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I have a Mighty Mule gate opener that I installed 2.5 years ago. At the time I used a Marine type battery and connected a 50 watt (IIRC) solar panel to keep the battery charged. No issues until this week.
In an effort to add lighting by my gate I installed from Amazon a GLW® 10W 12V AC or DC 700lm LED Motion Sensor Flood Light, Smart PIR Decector Outdoor Security Floodlight 6000k Cool White, Waterproof Basement Light 100cm Cable, 80W Halogen Bulb Equivalent. I reasoned that the large marine battery had more than enough power to both power the gate open/closed half a dozen times per day and to also illuminate the light in the evening as circumstance may trip the motion detector to cause the light to come on for 6 minutes at a time. I think I was wrong about the battery being up to the task.
On the first night when the light was activated the gate opener began sounding its audible beeping to inform me that the voltage was too low to power the gate opener, even though the opener was not in use. I did a little observing and realized that without any draw on the battery there was 13 volts present, even at night. When the light comes on that drops to just over 10 volts. I was very surprised by such a large drop in power from such a small light. I disconnected the light.
I tried to activate the gate opener the next morning, but without success. Now when I test the battery I see 13 volts without a load placed on the battery, but when I use my battery tester to apply a load to the battery the needle goes all the way to the left telling me there is not any voltage or that there is a short.
My first question is what type of battery should I use to replace this failed battery? Another marine type or something else?
Is it purely a coincidence that the battery failed at the same time the light was installed or did the light put too much of a demand on the battery, especially without the sun shinning to recharge the battery at night?
I'd like to have the benefit of that 12 volt light, but I don't want to be replacing the battery prematurely.
In an effort to add lighting by my gate I installed from Amazon a GLW® 10W 12V AC or DC 700lm LED Motion Sensor Flood Light, Smart PIR Decector Outdoor Security Floodlight 6000k Cool White, Waterproof Basement Light 100cm Cable, 80W Halogen Bulb Equivalent. I reasoned that the large marine battery had more than enough power to both power the gate open/closed half a dozen times per day and to also illuminate the light in the evening as circumstance may trip the motion detector to cause the light to come on for 6 minutes at a time. I think I was wrong about the battery being up to the task.
On the first night when the light was activated the gate opener began sounding its audible beeping to inform me that the voltage was too low to power the gate opener, even though the opener was not in use. I did a little observing and realized that without any draw on the battery there was 13 volts present, even at night. When the light comes on that drops to just over 10 volts. I was very surprised by such a large drop in power from such a small light. I disconnected the light.
I tried to activate the gate opener the next morning, but without success. Now when I test the battery I see 13 volts without a load placed on the battery, but when I use my battery tester to apply a load to the battery the needle goes all the way to the left telling me there is not any voltage or that there is a short.
My first question is what type of battery should I use to replace this failed battery? Another marine type or something else?
Is it purely a coincidence that the battery failed at the same time the light was installed or did the light put too much of a demand on the battery, especially without the sun shinning to recharge the battery at night?
I'd like to have the benefit of that 12 volt light, but I don't want to be replacing the battery prematurely.
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