Question: When and where should I use a deep cycle battery?

Answer: Deep cycle batteries are specially designed to provide more deep discharge cycles than a typical automotive battery. Typically, a deep cycle battery can be found in boats, vehicles/trucks with lift gates, recreational vehicles, wheel chairs, vehicles with large stereo systems and scissor lifts.


Question: How does extreme heat affect a battery?

Answer: Heat causes a higher rate of self-discharge and accelerates positive plate corrosion inside the battery. Due to the increased level of chemical activity, the battery loses water. Under these conditions, it can ultimately shorten the life of the battery.


Question: How does extreme cold affect a battery?

Answer: Battery capacity is greatly reduced at low temperature because the chemical reactions slow down significantly and electrolyte resistance increases. At 0 degrees, a battery delivers 45% of the power it can deliver at 80 degrees.

As long as it remains charged, exposure to extremely cold temperatures does not have any long-term effects. If the battery is discharged, the electrolyte can freeze, damaging the plates or even cracking the case.


Question: When choosing a battery, how do I determine the power requirements of my vehicle?

Answer: The best way to determine the correct group size is to refer to the vehicle's owner’s manual. Should the manual not be available, you can look up the vehicle’s make, model and year in the BCI (Battery Council International) catalog to determine the proper battery for your needs.

Never use a battery that is rated lower than the manufacturer’s minimum recommended rating. In most cases, a battery higher than the recommended rating in the same group size, will not cause any problems. In fact, a higher rated battery can improve cold starting in older vehicles.


Question: How do I charge my battery and is it dangerous?

Answer: Always use extreme caution when charging a battery. All lead acid batteries contain sulfuric acid which can cause severe burns and can generate explosive gases. Even a maintenance free battery has vents to relieve the internal gases that build up inside the battery. Even though they look like sealed units, acid can still escape should the battery be tipped over or even over charged. The following tips from the Battery Council International (BCI) can be used as a general guide.

1. Always charge a battery in a well ventilated area. Do not smoke or have an open flame near your charging area. Remember, all batteries produce hydrogen gases that can explode.
2. Wear protective clothing, goggles and gloves when connecting a battery for charge.
3. Remove the vent cap just slightly. Some of the vent caps now on the market today, require no removal of the cap.
4. Cover the vent cap area with a wet cloth to prevent sparks from igniting escaping gases.
5. On a low maintenance battery, check the water level in each cell. The water level should be just covering the top of the plates (about a 1/4" above the plates). If not, use distilled water to cover the plates. Never use tap water because minerals in the water will harm the plates. Always use water, never add battery acid (electrolyte) to cover the plates.
6. Be sure to read and understand the instructions of your battery charger before you operate it. Should your charger be a multi-voltage charger, be sure to have it at the proper settings before operation.
7. When connecting your charger leads to your battery, be sure the charger is off, the leads are connected to the proper terminals, and the settings on the charger are set to the proper rating. The charging rate for a specific battery is determined by the battery’s reserve capacity rating (RC).
   
   

During the charging process, should the battery case become hot to the touch, or should the liquid start to bubble out the vent caps, remove the battery from the charger and check the battery with a hydrometor.

Question: What is a hydrometer and how do I read one?

Answer: A hydrometer is used to determine the state of charge of each cell of a battery. The hydrometer will determine the cells specific gravity of electrolyte (its weight compared to water).

A hydrometer is a bulb or tear drop syringe which will extract electrolyte from the cell. A float in the hydrometer is calibrated to read in terms of specific gravity. A common range of specific gravity used in these floats is 1.160 to 1.325. A common specific gravity reading is 1.250 to 1.280 in most climates for a fully charged battery, with a reading of 1.210 to 1.230 in tropical climates. A tropical climate is considered one in which water never freezes. In extremely cold climates, most batteries use a stronger electrolyte solution. A specific gravity reading for this climate could be 1.290 to 1.330. A higher specific gravity reading can, in most cases, decrease the service life of the battery.

Should a reading occur in which the float does not float, you can assume that the cell is bad or that the battery has been fully discharged at the time of the reading. In this case, it may take several hours on a charger to reach the minimum specific gravity level of 1.160 (approximately 1/2 charged). Remember, the lower the float drops in the electrolyte, the lower its specific gravity, the lower the charge.

The following chart shows the approximate specific gravity values of batteries at various states of charge. Note the two columns, one showing a temperate climate the other showing a tropical climate. The values shown are for a cell in various states of charge with its ability to crank an engine at 80 degrees F.

Question: How often should I replace my battery?

Answer: Replacement time varies significantly from vehicle to vehicle, region to region, and driver to driver. However, if you should notice that your battery is having a hard time cranking over your engine, replace the battery with the same size battery with the same rating that is recommended by the BCI catalog or if possible with a higher rating of the same size battery.


Question: What is the proper way to jump start a vehicle?

Answer: When jump starting one vehicle with another, always make sure that neither of the vehicles is running. Check the battery terminals for signs of corrosion. Also, make sure terminals and battery cables are not loose. After checking and determining that everything is ok, follow the steps listed below:

1. Attach the positive (red) end of the jumper to the positive terminal of the discharged battery.
2. Attach the other positive (red) end to the jumper battery’s positive terminal.
3. Attach the negative (black) end of the jumper to the battery’s negative terminal of the jumper battery.
4. Attach the other end of the negative (black) end to the engine block, frame or any other good metallic ground on the stalled vehicle. DO NOT connect it to the carburetor, throttle body or any metallic tubing.
   
5. Start the good vehicle and increase the idle enough to increase voltage output to the discharged battery.
6. After starting the discharged battery vehicle, allow idle on the jumper vehicle to return to normal speed.
7. Remove negative (black) end from the discharged vehicle first, then remove from the jumper vehicle battery.
8. Remove positive (red) end from the discharged vehicle battery first, then remove from the jumper vehicle battery.

Question: What is an AGM battery and what does it stand for?

Answer: An AGM battery is a different form of a lead acid battery with 95% less fluid than a flooded battery. In most if not all cases, an AGM battery is a deep cycle battery that can be used in UPS systems, wheel chairs, portable tools, consumer electronics, alarms, boats, heavy equipment and some toys. Other applications can be emergency lighting, telecommunications equipment and solar powered battery systems.

An AGM battery still uses conventional lead plates like the flooded battery, but uses fiberglass fill between the positive and negative plates. Thus it is called AGM, Advanced Glass Mating. As with all glass mate batteries, just enough electrolyte is used for the mating to absorb it, allowing the battery to be mounted in any position due to it’s reduced fluid content.

AGM batteries are versatile in the types of charges they can receive. In marine and heavy equipment applications, the charging systems that are in place don’t have to be modified. The same holds true for UPS systems, wheel chairs, alarms or toys.


Question: What is a Gel battery?

Answer: A Gel battery like an AGM battery, is also a maintenance free product. The construction of a Gel is somewhat the same as that of an AGM battery in that it uses some of the same materials. But it differs in the insulation of the plates and in the charging of the battery. In the insulation of the plates, mating is also used, but the electrolyte is mixed with a silica (gel). A gel battery can also be mounted in any direction.

Gel batteries can be used in the same applications as AGM batteries. The only difference is that the charging system should be between 13.6 to 14.1 volts. Anything over the 14.1 volts can shorten the life of the battery and anything under 13.6 volts will not fully charge a gel battery.