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Gel Battery
Auerbach,
Gel batteries are a pain in the butt.......period.
The ONLY advantage to them is that when involved in an accident, there is no possibility of spilling any acid. Other than that, everything else about them is negative.
You must charge them at a slower rate than a normal car battery. You must not overcharge them, or the battery will be destroyed.
Your trailer braking battery probably does charge as you drive, but only because it is attached to your vehicle's electrical system. Even so, there is likely a regulator or some other device installed in the charging system, limiting the voltage and current going to the battery.
Your gel battery is worthless for anything other than environmental concerns. You can replace it with a new AGM type battery, and you should.
AGM batteries have all the advantages of Gel batteries, in that there is no acid to leak out in the event of an accident, or collision. These AGM batteries cannot be overcharged -- they won't freeze -- and they NEVER need water. For a trailer (which sits outside in the cold and is used only a few times a year) there is nothing better.......but they aren't cheap.
See the link below.
Joel
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Gel Battery
Earthwrks,
You hit on a very important topic.
Most home-owned trailers don't have batteries installed in them, because the batteries are always dead. They freeze up during the winter.....or they go dead and can't be charged any longer......or the battery connections are always corroded.....you name it.
For many reasons, a large number of trailers don't have an emergency stopping battery installed.
Get yourself one of the new AGM batteries. They can go several months, entirely dead, and still be recharged to 95% of new condition. They don't freeze up, crack, or lose their charges. The terminals don't corrode like they do on other batteries, and they can be attached to a booster charger, or a pair of jumper cables without harming them in the least.
AGM batteries are now used in most golf carts, aircraft, wheel chairs, boats, etc. They pose no harm to the environment when involved in an accident, as no acid leaks out. They won't leak when a plane does a roll in the air. And....... they won't explode when attached to a charger, or a pair of jumper cables, as lead-acid batteries often do. (no free hydrogen emitted)
These AGM batteries can be installed in your trailer braking system and then be all but forgotten about. You don't have to remove it during the winter. You don't have to fill it with water. You won't have to clean the terminals as often....etc. Check it as often as you do the air pressure in your trailer's tires.
At 50-60 bucks, they are about twice the price of a standard motorcycle battery, but well worth the additional expense......as they'll last for years, even without regular maintenance.
Joel
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