How to care for your leisure battery...
How long your leisure battery lasts will be in direct relation to how it is used and how it is cared for on and off season.
Discharging
Even though leisure batteries are made to be discharged and recharged time and time again, the deeper the discharge the less the amount of cycles will be available. So do not overdischarge or allow the battery to run completely flat.
A common rule of thumb is do not discharge more than 50% of the capacity of the battery to get a reasonable cycle life (which of course varies depending on battery type).
When the battery has been discharged, recharge as soon as possible after. Leaving a battery in a discharged or partially discharged state will lead to a build up of sulphation on the battery plates, reducing its capacity and shortening its lifespan drastically.
Charging
Always charge using an approriate charger, there are a multitude of advanced chargers available on the market such as the RING / CTEK chargers which offer multistage charging with reconditioning and float charger features.
Remember if you are using a GEL or AGM battery ensure the charger performs to the correct voltage requirements as given by the battery manufacturer as ignoring this can lead to over or undercharging the battery and reducing its lifespan.
During the off season or extended periods of non use, we always recommend using a smart charger. If you do not want to leave it on constantly we would recommed connecting the battery charger once every few weeks for a day or so to ensure the battery charge is always maintained at a full level.
(Remember always charge in a well ventilated place)
Topping up...
Always top up using deionised/battery water only.... using tap water will add impurities to the battery and damage its performance.
Some people top up using acid, however this will increase the concentration of acid in the battery and lead to greater plate corrosion and failure.
How often you top up is dependent on your use, if you use the batteries heavily or your charger/charging system is over charging this would need to be more often.
Many modern batteries in light leisure use will never need topping up during their lifespan.