3 Ways To Prolong The Life Of Deep Cycle Lead-Acid Batteries
If you take proper care of the batteries …and also do a few tips and tricks we’ll teach you in this article, you can maximize the lifespan of your deep cycle batteries.
Before we give you our top 3 tips and tricks, we want you to know why this information is important…
One the most expensive parts of an off-grid energy system is the battery bank. And the batteries are typically one of the first things to fail in a system. Solar Battery Bank With Reconditioned Batteries Improper battery care often kills the batteries in the battery bank well before their time.
This forces people to buy new expensive batteries and also cripples their off-grid system until they replace the dead batteries.
So proper care is critically important so you prevent premature aging of your batteries and maximize their lifespan.
Quick Tip: If your deep cycle lead-acid batteries do die ...or if you just want to save money on your battery bank, you can: Recondition them back to 100% of their original working condition; and build your battery bank with those batteries instead of new pricey batteries.
3 Ways To Extend The Life Of Lead-Acid Deep Cycle Batteries:
#1) Use High Quality Batteries
So this tip probably seems obvious, but the old adage ‘You get what you pay for’ holds true for most deep cycle batteries.
Cheap off-brand batteries from China are flooding the market right now and you want to avoid using these. They generally have a much shorter lifespan compared to quality batteries that you pay a little more for upfront.
High quality flat plate batteries can last between 10-12 years. The more expensive tubular plate batteries can even last as long as 20-25 years if maintained properly.
Paying for higher quality batteries upfront that last 10-25 years may seem expensive but it actually ends up being more expensive to buy cheap batteries …then replacing them every couple years (because they die early).
If you want to save money on your battery bank don’t buy “cheap” batteries, instead get quality used batteries and recondition them back to their original condition.
#2) Fully Charge The Batteries Every Three Weeks
Lead Acid Battery Maintenance At the very least, make sure to fully charge your batteries every 3 weeks.
This reduces corrosion on the inside and ensures equalization.
#3) Keep Your Batteries at an Ideal Temperature
Because temperature extremes cause batteries to deteriorate much faster, it is important that you keep your batteries in a place where the temperature is relatively stable.
Aside from enclosed above-ground structures, you can also create a structure that is partially underground. This way the temperature in the structure will remain the same no matter what the weather is like outside.
In addition, make sure that the charge controller or inverter system has a built in temperature compensation feature. This is necessary because the charge voltage limit of a battery increases as temperature drops and decreases at temperatures increase.
What else can you do to make your lead-acid deep cycle batteries last longer?
There are additional ways you can extend the life of your deep cycle lead-acid batteries. We cover all of these methods in the EZ Battery Reconditioning Program.
Additionally, you can also bring old or dead lead-acid deep cycle batteries back to life again with the EZ Battery Reconditioning program.
This will allow you to give your old batteries a “2nd life” so you don’t have to buy new pricey batteries for your battery bank.
Or you can even build an entire battery bank with used batteries that can get for free (or dirt cheap), that you recondition with the EZ Battery Reconditioning program.