To properly check the voltages, the battery should sit at rest for a few hours, or you should put a small load on it, such as a small automotive bulb, for a few minutes. As in all things, there are trade offs. At freezing, capacity is reduced by 20%. To get around this, Xantrex (and maybe others?) The golf cart battery is quite popular for small systems and RV's. They charge OK, but a charger rated at 20 amps may only be supplying 5 amps when the batteries are 80% charged. (Some, such as the Concorde AGM, use the 24 hour rate, which is probably a better real-world rating). JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Never add acidto a battery except to replace spilled liquid. The answer is related to the internal chemistry of batteries - at around 10.5 volts, the specific gravity of the acid in the battery gets so low that there is very little left that can do.

The best determination is to measure the specific gravity, but in many batteries this is difficult or impossible. Typical BCI codes are group U1, 24, 27, and 31. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. Some charge controls have temperature compensation built in (such as Morningstar) - this works fine if the controller is subject to the same temperatures as the batteries. Previously, Ed was chairman of the Marine Technology Department at the New England Institute of Technology. They all use the same chemistry, although the actual construction of the plates, etc varies. To avoid cable overheating, you should stick to C/4 or less. Trojan Battery- not a lot of real technical info here, but has all the specifications.Rolls Battery- Specs and data on the Rolls & Surrette deep cycle and marine batteriesConcorde- specs and data on all the Concorde batteries, including Lifeline.Discover Battery - Lots of info on the Discover Battery brand of batteries.Discover Solar - A solar specific site for the Discover Battery brand.SimpliPhi, Posted in Batteries & Charging. It is aVERYpoor idea to buy new batteries and "save" them for later. Most better inverters commonly used in solar electric systems can be set to limit charging current to the batteries. If you look at the fine print, it has that rating only at 5% DOD - it is much less when used in an application where they are cycled deeper on a regular basis. Deep Cycle Battery as a Starting Battery? Deep cycle batteries have much thicker lead plates to withstand long and intense discharging. In many installations, where the batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. Bear in mind that installing a new high-output alternator on an older engine will probably require other modifications, too. If you have something that pulls 20 amps, and you use it for 20 minutes, then the amp-hours used would be 20 (amps) x .333 (hours), or 6.67 AH. Even though battery capacity at high temperatures is higher, battery life is shortened. amp hour marine battery gel solar cycle deep agm 12v larger Part - or most - of the loss in charging and discharging batteries is due to internal resistance. cycle deep 8d battery marine A few systems use NiCad, but we do not recommend them except in cases where extremely cold temperatures (-50 F or less) are common. Gelled batteries, or "Gel Cells" contain acid that has been "gelled" by the addition of Silica Gel, turning the acid into a solid mass that looks like gooey Jell-O. Conversely, if it is drained slower, the AH capacity is higher. So if Peukerts Law says you need a 100 Ah battery at the 20 hour discharge rate and you have upped this to 120 Ah so as not to fully discharge it each time, up it again to take into account temperature. The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. If your deep cycle battery is going to experience colder conditions, it is better to up the capacity in order to achieve the performance you expect. (Video of What makes a Deep Cycle Battery Different with Transcript). CA and MCA ratings are at 32 degrees F, while CCA is at zero degrees F. Unfortunately, the only positive way to tell with some batteries is to buy one and cut it open - not much of an option. The advantage of these batteries is that it is impossible to spill acid even if they are broken. For a very brief discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of these and other types of batteries, such as NiCad, NiFe (Nickel-Iron), etc. An interesting rule of thumb is that typically if you divide a given reserve capacity by two, you will derive the approximate amp hour capacity. A battery can meet the voltage tests for being at full charge, yet be much lower than it's original capacity. This means that it is discharged down to 10.5 volts over a 20 hour period while the total actual amp-hours it supplies is measured. The lower the internal resistance, the better. Nearly all sealed batteries are "valve regulated" (commonly referred to as "VRLA" - Valve Regulated Lead-Acid). Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates for maximum surface area. NiFe (Nickel-Iron) batteries are also available - these have a very long life, but rather poor efficiency (60-70%) and the voltages are different, making it more difficult to match up with standard 12v/24/48v systems and inverters. Copyright 2022 Northern Arizona Wind & Sun. You might be thinking I have a 5 Amp appliance that I need to power for 20 hours, so what I need is a 100 Ah battery that was defined as such using the 20 hour rate. Max storage life on those is about 18 to 30 months. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged. battery 31dc marine cycle deep dc Telephone (float): 2-20 years. The generally accepted AH rating time period for batteries used in solar electric and backup power systems (and for nearly all deep cycle batteries) is the "20 hour rate". A printable version of this page will be available in Adobe PDF format when we finish updating this page for downloading and printing: Most of the charts have small images for faster downloading. This does NOT mean you cannot go to 80% once in a while. