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Subject:Solar Panel: Charge Controller & Vents
From:Troy
Date:Tue, 6 May 2008 12:29:10 -0800

Excellent advice from Dennis. I can say firsthand that the Odyssey batteries are not all they're cracked up to be. I've been having a lot of trouble with mine recently keeping it charged. It seems to take a sustained high amps before it will start to accept it charge. If it drops below a certain point, my standard alternator will not charge it. I then have to remove my front seat to allow me to get the chargers leads in there, and then run the charger on manual for about four hours. A royal PITA. One nice thing, is they can be deeply discharged and still be recovered. A standard battery would be toast under similar circumstances. I paid a whopping $175 for mine. Not sure what else fits behind the seat though.

Troy

<<Seems like an awful lot of money to accomplish what? Never mind carrying
around 300 pounds of battery. The best part of the Odyssey batteries is the
advertisements. You would be much better off in the long run with good
flooded batteries. They are charge and temparature sensitve and have high
failure rates. Check the current warranty.