Stranded wire vs solid: DC electricity travels through the center of a conductor. As the frequency increases, it tends to move twords the surface until at very high frequencies it travels on the surface.

However flexibility becomes an issue in a moving enviroment (aircraft, boats, RV's etc.). If solid wire is used here, it will eventually break from vibration flexing.

Lighting: Most filament lights are very inefficient. The newer LED lights are very efficient, but the light is still not up to all applications. We use compact florescent lights for applications where lots of light is needed. We get the cheapies from W-M and use an inverter. Works great. 100 watts of light (equivalent) takes 380ma, about 24 watts of power.

Hydrogen Gassing: The best method of venting is to use two concentric tubes at the top of the container. There are good diagrams on the web (sorry I don't have a URL) that explain the concept. It might have been on a Concord Lifeline Battery site.

Battery Gassing: Not all batteries vent gas during normal operation. AGM batteries use a catalyst to return the gas to a liquid state avoiding the release of hydrogen in all but the most extreme overcharging situation. They require no vent if the overcharging situation can be prevented by proper system design.

Been living off batteries and 12v for about 11 years now.

Nomad