Batteries are essential to our daily lives, powering everything from our smartphones to our cars. With so many different types of batteries and uses, it's no wonder that people have many questions about them.
Not to worry, because Batteries N More has prepared this battery FAQ to answer all your battery-related questions in one place. We aim to provide not only the best selection of batteries but also the best information to help you make informed decisions. We will answer all your battery questions and provide the information you need to make informed decisions about your battery usage, safety, and environmental impact.
Batteries are only dangerous if handled incorrectly and proper maintenance is not followed.
The hydrogen gas that batteries make when charging is very explosive. We have seen batteries blowing up and drenching everything in sulphuric acid and sending jagged pieces of the polypropylene case up to 20 metres away. It only takes a small spark, flame or burning cigarette to set off a dangerous explosion. Therefore, ignition sources must be kept well away at all times.
Extreme caution must be taken to avoid spilling or splashing electrolytes (battery fluid), as it can destroy clothing and burn the skin. Care should be taken when lifting and carrying batteries. If excessive pressure is placed on the end walls of the battery, electrolytes could seep (or even squirt) through the vents.
It is highly recommended to wear safety goggles and even a face shield when working near batteries. Never lean over the battery during charging, testing or “jump starting” operations. If acid gets into your eyes, you must flush it with water immediately.
Ensure tools or other metallic objects do not fall across the terminal or any adjacent metallic part of the vehicle.
When doing electrical work on vehicles, it is best to disconnect the ground (earth) cable. Remember that you are messing with corrosive acid, explosive gases and electrical current.
Batteries are also very heavy. Ensure correct lifting procedures are used when moving or installing batteries.
Yes, you can. However, it is not recommended to put a deep cycle in a predominantly starting application, and an allowance should be made for their lower cranking amps. Deep cycle batteries don’t have the burst of energy like a starter battery. For a battery of the same size, they will not provide as many cranking amps as a regular starter battery.
Yes, you can store your batteries on a concrete floor. There is some history from long ago with the old hard rubber cases that were somewhat porous. When stored on concrete, an electrical current could be conducted through the container, and the moist concrete floor permitted the current to find an electrical ground. However, today’s battery cases are polypropylene, so it no longer applies.
All batteries self-discharge while they are sitting on the shelf or concrete. Self-discharge is a phenomenon in batteries in which internal chemical reactions reduce the stored charge of the battery without a connection between the terminals. How fast self-discharge occurs depends on the type of battery (calcium and AGM have lower self-discharge than conventional batteries) and the ambient temperature (batteries discharge quicker in higher temperatures).
Vehicle alternators are very basic battery chargers. They can recharge your vehicle battery if it is not deeply discharged. If your battery is deeply discharged, it is highly recommended that you recharge it on an automatic or “smart” charger. These chargers have multiple stages of charging, and some offer different modes depending on the type of battery you are charging. Wet, calcium, AGM, and gel batteries all have different voltages. Check with your battery supplier for more info on suggested charge voltages.
Before charging, check the electrolyte levels and top up with distilled water if necessary. Connect the charger leads to the battery terminals. Red positive leads to the positive terminal, and the black negative leads to the negative terminal. Make sure they are on the correct terminals. The charger can reverse charge the battery if hooked up incorrectly. Only turn on the charger once it is connected to the battery. Never touch the charger leads when the charger is on, and turn the charger OFF before disconnecting the leads.
Batteries should be monitored whilst on charge. If the battery is faulty, there is a good chance the charger will not switch off, and the battery will overheat and be overcharged. If the battery has a faulty cell, the charger cannot reach this voltage and will continue to charge until it is manually switched off. You must be very careful when handling the battery in this state, as a large amount of hydrogen gas would be around the battery, and any spark could set off an explosion.
It is advisable to always check the replacement battery against the existing one to ensure that size, hold down, terminal configuration, cranking capacity and bonnet clearance are suitable for the application.
Use some form of battery backup device if possible. We use a small battery with a cigarette lighter plug attached, which inserts into the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket and keeps power to the car's computer so it does not reset.
Some form of corrosion protection over the terminals is a good idea. We use a spray designed to reduce corrosion, but grease or petroleum jelly also works fine.
Jump starting can cause serious injury. If you are unsure of what you are doing, call roadside assistance or someone experienced for help.
Read your owner’s manual. Some car manufacturers don’t allow jump starting. Sometimes, the battery is not under the bonnet, but there will usually be jump start terminals under the bonnet.
