11-03-2008, 06:16 AM
Off grid battery systems are now a lot easier than they used to be. There are charge controllers which keep them from being overcharged and many inverters have cut off switches which keep them from being discharged too much. Once the system is set up, it doesn't need to be fussed with much. We use deep cycle golf cart batteries and about every three months go out and check to see how the water level in them is doing. They last for about eight years and it cost us $450 to replace the battery bank last time. We do have a smaller system than many folks may want to use, though, since we are very frugal with our electrical use but the whole system so far has been less than $8K so it has been affordable.
Kurt Wilson