It’s not an easy or fun task yanking out old ones and getting new ones into the often hard to access locations batteries are installed in on boats.
FLA batteries need to be fully recharged after discharge in order to get maximum cycle life.*IF* taken care of properly, discharged no more than 50% very often, and used regularly, good FLA banks can last 5 to 8 years.FLA batteries are robust and handle cold and hot temperatures fairly well.Deep cycle banks can be bought for $1 per AH of capacity. They are the cheapest by far upfront initial investment.Probably still the most commonly used battery type for starting engines andĭeep cycle applications in boats and RVs. Flooded Lead Acid (FLA) Batteriesįlooded batteries are the granddaddy of battery types and Major Types of Batteriesįour primary types of batteries used on boats. Reached 80% DOD means the battery only has a remaining capacity of 20%. Of Discharge (DOD): This is how far a battery or battery bank has beenĭepleted. Provide 5 amps for 20 hours before being fully discharged. A 100AH capacity battery rated for C20 will For simplicity’s sake, C Rate is the ratioīetween Capacity, Time, and Current being drawn. There is a lot more to AH than we will get into here for now, more AH equals more capacity.ĭeep Cycle, Starting and Dual Purpose Batteries: Deep cycle batteries are those designed to sustain discharge for long periods of time with thick heavy plates but are limited in the amount of instant power they can supply, versus a start battery that has more and thinner lead plates and can provide lots of instant power but will die quickly if discharged for longer periods.There are also dual purpose batteries that are a blend of deep cycle and start characteristics some types are better at this than others. Times that a battery can be charged and discharged before its total capacityįalls below a set amount, generally 80% of original capacity.ĪH or Amp Hour: An AH is a unit to measure the amount of energy used or stored. For boats using solar as their main source of charging, it’s Or Cycle Life: For batteries, a cycle is a discharge, followed by a We won’t get too technical in the scope of this article, but the following need to be understood to really get the most out of the information here. Basic Terminologyīefore delving into the battery types, a few basic terms need to be understood.
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