I posted this here because it seems a lot of people here are knowledgeable when it comes to Solar....
Anyways, I'll be buying 4 new batteries for my small solar set up soon as I have two Trojan deep cycles that are on their way to the grave. I was talking to a neighbor who recommended AGM optima blue top batteries for the battery bank as they won't be harmed if they freeze up (I live in interior Alaska where it can get down to -60). I will be leaving the system unattended for 2 months this winter so this is a concern for me. However I was reading online that as long as your regular deep cycle batteries are fully charged that they won't freeze until -90 or so which it never gets that cold
. Would I be better off spending the extra money and possibly sacrificing longevity for Optima bluetops or will regular deep cycle batteries be fine if stored fully charged? Will leaving batteries hooked up to be panels for two months with no draw down cause problems? Or should they be stored unhooked? The batteries are stored in a vented box in my arctic entryway which will reach outside ambient temp within a few days of leaving. Any other cold weather or solar panel system storage while you're away tips?
Any input is appreciated, thanks.
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