Battery Suggestions?

Grum.Man

Grum.Man

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Grum.Man
Went out to the airport to do some flying and the battery was dead on the airplane. It has been sounding weak and is only 2 years old. The one in it currently is a Gill G-25 sealed. Does anyone have good experience with any others? I know in the world of certified aircraft there aren't many options. I sure would like to run one of those Odyssey batteries.
 
Ive had good luck with Concorde
 
Grum.Man said:
Went out to the airport to do some flying and the battery was dead on the airplane. It has been sounding weak and is only 2 years old. The one in it currently is a Gill G-25 sealed. Does anyone have good experience with any others? I know in the world of certified aircraft there aren't many options. I sure would like to run one of those Odyssey batteries.
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Get a charger with a 'desulfinator circuit' on it and let it sit on it for a week. You may also try dropping it on the pavement from about 9" to break the sulfation bridge between the plates first, it will speed the process. The desulfinator circuit will knock the sulfation off the plates and restore the battery. Don't give up on the battery yet and if you can revive it, use the charger to maintain the battery. When maintained on a desulfinator circuit, batteries will tend to last for 7-10 years, without they get 2-3.
 
Concorde RG series if it is a replacement for your G25. I have owned my plane for 23 years. Had two Gills in the first 6 years of ownership and two Concordes in the last 18 years.
 
Marauder said:
Concorde RG series if it is a replacement for your G25. I have owned my plane for 23 years. Had two Gills in the first 6 years of ownership and two Concordes in the last 18 years.
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My Gill lasted 2 years and 1 month. Basically one month past warranty.
 
Geico266 said:
Seriously, that sucks. They are the best battery on the market.
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The only certificated aircraft an Odyssey can be used in is the PA18 and PA19. The rest would require and FAA field Approval.
 
What did you do to kill the battery in two years?

How did you determine that it is actually the battery that is the problem?

Did you check the charging system?

Did you check the battery terminals? Dirty terminals can make a functioning battery not charge / crank properly. There is grease on the terminals, right? Of course, if you replace the battery and the problems go away, then it is easy to blame the battery even though it wasn't the problem.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
What did you do to kill the battery in two years?

How did you determine that it is actually the battery that is the problem?

Did you check the charging system?

Did you check the battery terminals? Dirty terminals can make a functioning battery not charge / crank properly. There is grease on the terminals, right? Of course, if you replace the battery and the problems go away, then it is easy to blame the battery even though it wasn't the problem.
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By living in a mild climate and flying it regularly every week or two??

Yes

Yes

A google search reveals lots of complaints of the Gill G-25S crapping out prematurely.
 
Grum.Man said:
By living in a mild climate and flying it regularly every week or two??

Yes

Yes

A google search reveals lots of complaints of the Gill G-25S crapping out prematurely.
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Try the desulfinator first, chargers with them are available for far less than the cost of a battery.
 
Henning said:
Try the desulfinator first, chargers with them are available for far less than the cost of a battery.
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Can you give me direction to one? I did some searching but all I came up with were DIY solutions.
 
I just checked the date on my sealed Concorde the other day, just over 5 years. I use a battery maintainer periodically, 24 hours every 6 weeks or so. I plan to keep it going a while yet, working just great.

I use an 'Optimate 3' desulfinator/charger/maintainer. I use the same on my motorbike, ATV, snowmobile and other batteries.
 
Gill sealed batteries suck. Use Concorde.


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Buggsy2 said:
He bought a Gill, that's the problem. They're simply terrible, at least their sealed batteries are.


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What type of sealed battery? There are three types, a sealed wet cell, a Gell Cell, or an AGM. The Gell Cell batteries are often destroyed by our charging systems as they are very voltage critical and do not like typical voltages of our charging systems. On good chargers, there is a switch with a Gell Cell position that keeps the voltage below 14.1.
 
The battery is under the cowl? These aircraft seem to eat batteries. High vibration and high heat...

The RG Concorde in the Cessna 177 is over 8 years old. I don't like the long cables between the tailcone and the starter but hey, if a $200+ battery last a long time back there, I'm happy. I never use battery tender or defulfator. Only thing I do is pull it once a year to clean it and top charge it.
 
Henning said:
What type of sealed battery? There are three types, a sealed wet cell, a Gell Cell, or an AGM. The Gell Cell batteries are often destroyed by our charging systems as they are very voltage critical and do not like typical voltages of our charging systems. On good chargers, there is a switch with a Gell Cell position that keeps the voltage below 14.1.
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Gill G-25S batteries are wet sealed.
 
If you go with Concorde, which I would strongly recommend, over the Gill. Buy it from Wilco they own the STC for the change over if your plane came with Gill. So some list cheaper prices than Wilco. But if you want to keep your paper work straight you'll need the STC paperwork that only Wilco can sell you. Now Wilco is cheaper. Concorde RG you won't regret it...
 
Henning said:
The problem with those is there is no way to top up the water lost.
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I've heard of a guy who pulled the cover off the AGM, forget manufacturer, was able to add some water and bring it back to life.

When the battery in the cardinal does finally die I'm tempted to pry the top off and see what's under it.
 
bnt83 said:
I've heard of a guy who pulled the cover off the AGM, forget manufacturer, was able to add some water and bring it back to life.

When the battery in the cardinal does finally die I'm tempted to pry the top off and see what's under it.
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Huh, I haven't tried to revive an AGM yet. I used to pry the tops off of Delco and other 'maintenance free' batteries to top them up and save them.
 
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