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. battery westmarine newcontent amp 100ah To make an accurate assessment of your boat's requirements for both mission-critical and less important demands, use a load requirements worksheet like this example from the American Boat and Yacht Council. Once the charging voltage reaches 2.583 volts per cell, charging should stop or be reduced to a trickle charge. Battery life is directly related to how deep the battery is cycled each time. agm cycle deep lifeline gpl 24t battery 12v marine amp volt hr batteries hour 80a starting At approximately -22 degrees F (-27 C), battery AH capacity drops to 50%. Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% time after time and have much thicker plates. Chargers: Most garage and consumer (automotive) type battery chargers are bulk charge only, and have little (if any) voltage regulation. sealed lead solaire They are generally used where they are under constant or very frequent charge/discharge cycles, such as fork lifts and floor sweepers. The biggest problem with NiFe batteries is that you may have to put in 100 watts to get 70 watts of charge - they are much less efficient than Lead-Acid. You have to be careful when looking at ratings that list how many cycles a battery is rated for unless it also states how far down it is being discharged. Click on the small graph to see a full size chart of temperature vs capacity. It is for this and other reasons that we no longer sell any of the gelled cells except for replacement use. Flooded may be standard, with removable caps, or the so-called "maintenance free" (that means they are designed to die one week after the warranty runs out). There is no hard and fast rule to this decline as much will have depended on how the battery was used since new. If measured right after charging, you might see 1.27 at the top of the cell, even though it is much less at the bottom. Lead-Antimony (such as forklift and floor scrubber) batteries have a much higher self-discharge rate (2-10% per week) than Lead or Lead-Calcium (1-5% per month), but the Antimony improves the mechanical strength of the plates, which is an important factor in electric vehicles. Because of this characteristic, you have to be on the lookout for under handed manufacturers who might try to pull the wool over your eyes. It is sometimes hard to tell, as the term deep cycle is often overused - we have even seen the term "deep cycle" used in automotive starting battery advertising. Voltages at this stage are typically around 14.2 to 15.5 volts. What you save on batteries you will have to make up for by buying a larger solar panel system. that are more suited for deep cycle batteries. Note that a couple of them are listed as "power trackers" - for a full explanation of this, see our page on "Why 130 watts does not equal 130 watts". Those same batteries are rated at less than 5 years if cycled to 50%. The 140-minute reserve capacity indicates the number of minutes a battery can deliver 25 amps of current without dropping below 10.5 volts. Battery life is reduced at higher temperatures - for every 15 degrees F over 77, battery life is cut in half. If plates are damaged, sulfated, or partially gone from long use, the battery may give theappearanceof being fully charged, but in reality acts like a battery of much smaller size. Batteries that are stored for long periods will eventually lose all their charge. This is important because some manufacturers and vendors have chosen to rate their batteries at the 100 hour rate - which makes them look a lot better than they really are. The most practical number to use is 50% DOD on a regular basis. cycle marine deep battery professional larger This deep-cycle marine/RV battery is rated for 500 MCA (marine cranking amps) and 80 amp-hours. Batteries come in all different sizes. There is a good explanation and demonstration of Internal Resistance here. This prevents a lot of the water loss and splashing that may occur when they are bubbling. If overcharged, voids can develop in the gel which will never heal, causing a loss in battery capacity. Should I upgrade to a Gel Battery for my trolling motor? This is not usually a problem with solar electric systems, but if an auxiliary generator or inverter bulk charger is used, current must be limited to the manufacturers specifications. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. We learned how to recognizea real deep cycle battery and not a mislabeled starter battery, We checked the discharge rating used by the manufacturer to arrive at their Amp Hour rating, where we determined a 100 Ampere Hour battery (at the 20 hour rating) would power our 5 Amp appliance for the required 20 hours. Trojan T-105 = 1.25; Optima 750S = 1.109; US Battery 2200 = 1.20. In the example above, a 120Ah rating would mean the battery rarely runs completely flat, so you will get many more cycles from your purchase. A new AGM typically self-discharges at about 1-2% per month, while an old one may be as much as 2% per week. There is no "correct" voltage for bulk charging, but there may be limits on the maximum current that the battery and/or wiring can take. It's just that when designing a system when you have some idea of the loads, you should figure on an average DOD of around 50% for the best storage vs cost factor. While some battery manufacturers state a higher maximum charge rate, such as C/3, higher charge rates can result in high battery temperatures and/or excessive bubbling and loss of liquid. This is a charge that is about 10% higher than normal full charge voltage, and is applied for about 2 to 16 hours.

