Converter Life?

[russelld]

Hello, I hope some one has an answer for me regarding converters, I have 2 batteries my 31' Excella How long is a converter average life ( mine is 17 years old) One of the batteries (only 5 months old) Deep Cycle, was way down on water and the other one was fine. But they are not holding a charge. the only draw is the clock. while in storage. I have 110 for about 2 hours per day. Your thoughts? Thanks and Merry Christmas to all

[alano]

The first recommendation is to change out your converter to one that includes a 3-stage battery charger. It's not recommended to use a single-stage charger/converter for long periods with lead-acid deep cycle batteries and doing so will reduce the service life of the batteries.

The second recommendation is that once the batteries are fully charged, I'd measure the state of the batteries with a hydrometer (cost you $10-$20) and replace either of both batteries if the specific gravity measures low after a complete charge (don't forget to correct for temperature).

[AnnArborBob]

Ditto with respect to installing a three stage charger. Also, consider AGM batteries next time. They are "maintenance free" and do not need to have water levels checked or water added.

[dougandlori]

Changing the converter to a 3 or 4 stage modern unit is the first thing I do when I purchase a new to me Airstream. Talk to Randy at bestconverter.com