# Gel or Flooded? **URL:** \ **Category:** GEM Forum\ **Created:** [June 24, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.electricforum.com/t/gel-or-flooded/3520 "2013-06-24T19:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GEM206](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@GEM206](https://community.electricforum.com/u/GEM206)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.electricforum.com/t/gel-or-flooded/3520/1 "2013-06-24T19:05:48Z")
Hi all, This forum is awesome and glad to be a new member. I have a few questions regarding replacing batteries. I have a 2001 4-person, a 2002 4-person, and a 2008 E6. Yes, I love Gem’s… The 2001 has 2 new gel batteries in it and 4 old gels. It runs fine for about 6 miles then hits turtle mode. Any thoughts? The 2002 4-person has all flooded and the battery meter is extremely dysfunctional and starts buzzing at 10 miles. Can this be a battery problem? Which batteries should I put in? The 2008 E6 has the original gel batteries. Yes, 5 years old. It is only getting a 6-10 mile range depending on hills. HELP!!! Thanks guys, Tyler ---
**Author:** ![bob.peloquin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ec9cab/32.png) [@bob.peloquin](https://community.electricforum.com/u/bob.peloquin)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.electricforum.com/t/gel-or-flooded/3520/2 "2013-06-25T14:37:41Z")
You need to monitor the voltage of each battery under load to find the bad ones. When you hit turtle-mode pull over and apply a load-tester to each of the batteries in-turn. Whichever one is dead or dying should be replaced. You probably have already heard this, but you really should replace all 6 batteries at once unless a single battery fails in the first months of use (infant mortality). Mixing and matching old and new batteries will allow the oldest/weakest one in the pack to dictate your maximum range. 5 years on OEM Gels is excellent service life. You’ve gotten all you can expect out of them at this point and should replace all 6 with brand new ones from the same production run. I recommend the NAPA Group 31 Gels which are made by Deka (who also makes them for GEM). Although the cheap way out is to use marine deep-cycle batteries, you’re probably not going to be happy with the range or short lifetime of these cheaper alternatives. Thee’s a good reason GEM uses Trojan T-1275 flooded cells and Deka Group-31 Gel batteries.