A number of weeks in the past, GOLDENMATE reached out to have us check its tackle the deep cycle battery. From what we will inform to this point, it really works precisely as marketed, and it a reasonably straightforward to make use of package deal!

What Would You Use One Of These For?

A deep cycle battery is a kind of power storage unit that’s designed to be discharged and recharged repeatedly, usually all the way down to a really low degree. This contrasts with starter batteries (like these in most vehicles), that are designed for brief bursts of excessive energy to start out the engine, however then get rapidly recharged by the automobile’s alternator.

Deep cycle batteries are utilized in varied functions the place steady, dependable energy is required over an extended time period. Some widespread examples embody marine use (like powering electrical trolling motors), RVs and campers for off-grid energy, solar energy storage, and electrical wheelchairs. In the event you had been to place a starter battery in one in all these roles, it wouldn’t final almost as lengthy.

Through the years, there have been a number of forms of deep cycle batteries enhancing the scenario, every with their benefits and drawbacks:

1. Flooded Lead Acid (FLA): These are the standard kind of rechargeable battery, and are sometimes probably the most reasonably priced. Nevertheless, they require common upkeep (topping up with distilled water), and must be saved upright to forestall acid spillage.

2. Sealed Lead Acid (SLA): These are much like FLAs however are sealed, so that they require much less upkeep and could be mounted in any orientation. They’re dearer than FLAs and have a shorter lifespan.

3. Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM): These batteries use a particular fiberglass separator that absorbs the electrolyte, offering some great benefits of being spill-proof, maintenance-free, and in a position to ship excessive currents. They’re dearer than each FLA and SLA batteries.

4. Gel Cell: These use a gelified electrolyte, making them leak-proof and maintenance-free. Nevertheless, they’re delicate to overcharging, dearer, and usually have a decrease capability than different varieties.

5. Lithium-Ion: These are the most recent kind of deep cycle battery and provide a number of benefits like lighter weight, greater effectivity, longer lifespan, and nearly no upkeep. Nevertheless, they’re considerably dearer.

Nicely, really, that final thing (costly) is one thing that seems to be altering!

What You Get For The Cash with GOLDENMATE

One of many first issues that struck me concerning the firm’s battery was the worth. Like many different deep cycle batteries of its measurement, it has a capability of 100 amp-hours (1280 watt-hours). However, as a substitute of costing virtually $1,000 like they used to, they’ve managed to construct an iron-based battery and promote it for $329 (as of this writing).

Connecting the battery to units that draw energy from it’s fairly straightforward. As an alternative of getting battery posts or wingnuts, they offered easy bolt-holes you possibly can readily add loop-style electrical connections to. It even has plastic caps that hold issues from touching the connections as readily. With nothing linked, the battery’s caps hold the connections fully closed off to issues which may brief it out, making for simpler carrying and storage in autos and different settings.

It’s attainable to do fairly a couple of issues with the batteries, too. Most output is 100 amps (steady), and you may join them in parallel or sequence for greater voltage and/or greater capability, permitting them to energy something typical lead-acid deep cycle batteries can, however with much less weight and bulk.

Lastly, it has a built-in carrying strap that’s constructed from a versatile materials. This makes shifting the battery round rather a lot simpler than the typical deep cycle battery.

Testing

In some methods, it’s robust to check a deep cycle battery in each scenario you would possibly use one in. Few folks have a golf cart, an RV, a trolling motor, and a ham radio setup. However, with the ability to simply draw some energy from it provides you a fairly good thought. One different I experimented with was to energy issues with an inverter I’ve laying round. It’s solely rated for 1,000 watts, however when pulling energy from a 12-volt battery, you’re pulling over 80 amps! So, pulling the 1,000 watts is an effective check for such a battery.

To essentially put a load on the unit, I linked a conveyable air conditioner to it, which I had seen pull round 800 watts from my Jackery energy station. The end result was simply as anticipated, with the battery powering the load as marketed.

The Largest Benefit: Longevity

As I identified earlier, the know-how inside deep-cycle batteries has modified fairly a bit over time. The most affordable batteries are easy, however must be largely stationary and upright to perform safely. Sealed models, gel cells, glass mats, and different choices enhance the longevity in movement, however they nonetheless have a restricted total lifespan.

Household which I’ve gone RVing with can attest to the restricted lifetime of lead-acid batteries. When the RV will get parked for the winter, it simply gained’t survive till spring until the battery will get trickle-charged. Even when linked to photo voltaic and saved up at full voltage, a lead-acid battery nonetheless doesn’t sustain a superb cost after a yr or two, and goes fully lifeless not lengthy after.

LiFePO batteries (aka “LFP”) keep away from all of this want for conserving a trickle cost, and keep away from the issues of shedding capability and cost capability after a few years. In contrast to different lithium batteries, iron-based chemistries additionally haven’t any drawback sitting at 100% cost between makes use of, so there’s no want to empty them to an excellent voltage for storage, both.

The top result’s which you could take one thing that was a ache (changing and sustaining batteries) and simply exchange them with one thing that works long-term. Discovering out the arduous manner that an RV doesn’t have a cost for lighting, a trolling motor gained’t troll, or a golf cart gained’t transfer actually sucks. Minimizing the failures and ache factors of utilizing battery know-how is known as a fairly whole lot on the value level batteries are beginning to arrive at!

Featured picture: the GOLDENMATE LiFePO battery throughout unboxing at a mountaintop campsite in New Mexico. Picture by Jennifer Sensiba.

I do not like paywalls. You do not like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Right here at CleanTechnica, we carried out a restricted paywall for some time, nevertheless it all the time felt flawed — and it was all the time robust to resolve what we should always put behind there. In idea, your most unique and finest content material goes behind a paywall. However then fewer folks learn it! We simply do not like paywalls, and so we have determined to ditch ours.

Sadly, the media enterprise continues to be a tricky, cut-throat enterprise with tiny margins. It is a unending Olympic problem to remain above water and even maybe — gasp — develop. So …