Thanks for that input, Chuck. Testing for a battery going bad with a hydrometer is important, and oil could interfere. I’ve been planning for over a year to do the same things you did, and finally hope to get to it this coming month after the yard work and other priorities are caught up.
I still haven’t decided wet cell or AGM; if prices are similar to when I checked last summer, house AGM’s are 50% more, not double like they once were, but chassis ones are still more than twice “maintenance-free” wet cells. And here I recently bought a good hydrometer and watering device 🤨.
I assume because of the inverter and solar charger settings, I must have all batteries, both chassis and house, the same type. That works out to $650 for all wet cells vs. at least $1510 for all AGM. Makes it come down to whether the elimination of corrosion and regular watering is worth $860. I’m sure prices have changed, but that basic consideration is still gonna be there.
I know, the oil thing sounded iffy to me too, which is why I sought input here. But the fellow that writes the blog is a retired engineer with pretty good and proven technical prowess. I had to give the idea some degree of credence. I’ve read about the notion in the past, but passed it off as gimmicky and possibly risky ... until he mentioned he did it to the brand new batteries he just put in his Journey.
Joel