Deep Cycle Battery as a Starting Battery? Float voltage for Lead-Acid batteries should be about 2.15 to 2.23 volts per cell, or about 12.9-13.4 volts for a 12 volt battery.
Sometimes called "fork lift", "traction" or "stationary" batteries, are used where power is needed over a longer period of time, and are designed to be "deep cycled", or discharged down as low as 20% of full charge (80% DOD, or Depth of Discharge). The amp hour rating is usually given at something called the 20 hour rate so a 100Ah battery can power a 5 amp appliance for 20 hours ( 5 amps x 20 hours = 100).
Adding another complication is that large battery banks make up a large thermal mass. Note that forlong termfloat service, such as backup power systems that are seldom discharged, the float voltage should be around 13.02 to 13.20 volts. As you can see, two batteries, both rated 100 Ah, can perform very differently. It will not hurt a deep cycle battery to be used as a starting battery, but for the same size battery they cannot supply as much cranking amps as a regular starting battery and is usually much more expensive. Previously, Ed was chairman of the Marine Technology Department at the New England Institute of Technology. Many inverters and charge controls have a hard time with them.
The higher the internal resistance, the higher the losses while charging and discharging, especially at higher currents. They charge OK, but a charger rated at 20 amps may only be supplying 5 amps when the batteries are 80% charged. Some actual testing was done recently on a battery by one of oursolar forumposters, and these are his results: Bulk Charge- The first stage of 3-stage battery charging. This means that the faster a battery is used (discharged), the LOWER the AH capacity. Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the standard flooded deep cycle battery. 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. Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates for maximum surface area.
Although these can be cycled down to 20% charge, the best lifespan vs cost method is to keep the average cycle at about 50% discharge.
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. In the hybrid, the plates may be composed of Lead sponge, but it is coarser and heavier than that used in starting batteries. This may occur several hundred times per minute. If it has been completely discharged on a regular basis, it will be in a far worse condition than one that has, for example, never been below a 30% state of charge. How fast can a Sealed Lead Acid rechargeable battery charge? At freezing, capacity is reduced by 20%. In PWM, the controller or charger senses tiny voltage drops in the battery and sends very short charging cycles (pulses) to the battery. Thin plates (used in starter batteries) buckle under these circumstances causing the battery to short out or limiting its ability to recharge. However, if your batteries are outside, and the controller is inside, it does not work that well. This ranks among the top 3 reasons for battery failure. Here well cover the steps you can follow to find the right battery for your needs. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. VPC is the volts per individual cell - if you measure more than a .2 volt difference between each cell, you need to equalize, or your batteries are going bad, or they may be sulfated. Even most "dry charged" batteries (those sold without electrolyte so they can be shipped more easily, with acid added later) will deteriorate over time. They cannot be fast charged on a conventional automotive charger or they may be permanently damaged. Another problem is that they are very inefficient - you lose anywhere from 30 to 40% in heat just by charging and discharging them. It isamps x hours.
A few Lithium-Ion types are starting to make their appearance, but are much more expensive than Lead-Acid and most charge controllers do not have the correct setpoints for proper charging. 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. So a 100Ah battery should power a 100 Amp appliance for one hour . Either buy them when you need them or keep them on a continual trickle charge. This tends to even out in most systems - they will spend part of their life at higher temperatures, and part at lower. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse.
It is lead acid batteries than can be cranking (designed to deliver short bursts of high energy) or deep cycle. Marine batteriess are usually a "hybrid", and fall between the starting and deep-cycle batteries, though a few (Rolls-Surrette and Concorde, for example) are true deep cycle. However, there are often ratings for other depth of discharge cycles, the most common ones are 10%, 20%, and 50%. Top 10 Choices for Boaters, 11 Holiday Gift Ideas For Boaters This Season, 10 Cool Last Minute Holiday Gifts for Boaters. Battery capacity (how many amp-hours it can hold) is reduced as temperature goes down, and increased as temperature goes up.
Either replace with all new or use a good used battery. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries.
Automotive batteries typically have plates about .040" (4/100") thick, while forklift batteries may have plates more than 1/4" (.265" for example in larger Rolls-Surrette) thick - almost 7 times as thick as auto batteries. If you are investing for the long term and you would like your battery to get the most from your purchase then one with an Ah rating twice that which you actually require would give you a much better service life and actually represent a cost saving. The sensor will then read very close to the actual internal battery temperature. Note the large voltage drop in the last 10%. AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual.
