Solar charger battery question

[gwithrow]

how long to expect a 12v battery to last in a Parmak solar energizer?..we keep this turned to off unless cattle are actively using this pasture, and I know this unit has been functioning well for the past three years or so....but lately it seems to have no juice at all....when we first turned it back on, 10 days ago, it seemed fine, zapping right along

but lately it seems less than effective and the needle no longer registers in the green zone...we have had a lot of cloudy days recently, could the battery just not be recharging well? I have no idea what to expect from this type of unit, it has always just worked well....we keep the lines cleared and repaired.....and try to address any shorts quickly.....

I do have a fault finder and it is not showing any faults....just not a lot of power....

and is there a good place to order a new battery online?

[spur]

If you got three years out of a rechargeable battery you have done well. The solar fence chargers we have need the batteries replaced every two to three years. What you have to consider is that the batteries are in a constant short cycle mode meaning they charge, drain, charge, drain each and every day and that is hard on them.

[Allen W]

I can pick up a battery for mine at the local auto store, they are used in alarms and other things that need stand by power.

[agmantoo]

My Parmak 12 volt lasted that long also. I got such good life out of mine I was certain to replace the weak battery with an identical battery that I got off the internet. I had an acquaintance that stored his battery too long (a few weeks) out of the sun and he got far less life from his original battery than we got. I think there is benefit from keeping the battery fully charged at all times by the solar charger.