Lots of folks vent on 8-volt batteries here, but so far you and I Elwardo are the only ones to admit we are using one. I have never seen a post from anyone else running an 8-volt battery who mentions any of that long list of problems. I have said it many times, my next battery will be a 6-volt one again. But all the problems listed in Jerry's post I have not had any personal experience with. I did have to raise the regulator voltage as described above, it isn't quite as high as 9.5, but it is over 9 volts.
But it is certainly true that a good electrical system shouldn't need an 8 volt battery. Oh, and a partial answer to your question might be that the regulator tends to click when it is working. It isn't a gradual sort of regulation, it's on or off, but the cycles go pretty fast, so it clicks.
Karl