Lead-Acid batteries do NOT have a memory, and the rumor that they should be fully discharged to avoid this "memory" is totally false and will lead to early battery failure. Once the charging voltage reaches 2.583 volts per cell, charging should stop or be reduced to a trickle charge. Conversely the lower the drain, the more efficient the battery is. Throughout this article we have been considering which battery we would need to power a 5 Amp appliance for 20 hours.
Should I upgrade to a Gel Battery for my trolling motor? This does NOT mean you cannot go to 80% once in a while. However, there are several disadvantages. This makes sure that all the cells are equally charged, and the gas bubbles mix the electrolyte.
If left for long periods unused, these should be trickle charged to avoid damage from sulfation - but this applies to ANY battery. (Video of What makes a Deep Cycle Battery Different with Transcript). This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. AGM batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes, Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive most freezes. If you use 1000 watts from a battery, it might take 1050 or 1250 watts or more to fully recharge it. 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. Lifespan is increased at the same rate if below 77 degrees, but capacity is reduced. Nearly all sealed batteries are "valve regulated" (commonly referred to as "VRLA" - Valve Regulated Lead-Acid). A "float" trickle charge should be maintained on the batteries even if they are not used (or, especially if they are not used). The positive (+) plate is what gets eaten away gradually over time, so eventually there is nothing left - it all falls to the bottom as sediment. All deep cycle batteries are rated in amp-hours. boats.com, 1221 Brickell Avenue, 23rd Floor, Miami, FL 33131, USA. They are expensive to buy and very expensive to dispose of due to the hazardous nature of Cadmium. For example, most golf cart batteries are rated for about 550 cycles to 50% discharge - which equates to about 2 years. This is true of flooded lead acid and sealed lead acid batteries. Copyright 2022 Northern Arizona Wind & Sun. The higher the rate of discharge, the higher the internal resistance inside the cells and the more energy that is wasted in heat. Current is sent to batteries at the maximum safe rate they will accept until voltage rises to near (80-90%) full charge level.
Also, there is an upper limit - a battery that is continually cycled 5% or less will usually not last as long as one cycled down 10%. Even after over a century of use, they still offer the best price to power ratio. Some models even have completely different plate designs to add even greater strength. The most practical number to use is 50% DOD on a regular basis.
State of charge, or conversely, the depth of discharge (DOD) can be determined by measuring the voltage and/or the specific gravity of the acid with a hydrometer. Nearly all large rechargeable batteries in common use are Lead-Acid type. 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. At approximately -22 degrees F (-27 C), battery AH capacity drops to 50%. These are usually special purpose "float service", but often appear on the surplus market as "deep cycle". A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. At higher temperatures (over 85 degrees F) this should be reduced to about 2.10 volts per cell. To see the full size picture, just click on the small one. As a general rule, if you are going to use a true deep cycle battery (such as the Concorde SunXtender) also as a starting battery, it should be oversized about 20% compared to the existing or recommended starting battery group size to get the same cranking amps. Typical self discharge rates for flooded are 5% to 15% per month. Fortress Power and Victron Energy Webinar, Electronics Guru Goes Off-Grid with Solar in Baja, Mexico, Alaska Off-Grid Resident Harnesses Energy from the Sun, Northern Utah Residents Outfit Shelter with Solar Power, Couple Converts School Bus into Solar Powered Skooly, Rolls-Surrette premium deep cycle: 7-15 years. It can range from about 1% to 15% per month.
For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Battery capacity is reduced by 50% at -22 degrees F - but battery LIFE increases by about 60%. However, NiCads can be frozen without damage, so are sometimes used in areas where the temperatures may fall below -50 degrees F. Most AGM batteries will also survive freezing with no problems, even though the output when frozen will be little or nothing. Capacity is increased at higher temperatures - at 122 degrees F, battery capacity would be about 12% higher. The battery may short out or it will just last for shorter and shorter periods requiring a replacement purchase long before it should be necessary. Starting (sometimes called SLI, for starting, lighting, ignition) batteries are commonly used to start and run engines. If these are set to the correct voltages for your batteries, they will keep the batteries charged without damage. have come out with "smart", or multi-stage chargers. Most smaller deep cycle batteries (including AGM) use Lead-Calcium plates for increased life, while most industrial and forklift batteries use Lead-Antimony for greater plate strength to withstand shock and vibration.