Most batteries have a date of manufacture code on them. The month is indicated by a letter “A” for January, “B” for February and so on and a number “9” for 2009, “0” for 2010, etc. Remember that the freshness of a new battery is very important, so try not to get a battery that has been sitting on a shelf for over 6 months.
Without the right testing equipment, it can be very difficult to test a battery. The easiest method is to measure the specific gravity using a hydrometer and the voltage using a digital multimeter. If you’re testing many batteries, you may need to buy a good load tester.
First, you must fully charge the battery. Check the battery voltage after removing any surface charge, it should read above 12.65 volts for a fully charged battery. If your battery measures 10.5 volts after charging, it typically indicates a shorted or faulty cell.
If you can check every cell in the battery with a hydrometer, the cell readings should all be the same. A fully charged cell reads 1.265–1.280. If there is more than a 0.05-point difference, it indicates a faulty battery. Readings below 1.225 indicate the battery needs to be charged before load testing.
If the battery is sealed, it should have a built-in hydrometer telling the charge of one cell. You may get a good reading in that cell, but the problem may be in one of the other cells.
Once the battery is charged, you need to use a load tester. A good load tester is very expensive, so it may be better to get a professional to test it.
There are basically two types of lead acid batteries: Starter (engine cranking) and Deep Cycle (Caravans, dual batteries).
The starter battery is designed to deliver quick bursts of energy, so it generally has more plates in order to have a larger surface area that provides a high electric current for a short period. The plates are thinner and have different material compositions. Deep cycle batteries have less instant energy but greater long-term energy delivery, have thicker plates, and can survive a number of discharge cycles.
We do not recommend using starter batteries for deep cycle applications because the plates are more prone to warping and shedding active material, thus reducing the life of the battery or possibly having a catastrophic failure, i.e. a sudden death due to a shorted cell.
You can also get “hybrid” batteries, which fall between starting and deep cycle batteries.
This is a difficult one to answer because it depends on numerous factors. The main factors are:
Battery life has become shorter as energy requirements in modern vehicles have increased.
A battery prefers to be used regularly or regularly charged. Many modern vehicles have a constant drain even when the ignition is off, which will flatten the battery and shorten its life if the vehicle is not used regularly. What’s more, vehicles nowadays have a lot more electrical accessories fitted, which puts added strain on the battery.
Another factor that is becoming more important is locking your car. Modern vehicles, especially luxury cars, have many computers and accessories that are still running when the key is removed. They don’t go to “sleep” until the car is locked. So, even if your car is in a locked garage, it is good practice to lock your car to improve battery life.
Cold cranking amperes (CCA) is an international standard for measuring the performance of a battery. CCA measures the cranking capacity of a battery at a temperature of -18°C (0°F). To get technical, the rating is defined as the number of amperes a lead-acid battery at -18°C can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain at least 1.2 volts per cell (7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery).
An amp hour (AH) is a rating usually found on deep cycle batteries. If a battery is rated at 100AH, it should deliver 5 amps per hour for 20 hours.
Peukert’s Law expresses that the capacity available from a battery varies according to how rapidly it is discharged. A battery discharged at a high rate will give fewer amperes than one discharged more slowly.
Rated in minutes, it is the length of time a new fully charged battery at 27°C will discharge 25 amps until the battery drops below 10.5 volts.
A “Calcium” battery is still a lead acid battery. They are usually sealed and maintenance-free. Calcium replaces antimony in the plates of the battery to give it some advantages, including improved resistance to corrosion, no excessive gassing, less water usage and lower self-discharge. Silver is another additive used by some manufacturers. The addition of silver enables the battery to be more resilient to high temperatures.
Calcium batteries require a higher charge voltage than conventional batteries. If used in a deep cycle situation, it is advisable to use a charger designed for calcium batteries with a calcium charging mode to get the maximum life out of the battery.
Our marine batteries are designed to run small electrical loads and are “hybrid” batteries. They also have extra resistance to vibration and a dual terminal for adding extra accessories.
Sulfation generally starts when the battery voltage is below 12.4 volts. It is a build-up that occurs when the sulphur molecules in the electrolytes (sulphuric battery acid) become so deeply discharged that they begin to coat the battery plates. Before long, the plates become so coated the battery will no longer be able to be recharged or deliver current. The causes of sulfation are numerous. Some examples are:
Alas, there are many maintenance chargers on the market. Plug the charger into the main power and attach it to your battery. This will prolong the battery life considerably and can be left on permanently without damaging the battery. If there is no access to mains power, another option is to use a solar trickle charger.
