What is a deep cycle battery?
We all have some appliances and devices in our homes or offices that need electricity to work, and some of them can work as long as they have batteries.
Over the last few decades, many different types of batteries have been made and they have made life easier and more convenient for many people because batteries are very practical.
Have you ever seen which types of batteries? For example, batteries for TV remote control, batteries for cell phones, batteries for cars, or even solar cells?
They are all batteries, but they are very different in size, function, application, and especially in storing energy, just like our hero deep cycle battery today, although it is somewhat similar to a car battery, they are completely different in nature.
The deep cycle battery is essentially an energy storage lead battery cell, which is used to maintain power for a long time, because the battery is manufactured with a very thick electrode plate, so it can withstand a large number of discharge cycles, which is why it is called “deep cycle battery”. However, the Leonard battery manufacturer recommends that you do not discharge the deep cycle battery below 45% too often, as it will reduce the life of the battery. deep cycle battery life.
Deep cycle battery applications
Common applications for deep cycle batteries include material handling, recreational vehicles, marine applications, carts, and even off-grid renewable energy sources that require continuous power generation for long periods of time, for which deep cycle batteries are very suitable.
In addition, if CCA is considered, a deep cycle battery can also be used as a starter battery, which has the advantage of increasing the battery current by about 20%, thus inputting the same amount of starter current as the starter battery.
Application of deep cycle battery in solar power system
The deep cycle battery is an important part of every renewable energy source. A deep cycle battery is used as the core battery in solar power systems because it can be used to store energy for solar, wind, and other renewable energy groups. deep cycle battery is able to generate electricity continuously and steadily for a long time, which is very suitable for off-grid solar photovoltaic systems.
Therefore, it is very convenient to install a deep cycle battery at home. After we install the solar panel at home, we can use the deep cycle battery as the storage battery, which has two advantages. The other advantage is that we can save part of our electricity bill.
In order to extend the life of the deep cycle battery, we need to set the depth of discharge to a limit of 20%, and when charging, it should be charged to more than 80% or full in order to achieve the full capacity of deep cycle battery.
What are the types of deep cycle batteries?
We want to buy a deep cycle battery, and we should have a deeper understanding of deep cycle batteries, in order to buy the right battery for our own needs.
There are two main types of deep cycle batteries, liquid-rich deep cycle batteries and sealed or valve-regulated lead-acid batteries.
Liquid-rich deep cycle battery
Liquid-rich deep cycle battery is a more common type of battery than the traditional deep cycle battery, it is very similar to the lead-acid battery in cars, it is also called a wet battery. It is also called a wet battery.
These batteries are long-lasting rechargeable batteries, and they are widely used, especially in the marine and automotive industries, but one disadvantage of these batteries is that they require regular maintenance and testing because they contain the liquid in a covered container with a removable cover.
In other words, when the electrolyte level is lowered to the lowest point, we must rework to add distilled water to the liquid-rich lead-acid battery to ensure its good performance, and we should put the battery into a safer area, which must be ventilated so as to ensure that the process of overcharging has caused the hydrogen gas of the battery not to be discharged inside the house.
Although it is a high-maintenance battery, compared with other deep cycle batteries then.
Advantages of liquid-rich lead-acid battery
- 1. high inrush current.
- 2. ease of use and simple troubleshooting.
- 3. The most important thing is the cheap price.
- 4. Good quality performance, used for a long time in the world.
Disadvantages of liquid-rich lead-acid batteries
- 1. Its casing is not sealed and the electrolyte is easy to leak and must be kept upright.
- 2. Because it is easy to leak distilled water, it is said to be difficult to transport and hand over to moving vehicles.
- 3. It needs regular maintenance and monitoring.
- 4. Energy density is relatively low.
- 5. Must be placed in a ventilated place, because charging will produce hydrogen gas, which is potentially explosive.
Sealed or valve-regulated lead-acid batteries
Valve-regulated lead-acid batteries are sealed, do not need to be filled with distilled water, are maintenance-free, and do not require maintenance monitoring most of the time, although it is better to check them once after a few months so that they can be safer. One advantage of sealed or valve-regulated lead-acid batteries is that hydrogen and oxygen can be combined inside the battery.
The sealed or valve-regulated battery has a valve that activates when it is charged, and the function of this valve is to expel the active material that activation allows in the battery.
Types of sealed or valve-regulated lead-acid batteries include AGM batteries and gel batteries.
