12-28-2007, 02:40 PM
What's the Right Battery For Your Boat? From [url "http://powerboat.about.com/mbiopage.htm"][#0073bf]Jim Shepard[/#0073bf][/url],
Your Guide to [url "http://powerboat.about.com/"][#0073bf]Powerboating[/#0073bf][/url].
FREE Newsletter. [url "http://powerboat.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm"][#0073bf]Sign Up Now![/#0073bf][/url] Taking some of the mystery out of battery buying.
The battery in your boat leads a much harder life than the battery in your car. A typical battery location on a boat is down in the engine room / bilge, which is humid and often very hot. Both conditions accelerate the discharging rate. Boat batteries also carry a heavy accessory load, such as your electronics, blowers, bilge pumps, and lights. Additionally, your batteries may sit for weeks on end before they are recharged. Just buying any old battery, which might be on sale, is not a very good idea. So, in the interest of helping us select the right battery for the right job, here is some general battery information to keep in mind.
A battery stores energy in a chemical form. When made part of a closed, direct current system, chemical reactions occur and produce electricity. Batteries come in two (2) main types. [ul]• Primary Batteries: These batteries are also called "dry cell" batteries and are used in flashlights, wrist watches and small, portable electronics. Once they have supplied their limited amount of electrical energy, they are discarded.
• Secondary (Storage) Batteries: With this type of battery, the chemical action can be reversed and the battery recharged. [/ul]
Storage Batteries:
A storage battery furnishes electricity until discharged. Then, by supplying electricity from an outside source (alternator or charger), the battery can be recharged over and over again. It will will have a liquid-proof outside case made of hard rubber, alloy, or plastic.
There is a cap on the top of each cell that allows the addition of distilled water to the electrolyte in that cell. Each cell, nominally, produces two (2) volts of electricity. Therefore, you can always tell the voltage of a battery by counting the cells and multiplying by 2 (i.e.: 6 cells x 2 = 12 volt battery). Each cap has a vent, which allows the gas, produced by the chemical reaction, to escape. By the way, this escaping gas is Hydrogen, which is extremely volatile and explosive! So NEVER, EVER have an open flame anywhere near a battery!!!!
The storage battery has two (2) external posts, positive (+) and negative (-), to connect it to your boat's electrical system. Make sure that these connections are always tight and free from corrosion. NOTE: Always disconnect the negative terminal first and always reconnect it last. This will greatly reduce the chances of a short when working on any battery.
Storage capacity is usually expressed with an Ampere-hour (Ah) rating, based on a 20 hour discharge. For example: A battery rated at 60 Ah, should produce 3 amperes for 20 hours (Example: 60 Ah/3A = 20 hrs - or - 180 Ah/3A = 60 hrs). Obviously, the higher the Ah rating, the better the battery.
Storage Batteries are further classified as:
[ul]• Starting
• Deep-Cycle
• Maintenance Free / Gel Cell[/ul]
Starting batteries are designed to provide high starting current and then be immediately recharged by the engine's alternator.
Deep-cycle batteries will tolerate repeated heavy discharges and subsequent recharging with an alternator or battery charger. A deep-cycle would be my choice for most applications on a boat. Starting batteries should only be installed in a separate circuit that supplies current solely for starting engines .
So-called "Maintenance Free" and "Gel Cell" batteries are now in widespread use. These babies cost considerably more than the standard battery and, as an old sea-dog, I still prefer a battery in which I can check the electrolytic level by removing the cap.
Finally, before buying, check to see what the manufacturer says the expected life (in years) is supposed to be. Longevity is generally the best indicator of how well the battery has been constructed.
Well, I hope that this information will be useful when you go battery shopping the next time. In the meantime, check out my article on [url "http://powerboat.about.com/cs/repairsservice/ht/htmarinebatts.htm"][#0073bf]" How to prepare your marine batteries ... "[/#0073bf][/url] for the care and feeding of your boat batteries.
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Your Guide to [url "http://powerboat.about.com/"][#0073bf]Powerboating[/#0073bf][/url].
FREE Newsletter. [url "http://powerboat.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm"][#0073bf]Sign Up Now![/#0073bf][/url] Taking some of the mystery out of battery buying.
The battery in your boat leads a much harder life than the battery in your car. A typical battery location on a boat is down in the engine room / bilge, which is humid and often very hot. Both conditions accelerate the discharging rate. Boat batteries also carry a heavy accessory load, such as your electronics, blowers, bilge pumps, and lights. Additionally, your batteries may sit for weeks on end before they are recharged. Just buying any old battery, which might be on sale, is not a very good idea. So, in the interest of helping us select the right battery for the right job, here is some general battery information to keep in mind.
A battery stores energy in a chemical form. When made part of a closed, direct current system, chemical reactions occur and produce electricity. Batteries come in two (2) main types. [ul]• Primary Batteries: These batteries are also called "dry cell" batteries and are used in flashlights, wrist watches and small, portable electronics. Once they have supplied their limited amount of electrical energy, they are discarded.
• Secondary (Storage) Batteries: With this type of battery, the chemical action can be reversed and the battery recharged. [/ul]
Storage Batteries:
A storage battery furnishes electricity until discharged. Then, by supplying electricity from an outside source (alternator or charger), the battery can be recharged over and over again. It will will have a liquid-proof outside case made of hard rubber, alloy, or plastic.
There is a cap on the top of each cell that allows the addition of distilled water to the electrolyte in that cell. Each cell, nominally, produces two (2) volts of electricity. Therefore, you can always tell the voltage of a battery by counting the cells and multiplying by 2 (i.e.: 6 cells x 2 = 12 volt battery). Each cap has a vent, which allows the gas, produced by the chemical reaction, to escape. By the way, this escaping gas is Hydrogen, which is extremely volatile and explosive! So NEVER, EVER have an open flame anywhere near a battery!!!!
The storage battery has two (2) external posts, positive (+) and negative (-), to connect it to your boat's electrical system. Make sure that these connections are always tight and free from corrosion. NOTE: Always disconnect the negative terminal first and always reconnect it last. This will greatly reduce the chances of a short when working on any battery.
Storage capacity is usually expressed with an Ampere-hour (Ah) rating, based on a 20 hour discharge. For example: A battery rated at 60 Ah, should produce 3 amperes for 20 hours (Example: 60 Ah/3A = 20 hrs - or - 180 Ah/3A = 60 hrs). Obviously, the higher the Ah rating, the better the battery.
Storage Batteries are further classified as:
[ul]• Starting
• Deep-Cycle
• Maintenance Free / Gel Cell[/ul]
Starting batteries are designed to provide high starting current and then be immediately recharged by the engine's alternator.
Deep-cycle batteries will tolerate repeated heavy discharges and subsequent recharging with an alternator or battery charger. A deep-cycle would be my choice for most applications on a boat. Starting batteries should only be installed in a separate circuit that supplies current solely for starting engines .
So-called "Maintenance Free" and "Gel Cell" batteries are now in widespread use. These babies cost considerably more than the standard battery and, as an old sea-dog, I still prefer a battery in which I can check the electrolytic level by removing the cap.
Finally, before buying, check to see what the manufacturer says the expected life (in years) is supposed to be. Longevity is generally the best indicator of how well the battery has been constructed.
Well, I hope that this information will be useful when you go battery shopping the next time. In the meantime, check out my article on [url "http://powerboat.about.com/cs/repairsservice/ht/htmarinebatts.htm"][#0073bf]" How to prepare your marine batteries ... "[/#0073bf][/url] for the care and feeding of your boat batteries.
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