I have one interstate battery that is shot and the other one holds a decent charge. I replaced this one a couple of years back. It is not new but not quite ready to replace. I have heard people say that you must replace both batteries at the same time in a 24 volt set-up. Any opinions on this?
IMHO, you should keep your batteries matching (size, brand, born on date/purchase date, etc). Trouble free days on the water are worth their weight in gold.
In a 24 volt system, I’ve had one battery go dead before the other…just the way they are made. I always have the other load tested at the dealer. It tells me the strength of it and whether I need two new ones of not. At $100 each, series 31 batteries should last longer. Guess I use ’em a lot.
My next set will be Optimas.
If one of them has more than a year of hard use I would go with both new. If the older battery is starting to slip or when it does it will be robbing from Peter to pay Paul. In the end the new battery will fail sooner due to being over worked. Also, the total runtime of the system will be greatly reduced with a lesser battery in the system. But like Scott mentioned a load test can provide some answers.
My advice is to follow your gut and bite the bullet. And dont skimp on the size or amp rating trying to do so. Maybe you will get a back up starting battery out of the ordeal???
24 volt system is only as good as your worst battery
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