Most valve regulated are under some pressure - 1 to 4 psi at sea level. A brand new battery will have a capacity of about 5-10% less than the rated capacity. (There are some NiCads in use, but for most purposes the very high initial expense, and the high expense of disposal, does not justify them). The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery. If cycled only 10% DOD, it will last about 5 times as long as one cycled to 50%. Note that flooded batteriesMUSTbubble (gas) somewhat to ensure a full charge, and to mix the electrolyte. The Antimony increases plate life at the expense of higher self discharge. agm It can range from about 1% to 15% per month. Although called deep cycle, these batteries dont like complete discharge-recharge cycles and running them totally flat on a regular basis will cause internal damage that will shorten their lifespan. At 32F (0C), amp hours drop by 20%, at -22F (-27C), the decrease is 50%. This is why most industrial batteries have to be checked often for water level if you do not have Hydrocaps. Starter batteries use less lead (the main cost in the production process) because the plates in the cell are thinner. At 122F (50C), capacity is improved by 12%. There is generally no problem with this, providing that allowance is made for the lower cranking amps compared to a similar size starting battery. When using a small solar panel to keep afloat (maintenance) charge on a battery (without using a charge controller), choose a panel that will give a maximum output of about 1/300th to 1/1000th of the amp-hour capacity. battery agm cycle deep lifeline gpl 31t marine volt amp hour batteries rv camper pop ih8mud For example, most golf cart batteries are rated for about 550 cycles to 50% discharge - which equates to about 2 years. All rights reserved. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits. Sometimes ratings at the6 hour rateand100 hour rateare also given for comparison and for different applications. They are sometimes used in larger PV systems because you can get a lot of storage in a single (very large and heavy) battery. An important fact is that ALL of the batteries commonly used in deep cycle applications are Lead-Acid. Understand the demands of your on-board electrical equipment, and assess the abilities of your batteries and charging gear to keep up with those demands. One is that they must be charged at a slower rate (C/20) to prevent excess gas from damaging the cells. Solvents or spray cleaners should not be used. In such cases, the specific gravity and the voltages may vary from what we show. Concorde and some other AGMbatteries are a special case - they can be charged at up the the Cx4 rate, or 400% of the capacity for the bulk charge cycle for a short period. However, if your batteries are outside, and the controller is inside, it does not work that well. For long life batteries, such as the Surrette and Crown, you can have up to a one year age difference. Float Charge: The 3rd stage of 3-stage battery charging. A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. marine cycle 8d battery deep gel hours amp batteries west Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. Most industrial (fork lift) deep-cycle batteries use Lead-Antimony plates rather than the Lead-Calcium used in AGM or gelled deep-cycle batteries and in automotive starting batteries. Do not put a new battery in a pack which is more than 6 months old or has more than 75 cycles. Modern battery technology can mean a higher acceptance rate for charging, which in turn means that buying a higher-output charger might be a smart decision. This article deals mainly with lead acid batteries and makes reference to the internal design you can find out more about this in the article What is a lead acid battery? Voltage remains constant and current gradually tapers off as internal resistance increases during charging. Even the so-called "dry charged" (where you add acid when you need them) have a shelf life of 18 months at most. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken. Either buy them when you need them or keep them on a continual trickle charge. The problem is that "golf cart" refers to a size of battery case (commonly called GC-2, or T-105), not the type of construction - so the quality and construction of a golf cart battery can vary considerably - ranging from the cheap off brand with thin plates up to true deep cycle brands, such as Crown, Deka, Trojan, etc. However, one of the biggest killers of batteries is sitting stored in a partly discharged state for a few months. Another problem is that they are very inefficient - you lose anywhere from 30 to 40% in heat just by charging and discharging them. Thermal mass means that because they have so much mass, they will change internal temperature much slower than the surrounding air temperature. The acid is typically 30% Sulfuric acid and 70% water at full charge. Only clean water should be used for cleaning the outside of batteries. Many batteries are sealed, and hydrometer reading cannot be taken, so you must rely on voltage. Industrial deep cycle (Crown and Rolls 4KS series): 10-20+ years. The sensor will then read very close to the actual internal battery temperature. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. Check out our most popular AGM battery brands: Universal Power Group, Concorde SunXtender, and Fullriver Battery.



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