Cable connections must be cleaned and tightened, as dirty and loose connections often cause battery problems. Don’t forget to check the earth cable. This can be the last thing that is checked, but it is the easiest to fix.
If the battery has removable caps, it is best to check the water at least every 6 months and more often as it ages. Distilled water is best as all the impurities have been removed, and nothing is left that could contaminate your cells. Don’t overfill battery cells, especially in warmer weather, because the natural fluid expansion in hot weather can push excess electrolytes from the battery and will make an awful mess.
To prevent corrosion on the terminals, ensure the terminals are clean and have a good connection. A covering of grease or a battery terminal protection spray will help. If you continue to have problems, try felt washers and cover them with petroleum jelly or even a bead of silicon sealer around the base of the post. Corrosion is caused by acid creeping in between the case and the terminal post, as well as excessive gassing.
Nowadays, batteries are getting better, and we don’t see as much corrosion anymore.
They are all measuring the cranking amperes of the battery but at different temperatures. A lead-acid battery will perform better at room temperature than at freezing temperatures.
Cold cranking amperes (CCA) is measured at -18°C (0°F).
Cranking amperes (CA) is the same as Marine cranking amperes (MCA) measured at 0°C (31°F).
Hot cranking amperes (HCA) are measured at 26.7°C (80°F).
For example, a battery rating of 600CCA would be roughly 750CA (MCA) and 900HCA.
CCA is predominantly used in Australia to compare batteries. The only real problem is that when consumers compare CCA ratings between batteries, some manufacturers are more conservative.
They are all variations of the lead acid battery.
The Wet Cell comes in two types: serviceable and maintenance-free. Both are filled with electrolytes and are basically the same.
Serviceable batteries have removable caps, so the electrolytes can (and should) be checked regularly. They are easier to test as you can check the specific gravity with a hydrometer of every cell. Maintenance-free batteries are sealed for life, and the water level does not need to be maintained. They are usually calcium batteries. They also have a built-in hydrometer, indicating the charge in one cell.
AGM and Gel batteries are both types of Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA).
AGM batteries are similar to wet batteries, except the electrolytes are being held in the glass matts, as opposed to freely flooding the plates. Gel battery electrolytes are gel-like and immobile.
There is some common confusion regarding AGM batteries because different manufacturers call them by different names. They are also known as “dry cell”, “sealed lead acid”, and “non-spillable”. Usually, when consumers ask for a gel cell, they mean AGM. Gel cells are still being sold, but AGM batteries are replacing them in most applications.
When recharged, AGM and Gel cell batteries require different voltages than conventional batteries. If using the batteries in a deep cycle situation, you must have a charger designed for AGM of Gel batteries. A normal charger will do the job for a one-off recharge, but the battery must not overheat, so it should be closely monitored.
A battery is like a piggy bank. If you keep taking it out and putting it back, you will soon have nothing. The voltage should only be read when the engine is off, and no loads are connected. The battery has to rest for at least 12 hours to remove the surface charge (or turning on your high beam for about 1 minute will remove the surface charge).
As a member of the ABIA (Australian Battery Industry Association), we are responsible for collecting scrap batteries, so you can drop your batteries off to us, and we will send them off to be recycled. Never put them in with your household waste.
Batteries are recycled by grinding them, neutralising the acid and separating the plastics from the lead. The recovered materials are used in various applications, including new batteries.
A problem can arise when your battery is extremely discharged.
Say a light is left on in the vehicle, and the battery voltage drops below 7 volts. Some chargers will not charge a battery when the voltage is that low, and you will have to take it to a professional to charge it.
Chargers are getting better, and there are some on the market that will start at 3 or even 0 volts. The problem is that the battery has developed an extremely high internal resistance (caused by sulfation), and the charger is not strong enough to push current through the battery.
When overcharged, a lead acid battery produces hydrogen gas. If the ventilation is inadequate, a flammable concentration of hydrogen gas may remain in the cell or in the battery enclosure. Any spark can cause a hydrogen explosion, damaging the battery and its surroundings.
Batteries N More is committed to providing you with the knowledge and resources. By understanding the ins and outs of battery types, performance, charging, safety, disposal, and emerging technologies, you can make informed decisions that benefit you, your devices, and the environment. We hope this comprehensive FAQ is a valuable resource for all your battery-related inquiries.
For any additional inquiries or assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our knowledgeable team by clicking the link below. We're here to help you keep your devices powered and ready to go!