AGM batteries
- 1. Generally installed in caravans, watercraft, and caravans.
- 2. It does not matter whether they are ventilated or not if they are outdoors.
- 3. AMG batteries can be fully charged at lower voltages.
- 4. It can also accept a higher current because the resistance of the AMG battery is lower. The battery will not appear to heat up.
- 5. It can be fully charged in about three hours, fast charging.
- 6. Suitable for military applications and engineering.
- 7. Charging voltage and standard batteries are the same, no need to buy a separate charger and controller.
Gel battery
- 1. Chemical properties and, batteries, wet batteries, and submerged lead-acid batteries are basically the same.
- 2. Strong impact resistance, and vibration resistance, can withstand extreme temperatures.
- 3. The battery does not require maintenance.
- 4. No need to take precautions during transportation.
- 5. In most cases, it is not affected by weather and temperature.
- 6. Common applications include aircraft, automobiles, and marine engineering.
Deep cycle battery life
Deep cycle battery life is a very important point because we have to consider the economic cost, the long time to use a deep cycle battery, we also have to look at the battery type, function, appearance, specifications, etc..
There are two types of deep cycle battery life, one is to measure the life of the battery in years, and another is to measure the life of the battery by the number of cycles.
The reason for this is that everyone’s use is different, some people may use it often, some people may use it less often, which leads to the fact that there may be a large difference in the number of years of use, and we also need to consider the temperature, weather, use, etc., which will have an impact on the life of deep cycle battery.
Now a lot of deep cycle batteries, we can see in the manual, the battery is used for 15 years or 5000 cycles, which means that the deep cycle battery for normal use can be used for 15 years, if more used, it may not reach 15 years, but can reach 5000 cycles. (Here is only a distance, does not represent the real-life of the deep cycle battery or cycle number)
Cycle means the process of charging and discharging the battery, if the battery claims life of 1000 cycles, it means that we charge or discharge each time, not that the charge to 100% or discharge to completely dead.
The depth of discharge is also different, 10%, 20%, and 50%, all are possible, the cycle time of the battery plays a very important role in the life of the deep cycle battery.
In addition, when we use a deep cycle battery, we do not recommend you to discharge the deep cycle battery to 100%, because this will reduce the life of a deep cycle battery.
The life span of a deep cycle battery varies depending on how it is used, maintained, and charged. Sometimes you need to consider other factors such as depth of discharge (DOD) temperature resistance, shock tolerance, how often it needs to be cycled, etc.
In general, liquid-rich lead-acid deep cycle batteries and AGM deep cycle batteries last about 4 to 8 years, while gel deep cycle only lasts 2-5 years.
It is difficult to choose the right deep cycle battery, we need multiple aspects to consider, because everyone into their own battery has high-quality materials, the best performance, comprehensive consideration, in order to find the right one for you.
Deep cycle battery price
There are many types of deep cycle batteries, with absorbent glass mat batteries (AGM) ranging in price from $80 to $1,000. deep cycle battery prices vary by type, volt, and amp-hour.
Gel batteries range in price from $100 to $500, with the price receiving more because of the quality and type.
Liquid-rich lead-acid batteries are the least expensive, and they are three times less expensive than sealed or valve-regulated lead-acid batteries.
Deep cycle battery summary
In terms of the exact Ah rating of the battery, deep cycle batteries used in backup power systems and solar systems require a “20-hour rate” Ah rating. This indicates that it takes 20 hours to discharge to 10.5 volts while measuring the total amp-hours.
One thing to note here is that if the discharge is for a relatively short period of time, the capacity of the battery will be reduced, and the ampere-hour capacity will be reduced by 50%, even affecting the number of cycles, which is very inappropriate for a deep cycle battery.
If the battery is discharged at a steady current rate within a few hours, it can be called a “C” grade. In some larger stand-alone power systems, the battery is rated C100, which means that the deep cycle battery needs to be discharged for more than 100 hours, and the service life of these deep cycle batteries is between 10-15 years, or even more.
Deep cycle battery safety
deep cycle batteries are subject to explosions because they themselves have a large amount of current and are subject to short circuits, especially when the battery itself fails, which is why we need to check some deep cycle batteries regularly.
Deep cycle battery supplier
Leodar as a professional deep cycle battery supplier, suggest that you must choose a deep cycle battery supplier with quality assurance, we produce batteries, with quality assurance, long service life, good service, and can better protect your use and sale.