You’re probably wondering what a deep-cycle battery is.
Many charges and recharges are possible with deep-cycle batteries. A deep-cycle battery offers a constant stream of power over an extended period of time rather than a quick burst of energy for operations like starting a car.
Since deep cycle batteries are designed to be utilized for extended periods of time rather than for quick starts of your car, truck, RV, or boat, you won’t be looking at ratings like cranking amps or cold-cranking amps. Dual-purpose batteries, on the other hand, combine the functions of a deep-cycle battery and a cranking battery. But that’s a topic for another article.
There are four primary types of deep-cycle batteries:
Battery Ion
A charge is produced in a solution of lithium salts by the electrons moving back and forth from the anode to the cathode in a lithium battery. This type of battery can be used almost all the way down without any bad effects and can be charged the fastest.
They are approximately 50% lighter than lead-acid batteries.They are among the top RV batteries for boondocking because of all these factors.
Batteries with lead-acid flooding
Lead plates that form “cells” are used to construct deep cycle batteries, such as flooded lead-acid batteries. Each cell is filled with distilled water, which serves as the transfer medium and needs to be topped off once a month.
Lead-acid batteries must be charged in stages to avoid issues like overcharging or undercharging. They may be recharged several times and are typically the least expensive option for a house battery. However, compared to AGM and lithium batteries, lead-acid batteries can have a lower lifespan.
Glass Mat Absorbent (AGM)
Between the plates in the cells of these deep cycle batteries is fibreglass that allows the electrolytes to flow through. Since you won’t need to add distilled water, it is a “dry” battery and is therefore maintenance-free. They can be charged much faster than lead-acid batteries, but not as fast or as well as lithium batteries.
Gel
These batteries require no maintenance, much like AGMs. They do this by transferring electrolytes via a gel that silicate and sulfuric acid have produced.
Gel deep cycle batteries don’t release any gases, so ventilation is not required, but they charge quite slowly. These batteries are utilized in electric scooters and wheelchairs.
Maintenance of Deep Cycle Batteries
Lead-acid batteries are the only deep-cycle battery types that need maintenance.
Lead-acid batteries require a monthly top-up of distilled water to keep the plates in each cell immersed. If this is not done, the plates will become unusable, and a new battery will need to be purchased.
Lead-acid and AGM batteries can be kept charged with a trickle charger if you won’t be using them for extended periods of time. Since lithium batteries already have their own battery management system built in, you don’t have to use it with them.
Installation
The installation is the same for deep-cycle lead-acid, gel, and AGM batteries.
If you have two or more batteries, you will need to wire them in parallel or series, depending on the size of the batteries, or you may simply connect the positive terminal to the positive wire from your coach and the negative terminal to the negative or ground wire from your coach (12V or 6V).
Positive to positive, negative to negative, or ground connections are all the same for lithium batteries, but your RV must have a converter charger made just for lithium batteries.
It’s possible that a convertor is already present in your equipment, but be sure it can work with lithium batteries. Due to the voltage needed, most regular converters will only be able to charge the lithium battery to about 80% of its capacity.
How Durable Is a Deep Cycle Battery?
In general, good lithium batteries can last 3,000–5,000 charging cycles. They could therefore last 3 to 20 years, depending on how often you refresh them.
If properly cared for, lead-acid batteries can last up to 6 years, and AGM batteries will do the same. Gel batteries have a lifespan of ten to twenty years because they have their own charging profile.
On average, deep cycle battery charging time
- Lithium battery recharge time: 2 to 3 hours.
- Lead-charging times range from 8 to 16 hours.
- 5 to 10 hours for gel charging.
- The AGM requires a five-hour charge.
The Option of Solar Charging
Solar panels can be used to recharge any kind of deep-cycle battery. In order to control the charge, solar systems typically place a solar charge controller between the panel and the batteries.
For you to check how much energy is being produced by the solar panels and how much is still in your batteries, the majority of systems also come with a solar monitor.
