasted about like yours. I got 6 years from the
Gill in my Cessna.

George Patterson
Why do men's hearts beat faster, knees get weak, throats become dry,
and they think irrationally when a woman wears leather clothing?
Because she smells like a new truck.

Jay Honeck wrote:
When I pulled the 8-year old battery out, there was an area of spilled
acid/crusty stuff that had to be cleaned thoroughly. I'm looking forward to
this new "sealed" battery eliminating that problem, and the yearly expense
of paying my A&P to clean the battery box (and surrounding area) at every
annual inspection.

Yike! 8 years? I suspect that replacing that battery with ANY battery
would have made it spin faster.




--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.OceanCityAirport.com
http://www.oc-Adolfos.com

You should check, but my understanding is that the RG batteries may only
last 2-3 years, and that the decreased life is a trade-off compared to
normal lead acid batteries.

For what it's worth, I was told to change the battery on the Extra (by
necessity an RG) every two years, while the normal batteries in the Baron
are a lot older and still crank well.

You should check, but my understanding is that the RG batteries may only
last 2-3 years, and that the decreased life is a trade-off compared to
normal lead acid batteries.

Man, I hope not. At $162, this battery ain't cheap.

Anyone got any real-life numbers on this?

For what it's worth, I was told to change the battery on the Extra (by
necessity an RG) every two years

Why would they tell you to replace a battery based on the calendar? If it's
still cranking fine, what other parameter is there to worry about?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

They (Extra) recommended changing the battery every two years since they
seem to know the history of the typical battery life (cranking the IO-540),
and the fact that it is much easier to change the battery (an RG35XC) during
an annual rather than waiting for it to die. (It involves taking all of the
panels off of the plane as well as the front seat, so is much easier to do
during an annual).

In my much smaller Decathlon the battery seemed to last around three years
before needing a change, so this sounds about right to me.