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Proper maintenance is the key to keeping your deep cycle battery healthy. Failing to maintain a deep cycle battery in the right way can affect the health of the battery and decline its lifespan. To prevent this, you should look for the different problems of your deep cycle battery and troubleshoot them. In fact, troubleshooting a deep cycle battery is easy, and any person can do it.
When your deep cycle battery doesn’t hold a charge, it will be very annoying for you. When you charge up your battery and use it, it will become flat quickly. This can happen due to several reasons. Here we will discuss some common reasons why a deep cycle battery doesn’t hold a charge.
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Inspect Your Deep Cycle Battery Visually
When you notice that your deep cycle battery is not holding a charge, you should consider inspecting the battery to know the actual reason. You can conduct a visual inspection to know the physical condition of your battery.
- You will need to check and ensure that the battery top and the battery terminals are clean and dry. This is a sign that the battery is in good condition. If the battery top is not cleaned and dirty, then this can cause faster discharge of the battery. With time, this can also reduce the lifespan of your battery.
- Check if the battery case is damaged or has cracks. If it has a crack or is damaged, then it is not a good sign. This can lead the battery to fail. A battery case can usually get a crack or damage if you overcharge or overheat the battery. Therefore, you will need to make sure that you don’t overcharge or overheat your deep cycle battery.
- Check if the battery has been affected by sulfation. Sulfation is not a good sign for the health of a battery. Sulfation can happen if the battery plates are exposed to air or if the battery is overcharged or undercharged. If you notice that the battery is affected by sulfation, then the battery might be dead or will be dead soon. In this case, the battery may not hold a charge.
Testing The Battery with A Voltmeter
After a visual inspection of the deep cycle battery, you should check the voltage of the battery to know the battery condition. You can use a multimeter or voltmeter to test the battery. If you get a reading between 12.75 volts to 13 volts, then you can ensure that the battery has a charge between 90 and 100%. When the battery charge is 60% to 80%, you will get a reading between 12.15 and 12.5 volts.
If the battery voltage is 12.05 volts or low, then the battery has only 50% or less charge. If it is 11.66 or 11.95 volts, then the battery has a 20% to 40% charge. But you can ensure that the battery is dead if the battery voltage is 10.5 volts or low. This way, you can test your deep cycle battery and know the condition of your battery. Also, you can follow the instructions of the manufacturer to test your battery if there are any.
What Are the Common Reasons for A Battery Failure?
You have to take proper care of your battery in order to keep it healthy. Failing to do this will make your battery dead. Here are some common reasons that can lead a battery to fail.
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Not Charging the Battery for A Long Time
When the battery starts to discharge, sulfation builds up on the battery plates and affects the performance of the battery. When the battery voltage goes below 12.5%, sulfation starts to build. If you don’t charge your battery till 24 hours of discharge, then sulfation can damage your battery.
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Deep Discharge Than the Allows Limit
If you discharge the battery more than the specified limit, then the battery life can get affected. Deep discharge of the battery makes the sulfation process faster. This will impact the lifespan of the battery. By discharging the battery more than the limit, you will put your battery in a state from where it can’t be recovered easily.
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Keeping The Battery Plates Exposed to Air
If this is the case, then the battery will be affected by sulfation quickly. This will make the battery plates useless quickly. So, you will need to ensure that you fill distilled water into the battery on time to prevent this issue.
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Undercharging The Battery
Undercharging is very dangerous for batteries and can lead to sulfation. Many people usually use the battery when it is almost charged but not fully charged. If you do so, then the battery will get affected by sulfation faster.
Deep Cycle Battery Frequently Asked Questions:
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What Is Self-Discharging?
Batteries usually discharge slowly when they are kept unused. The self-discharge of a deep cycle battery is around 10% per month. This means that the battery will lose this much charge every month even if you don’t use it.
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Can Hot Weather Impact the Battery Life?
Yes, if the battery is stored in hot weather conditions, then its self-discharge will be faster. This will drain the battery quickly and can cause battery failure. This is why you shouldn’t store a battery at hot temperatures.
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What If the Charger Has an Issue?
Sometimes you may notice that your battery is not getting charged properly and worry if it is failed. But this can also happen if the charge is not good. So, you should also check your charger when you notice that your battery is not charging properly or holding a charge. If the charger has an issue, then replace it to charge your battery appropriately.
Conclusion
Deep cycle battery charging issues can be common, but they can happen because of several reasons. So, you should understand those reasons and avoid them to keep your battery healthy.
You can also join the EZ battery reconditioning program if you want to know more about deep cycle batteries and their charging process. This is an online learning program of battery maintenance and use.
