Batteries

From Cornburning

A battery is an electrical storage device. Batteries do not make electricity, they store it, just as a water tank stores water for future use. As chemicals in the battery change, electrical energy is stored or released. In rechargeable batteries this process can be repeated many times. Batteries are not 100% efficient - some energy is lost as heat and chemical reactions when charging and discharging. If you use 1000 watts from a battery, it might take 1200 watts or more to fully recharge it. Slower charging and discharging rates are more efficient. Practically all batteries used in RV applications are Lead-Acid type batteries. Even after over a century of use, they still offer the best price to power ratio.

Batteries are divided in two ways, by application (what they are used for) and construction (how they are built). The major applications are automotive, marine, and deep-cycle. Deep-cycle includes solar electric (PV), backup power, and RV and boat "house" batteries. The major construction types are flooded (wet), gelled, and AGM (absorbed glass mat). AGM batteries are also sometimes called "starved electrolyte", because the fiberglass mat is only 90% saturated with Sulfuric acid. Flooded may be standard, with removable caps, or the so-called "maintenance free" (without caps). All gelled are sealed and a few are "valve regulated", which means that a small valve keeps a slight positive pressure in each cell. Most AGM batteries are sealed and valve regulated. Sealed gell and AGM batteries offer the convenience of no maintenance and produce less gas, so at first glance, they may appear more attractive than standard flooded cell batteries. There is a down side here, tho.... These batteries, especially the gell cell type, require precise control of the charging process to prevent permanent damage by overcharging. They also tend to be significantly more expensive and have a somewhat shorter lifespan. It all depends on what premium you put on the maintenance free aspect of it. In my opinion, the standard flooded cell battery offers better overall performance for the price and will probably last a lot longer in most common RV applications. The need to add water periodically is a small price to pay for the advantages you get. I strongly suggest that you avoid the "maintenance free" flooded cell batteries... they truly aren't a good design: they are simply a standard flooded cell battery with sealed cells. Each cell has a small valve to release excessive pressure. They still can be run low on electrolyte with heavy usage and fast charging, and there's no way to add water, so the batteries often die young.

It's important to understand the differences in battery types...

Starting batteries are normally used to start and run engines. Engine starters need a very large starting current for a very short time. Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates for maximum surface area. The plates are composed of a Lead "sponge", similar in appearance to a very fine foam sponge. This gives a very large surface area, but if deep cycled, this sponge will quickly be damaged and will fall to the bottom of the cells. Automotive batteries will generally fail after 30 or more deep cycles.

Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% repeatedly, and have much thicker plates. The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are solid Lead plates - not sponge. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to tell what kind of battery you are really buying in some of the discount stores or places that specialize in automotive batteries.

Many Marine batteries are actually "hybrid", and fall between the starting and deep-cycle batteries, while a few are true deep cycle. In the hybrid, the plates may be composed of Lead sponge, but it is coarser and heavier than that used in starting batteries. It is often hard to tell what you are getting in a "marine" battery, but most are a hybrid. "Hybrid" types should not be discharged more than 50%.

A battery's capacity for storing energy is rated in several different ways, depending on the battery type. Starting batteries are often rated in Cold Cranking Amps or CCA. CCA is the discharge load in amps which a battery can sustain for 30 seconds at 0 degrees F. and not fall below 1.2 volts per cell (7.2V on 12V battery). This battery rating measures a burst of energy that a car needs to start on a cold morning.

Deep cycle batteries are often rated in Amp/Hours. Amp/Hour rating of battery capacity is calculated by multiplying the current (in amperes) by time (in hours) the current is drawn. For example: A battery which can deliver 4 amperes for 20 hours before being discharged would have a 80 amp-hour battery rating (4 X 20= 80).

You may also see batteries rated with a Reserve Capacity. RC is the number of minutes a new, fully charged battery at 80 degrees F. will sustain a discharge load of 25 amps to a cut-off voltage of 1.75 volts per cell (10.5V on 12V battery). This battery rating measures more of a continuous load on the battery. For RV use, this rating is a little less useful, as the common loads that RV use puts on a battery are a lot less than that 25 amp load used to determine RC.

The best bet is to consider batteries by their amp/hour rating, so that is the rating method used throughout this article.