Deep Cycle vs Marine Deep Cycle?

[Shelley]

Costco has a sale on batteries and since I need a battery....

My challenge is that I don't know the difference between:

Lawn and Garden Battery

Starting/deep cycle battery

Deep cycle Marine battery

or

Deep Cycle Battery

Help!

[kevin61]

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/in...howtopic=34475

The topic is covered to some extent in the above post.

Your best bet is a deep cycle battery. Either a single 12 volt or two 6 volts wired in series. This will depend on your budget,space limitations and camping style. If you plan to do a lot of boondocking (camping without electrical hookups) then a good quality deep cycle, will serve you well.

This is a link to my system with two 6 volt deep cycle batteries wired in series to give me a 12 volt battery bank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH9HITYmtSY...feature=channel

I just notice that you are located in Airdrie. (I'm in Calgary)

If these are the choices for batteries that you have then go with the Kirkland Deep Cycle.

http://www.costco.ca/service/Featurepage.a...Fence-_-CarCare

[Casita Greg]

Shelley,

For use as a "house battery", I would recommend either the regular Deep Cycle, or the Marine Deep Cycle. Usually, the only difference between the two is that Marine batteries are usually built slightly better, but either should meet your needs for a trailer battery.

Any battery marked as a "starting" battery will give you a good shot of high amperage, which for engine starter motors is a good thing. This is also defined as CCA, or Cold Cranking Amperage. CCA is not a useful measurement for "house batteries" because house batteries aren't generally used for starting vehicles, but only used as a "storage container" for electro-chemical potential, or simply stated, their ability to produce electrical current. (A battery doesn't actually store electricity per se, but creates electrical current through chemical decomposition internally, which in turn, produces free electrons). Starting batteries are not the best choice for a house battery because they generally have a higher CCA rating, but a lower Ah (Amp-hour) rating.

The Ah rating is a way of measuring the battery's ability to provide a given amount of current (amperage) for a given amount of time. The higher the Ah rating a battery has, the more electricity it will be able to produce.

Example: If a battery claims to have a 1200 Ah rating, it will provide you with either 1200 Amps for 1 hour, or 120 Amps for 10 hours, or 12 Amps for 100 hours. Obviously, the amount of current available for you to use will be directly proportional to the rate at which you are using it. Also, I would also like to point out that a battery should never be discharged below 50% of its rated capacity, because to do so will damage the internal plates of the battery and greatly shorten its life.

As far as "sealed" versus "wet cell" batteries go, that is strictly a matter of personal choice. Wet cell types are generally a little cheaper, and tend to be a bit more forgiving to rough useage. Some prefer Sealed batteries for ease of maintenance (actually, they are also referred to as "mainenance-free" batteries, but this is a misnomer since all batteries must be maintained by proper charging, and the avoidance of overcharging or over discharging. My personal preference is toward standard "Wet cell" types, having not had very good experiences with "sealed cell" types, but it's your decision.

Hope this helps you in your decision.

Greg

[Pete Dumbleton]

Starting batteries are designed for rapid discharge and immediate recharge; deep cycle batteries are designed for long, slow discharge and then recharge.

Starting batteries won't last long in house battery service because there is typically a long time before recharge; whereas deep cycle batteries are designed for many charge/discharge cycles.

Generally speaking, any battery with CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) is very likely to be a starting battery or a hybrid of starting battery and deep cycle battery, a compromise that doesn't suit RV service -- Real deep cycle will only have AH (Amp hours) in the spec.

You want a Marine battery not only because of the interior design but also because it has the correct threaded, wing-nut terminals, however, marine batteries come in three flavors:

1. Starting (CCA)
2. Hybrid (CCA, AH)
3. Deep cycle (often marked Trolling) (AH)

So, you want a marine Deep cycle battery.

If you go to a WalMart, they will have all three kinds and you can see the labels and specs. BTW, in the Everstart brand, the battery number will have an MS if it is a starter, a DP if hybrid and a DC if true deep cycle.

If one needs a LOT of Amp hours, then one goes to two batteries and generally to two 6volt golf cart batteries, because two of these are larger (and heavier) than two standard 12V batteries, so they hold more energy. There is nothing magic about the six volts except that they are usually available at warehouse stores for a lot less money than the equivalent 12V *golf cart* batteries. Also, the golf cart batteries are capable of more charge/discharge cycles than the standard marine deep cycle batts.

If the prices of golf cart batteries were equal, there would be no particular advantage to having two 6V vs two 12V, but they aren't. In fact, the 12V would be superior in that if one failed, you would still have 12V in the other.

PS I believe Wally's Group 24 DC batt has 75 Ah and the Grp 27 DC batt has 115 Ah, so I would be inclined to get a Grp 27 size and the battery box to go with it if this is a first battery.

[Radar1]

I know this is an old thread, but as I am getting ready to replace my battery it came up in a search.
It was good to see a post from Pete Dumbleton, he always had good advice. Wish I had met him before he left us.
Rest in Peace Pete! You are still helping us out down here on Earth!

[Gerry]

Thanks Pete, again it's right to the point and now one can buy a group 31 size battery that has move AH.
They are bigger and I had to buy and install a bigger battery box but it was worth it.