At 06:28 PM 2/12/2007, Dennis Haynes wrote...
>In the industrial world, a quality flooded battery, properly cared for
>is
>expected to give some 1,200 to 1,500 cycles to 80% DOD.

Sure, if you have room for battery with a 2+ foot dimension. Here's a
deal - buy 6 to get 12 volts -
http://www.fords-mtm.com/battery/deka-MS.htm . That will only add 1100
pounds to your bus.

East Penn Deka ( http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/ )makes flooded, AGM and
Gel batteries in "automotive" sizes. They don't even bother to rate the
flooded batteries beyond 60% discharge where they're rated at 700
cycles. They say that 80%/600 for gel and 80%/200 for AGM is typical.
Since they make and sell all three types, I tend to trust their
relative figures.

Here's how they rate the relative performance of their batteries for RV
use: http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/1081.pdf