These voltages are for batteries that have been at rest for 3 hours or more. AGM's will cost about 1.5 to 2 times as much as flooded batteries of the same capacity. If overcharged too many times, some of these batteries can lose enough water that they will die before their time. 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. After a full charge, the water level should be even in all cells and usually 1/4" to 1/2" below the bottom of the fill well in the cell (depends on battery size and type). If you cannot equalize for some reason, you should let the battery sit for at least 24 hours and then use the hydrometer. A battery is an electrical storage device. Some other disadvantages of gel cells is that they must be charged at a lower voltage (2/10th's less) than flooded or AGM batteries. This is actually not as bad as it seems, as the battery will tend to average out the good and bad times. A new AGM typically self-discharges at about 1-2% per month, while an old one may be as much as 2% per week.
This is why we recommend the charge controls and battery chargers listed in the sections above. 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 has allowed some less reputable manufacturers to label starter batteries as deep cycle especially in the lead acid battery arena. 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. Connected to a 100 Amp appliance, the same battery might only last a matter of minutes. Many batteries follow no particular code, and are just manufacturers part numbers. This is often referred to as a maintenance or trickle charge, since it's main purpose is to keep an already charged battery from discharging.
Voltages at this stage are typically around 14.2 to 15.5 volts.
To get a full charge, you must continue to apply a current after the battery voltage reaches the cutoff point of most of these types of controllers. Engine starters need a very large starting current for a very short time. If cycled only 10% DOD, it will last about 5 times as long as one cycled to 50%. This is why your car battery dies on a cold winter morning, even though it worked fine the previous afternoon. Occasional dips into the yellow are not harmful, but continual discharges to those levels will shorten battery life considerably. It is often hard to tell what you are getting in a "marine" battery, but most are a hybrid.
Xantrex Morningstar Midnite Solar Outback Power Steca You can find all these brands, as well as others, in our charge controller section. Hydrometer readings may not tell the whole story, as it takes a while for the acid to get mixed up in wet cells. Age and usage level should be the same as the companion batteries. Voltage on a fully charged battery will read 2.12 to 2.15 volts per cell, or 12.7 volts for a 12 volt battery. Note that many shunt-type charge controllers sold for solar systems will NOT give you a full charge - check the specifications first. A few systems use NiCad, but we do not recommend them except in cases where extremely cold temperatures (-50 F or less) are common. Typical efficiency in a lead-acid battery is 85-95%, in alkaline and NiCad battery it is about 65%. Flooded battery life can be extended if anequalizing chargeis applied every 10 to 40 days.
The Crown L-16HC size has .22" thick plates. ("C/8" is the battery capacity at the 20-hour rate divided by 8. Ed Sherman is a regular contributor to boats.com, as well as to Professional Boatbuilder and Cruising World, where he previously was electronics editor. 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. Not everyone needs these features.
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. Even the so-called "dry charged" (where you add acid when you need them) have a shelf life of 18 months at most. A large insulated battery bank may vary as little as 10 degrees over 24 hours internally, even though the air temperature varies from 20 to 70 degrees. Specific gravity will be about 1.265 for a fully charged cell, and 1.13 or less for a totally discharged cell. You can have very strong solution at the bottom, and very weak at the top of the cell. Instead of using the generally accepted 20 hour rate they base their capacity on something higher like a 100 hour rate the battery is capable of powering a 1 amp appliance for 100 hours.
The voltages below apply to ALL Lead-Acid batteries, except gelled. go to our Batteries for Deep Cycle Applications page. These are nearly all various variations of Lead-Acid batteries. For longest life, batteries should stay in the green zone. A battery can meet the voltage tests for being at full charge, yet be much lower than it's original capacity.
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken.
A clamp-on meter set to measure amperes will help you determine the electrical demands of your system. Chargers: Most garage and consumer (automotive) type battery chargers are bulk charge only, and have little (if any) voltage regulation. While plate thickness is not the only factor in how many deep cycles a battery can take before it dies, it is the most important one. Deep-cycle includes solar electric (PV), backup power, traction, and RV and boat "house" batteries. Trojan T-105 = 1.25; Optima 750S = 1.109; US Battery 2200 = 1.20. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits. They can vary considerably, depending on age, usage, care, and type. Max storage life on those is about 18 to 30 months. Plate thickness (of the Positive plate) matters because of a factor called "positive grid corrosion". Click for details. Meters for Amps (from the panels) and battery Volts are optional with most types. They will gradually last for shorter periods in each discharge. 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. Deep cycle batteries have much thicker lead plates to withstand long and intense discharging. 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. At 122F (50C), capacity is improved by 12%. To find the correct one we need to know which battery will deliver 120Ah at freezing: (120 Ah/80) * 100 = 150Ah. We have seen gelled cells destroyed in one day when overcharged with a large automotive charger. 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". In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage. Solvents or spray cleaners should not be used. AGM batteries are also sometimes called "starved electrolyte" or "dry"because the fiberglass mat is only 95% saturated with Sulfuric acid and there is no excess liquid.
