[Mikeinnj]

I just replaced an eight year old six volt Interstate battery. The only maintenance I ever performed was to check and add distilled water during the summer, which was seldom needed.

The car sat in a an unheated garage in Northern Massachusetts from each September until the following June and never used a charger during that ten months span. Each June the car would turn over and start promptly.

Heat and overcharging is what kills batteries. (Check your generator output)

Many battery companies make special batteries depending on what climate zones they are to be sold in. So the battery you buy in Florida is made differently that one you buy in New York.