What kind of battery should I buy?

Any will work, even solar. I run mine at home with the battery charger. IMHO, a deep cycle battery is too heavy and expensive, so I personally would like to know how much run time could be had from a fully charged lawn tractor/motorcycle battery in the field.
 

Thanks for the reply Jeff. You say you run the battery with the charger. Do you mean you keep the charger hooked up to the battery while you use the battery?
 

Security system/ computer back-up batteries work great and come in different sizes amp/hr
 

Go for the deep cycle! Automotive batteries are not made to cycle through charging/discharging. And even using a deep cycle, to best extend the life of the battery try not to discharge below 40% or so. I've seen some slick setups that do have a solar panel hooked to the battery to keep a smaller one charging while being used. Goldwasher is right, use a computer UPS battery.
 

DEEP CYCLE!!!!!!! As almost everyone on here knows, I use a recirc system extensively out at our claim. The security system batteries just don't last, motorcycle batteries are just about the same and while a car battery will work well, they can't handle the constant discharge and recharge for very long.

Depending on how much time you plan on spending out in the field, you may want to invest in a matched pair as well as a solar panel system to charge the one your not using at the time. My current power project is a trailer with over 750 Watts worth of panels mounted to it to supply not only as a charging station for the batteries, but will also supply power for the entire camp. This includes lighting, computer power you name it. Still under construction but when finished it's going to be great. It's also costing me close to $5K for the panels, batteries, charge controller and inverters. (The trailer I already had... ;) )

Deep cycle batteries may be expensive and heavy but they are the way to go IMHO. I can run for two solid days using twin pumps and then swap and recharge them off the 20Watt solar panel.
 

I'd go AGM. They're about twice the price of a similarly sized deep cycle lead-acid though. You can discharge the AGM much more than a deep cycle without trashing the battery, and they charge in about 1/4 of the time. They also have a good shelf life when not in use, unlike regular lead acid (car, motorcycle) batteries. If size and weight are an issue check out smaller AGM's, like the ones they use in mart carts.
Here's a 26Ah one:

http://www.allegromedical.com//mobility-scooters-c533/mk-12-volt-26-amp-sealed-light-duty-agm-batteries-p560971.html?gclid=CjgKEAjwkpacBRCNlprWw-u-nBwSJACwHiw-0N4db-Agonx61XEvoe10dqu9tC4FT8EKa4mb5vyva_D_BwE&kwid=productads-plaid^75250890013-sku^1268@ADL4F6AF07B@ADL4ALLEGRO-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^49836373933#1268-F6AF07B?engine=froogle&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=feed&CS_003=9164468&CS_010=ff808181268efc2701268f6af02b0019

edit: just checked the johnson 2200gph - apparently runs 7.5 amps, so that little battery should last you about 3 1/2 hours.
 

Last edited:
You can do a search and read some of the other threads
relating to battery usage, as there is a wealth of helpful info
in them.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/dredging-hi-banking/397263-12v-batteries-there-preference.html

This is the battery I am using, and so far am very pleased with it's
performance. I can run about 4 hrs. without recharge. At 2 hrs.
of use, it still has a level of about 12.5v, and the "float" voltage
is about 13.5v.

12V 18Ah Jumper Pack Booster Box Battery Replacement | eBay

Very good seller, as well.
 

As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
DizzyDigger said:
You can do a search and read some of the other threads
relating to battery usage, as there is a wealth of helpful info
in them.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/dredging-hi-banking/397263-12v-batteries-there-preference.html



This is the battery I am using, and so far am very pleased with it's
performance. I can run about 4 hrs. without recharge. At 2 hrs.
of use, it still has a level of about 12.5v, and the "float" voltage
is about 13.5v.

12V 18Ah Jumper Pack Booster Box Battery Replacement | eBay

Very good seller, as well.
Click to expand...

$36 AND free shipping. Can't beat that!
 

As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Jordan P said:
Thanks for the reply Jeff. You say you run the battery with the charger. Do you mean you keep the charger hooked up to the battery while you use the battery?
Click to expand...
here at work we use the Lead Acid batteries for all sorts of fun stuff. battery backups come in here all the time from companies we buy them from.
This is usually the size we get. we have made some super bright LED spot lights using these batteries. the move volts you put to an LED the brighter it gets.
Amazon.com: 12V 5AH Rechargeable Sealed Lead Acid Battery [Electronics]: Health & Personal Care
 

Thank you everyone for the great responses! Helped me out a lot!

I plan to run my sluice in my garage, so solar panels are out of the question. Also $5000 is a hefty price to pay lol. I want to find enough gold to pay for my supplies atleast. After the battery and charger I'll already be $600 in on gold supplies. So $600 of gold is my goal for now. You guys think that's possible? Lol.
 

Jeff95531 said:
Hey Jordan P, I think I missed with my answer. I use no battery at all...runs straight off the charger.
Click to expand...

Really? I never knew that was possible. Does the charger wear out by using it that way?
 

Gold is at about $1255/oz so $600 dollars translates to just under 1/2oz. It all depends where you prospect and how ambitious you are! The more dirt you wash, the more gold you will find!
 

3xflyfisher said:
Gold is at about $1255/oz so $600 dollars translates to just under 1/2oz. It all depends where you prospect and how ambitious you are! The more dirt you wash, the more gold you will find!
Click to expand...

True!

I got the ambitious part down. Just don't think there's much gold here. But I'll keep looking and probably keep spending money on supplies lol.
 

I've used several battery's over the past several months and found the Optima Blue Top Battery is relatively light in comparison to most deep cycles, water proof and last forever and day on a single charge. With a $200 price tag it should, nothing worse then a weak battery and low water flow.
 

Sweet! I'll give it a shot as a back up if I ever need :)
 

I've been waiting on lithium batteries to come down in price.
Just stumbled onto the fact that Walmart now carries these.
Have NOT tried them, but they are 60 - 80% lighter than normal batteries.
(That's huge...)
Price is OK... it's getting BETTER at least.
They are selling out pretty fast apparently.

http://batterytender.com/products/batteries.html
 

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