This is a charge that is about 10% higher than normal full charge voltage, and is applied for about 2 to 16 hours. Deep cycle batteries have much thicker plates than automotive batteries.
Most flooded batteries should be charged at no more than the "C/8" rate for any sustained period. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged. Slower charging and discharging rates are more efficient.
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. For the purposes of this article however well stick with 120Ah.
This "leakage" or self discharge varies considerably with battery type, age, & temperature.
The self discharge of batteries with Lead-Antimony plates can be high - as much as 1% per day on an older battery. An amp-hour is one amp for one hour, or 10 amps for 1/10 of an hour and so forth. The lower the internal resistance, the better.
All AGM & gelled are sealed and are "valve regulated", which means that a tiny valve keeps a slight positive pressure. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. With stratification, you can test a battery with a hydrometer and get readings that are quite a ways off. All rights reserved. The electrolyte may be stronger (for cold) or weaker (for very hot) climates. This deep-cycle marine/RV battery is rated for 500 MCA (marine cranking amps) and 80 amp-hours. It is during this stage that the charger puts out maximum voltage.
Distilled or deionized water should be used to top off non-sealed batteries. 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.
Note that flooded batteriesMUSTbubble (gas) somewhat to ensure a full charge, and to mix the electrolyte. The Concorde AGM's are .115", The Rolls-Surrette L-16 type (CH460) is .150", and the US Battery and Trojan L-16 types are .090". There is a great deal of misunderstanding that surrounds deep cycle batteries, which often leads to extra costs as buyers follow false economies. Other standard size codes are 4D & 8D, large industrial batteries, commonly used in solar electric systems. Voltages at this stage typically range from 10.5 volts to 15 volts. 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? Deep cycle batteries (also often called Leisure or Marine batteries) are designed to provide a constant current over several hours compared to starter batteries which offer high power for several seconds. They are sometimes used in larger PV systems because you can get a lot of storage in a single (very large and heavy) battery.
Here is the summary: It is worth knowing that the capacity of all rechargeable batteries decreases with age and deep cycle units are no exception. All Lead-Acid batteries supply about 2.14 volts per cell (12.6 to 12.8 for a 12 volt battery) when fully charged. It is usually considered to be discharging from 100% to 20%, and then back to 100%. Usually older batteries need to be watered more often. The active paste applied to the plates will also be dislodged at a higher rate as it is not designed to go below a 50% state of charge. 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. 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. This is converted to heat, which is why batteries get warm when being charged up. Always remember the shallower the discharge and charge levels the longer your battery will last. There is little you can do to check these issues and so buying second hand can be risky. Some Peukert Exponent values (not complete, just for info). The chart is for a Concorde Lifeline battery, but all lead-acid batteries will be similar in the shape of the curve, although the number of cycles will vary. 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. 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. 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. The golf cart battery is quite popular for small systems and RV's.
Many have "group" sizes, which is based upon the physical size and terminal placement. Practically all batteries used in PV and all but the smallest backup systems are Lead-Acid type batteries. The major applications are automotive, marine, and deep-cycle. It is aVERYpoor idea to buy new batteries and "save" them for later. We have used the Concorde SunXtender AGM batteries in some of our vehicles with no problems. The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are SOLID Lead plates - not sponge. One is that they must be charged at a slower rate (C/20) to prevent excess gas from damaging the cells. Check out our most popular AGM battery brands: Universal Power Group, Concorde SunXtender, and Fullriver Battery. 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. For this reason, external (add-on) temperature sensors should be attached to one of the POSITIVE plate terminals, and bundled up a little with some type of insulation on the terminal. This gives less surface area, thus less "instant" power like starting batteries need. 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. We have had almost no direct experience with the NiFe (alkaline) batteries, but from what we have learned from others we do not not recommend them.
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