Inverter + car battery?

MightyQuin said:
I don't think you understand how this stuff really works...

You CAN discharge to 80% on a deep cycle, but it will shorten the lifespan, so it's not recommended.

Starting (sometimes called SLI, for starting, lighting, ignition) batteries are commonly 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 consumed and fall to the bottom of the cells. Automotive batteries will generally fail after 30-150 deep cycles if deep cycled, while they may last for thousands of cycles in normal starting use (2-5% discharge).

Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% time after time 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. This gives less surface area, thus less "instant" power like starting batteries need. Although these can be cycled down to 20% charge, the best lifespan vs cost method is to keep the average cycle at about 50% discharge.
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Dude, thanks!
*no sarcasm.
I've struggled to grasp the Concept, you summed it up eloquently!
 
Thank you to everyone for the advise, decided to go with 100ah deep cycle gel battery, still looking for the best price. Question: I currently have a motoquip 8Amp charger, can that be used on the gell cells without causing the damage?
 
Zukat said:
Thank you to everyone for the advise, decided to go with 100ah deep cycle gel battery, still looking for the best price. Question: I currently have a motoquip 8Amp charger, can that be used on the gell cells without causing the damage?
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Yes, those things were designed for charging Lead-acid batteries so it should not be an issue at all. Check the spec to see if it has the capacity to charge the battery you have at an optimum level.

What is the model number of the charger you have? It must be set to match the battery voltage if you have a choice.
 
Geoff.D said:
Yes, those things were designed for charging Lead-acid batteries so it should not be an issue at all. Check the spec to see if it has the capacity to charge the battery you have at an optimum level.

What is the model number of the charger you have? It must be set to match the battery voltage if you have a choice.
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Thank you for the peace of mind, the concern was around the gel component of the battery. I have this charger unit: https://www.takealot.com/motoquip-8-amp-battery-charger-6v-12v-plastic-housing/PLID28152999
 
Zukat said:
Thank you for the peace of mind, the concern was around the gel component of the battery. I have this charger unit: https://www.takealot.com/motoquip-8-amp-battery-charger-6v-12v-plastic-housing/PLID28152999
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There's a list somewhere of the different voltages for the state of charge between flooded lead acid and gel/agm, what you need is a charger where you can set the voltage accordingly, most chargers are defaulted to charge flooded LA batteries, like the one you have, it will work but your batteries won't be charged optimally.
 
Zukat said:
Thank you for the peace of mind, the concern was around the gel component of the battery. I have this charger unit: https://www.takealot.com/motoquip-8-amp-battery-charger-6v-12v-plastic-housing/PLID28152999
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i've got one of these:

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No, those chargers while not "smart" chargers will not overcharge a deep cycle battery, or under-charge it either.
Smart chargers are better because the charge cycle charges more dynamically in response to the charge level, but other than that no problem. The charge current is reduced to a trickle charge level. It is NOT a constant current charger. The only concern is possibly, is that the initial current may not be enough to really charge the battery optimally in the beginning. All that means it will take longer to charge the battery than a more sophisticated charger with more charge current capability.
RTFM the manual guys.

In the end, it is about the time available versus charge current trade off.
 
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