I must confess that although I have been in the new car battery business for at least 35 years
There are still many things that I do not know
or understand about the different batteries that are on the market, in today’s
ever changing world.
I would also like to admit that at the same time I also know
a lot about batteries, (confused). It only hit home to me when I promoted one
of my female staff to be my depot manager. Debby is a very bright and competent
member of my staff and has worked for me for many years in a part time
capacity. Her children have now grown up now, so she asked if she could come
back to work on a full time basis.
After weighing up one or two options, I offered Debby the
job of depot manageress. All my previous
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| Typical AGM battery used for Start-Stop cars |
This brings me to the point of the amount of knowledge that
is needed when selling batteries and handling customer inquiries and problems. Both
in house or on the telephone. We have also started to employ a couple of
apprentices and they have the same problem. Like anything else it all takes
time and if you are interested enough then the knowledge will slowly sink in.
New battery meanings, such as AGM and Gel come to mind.
I can actually remember when we diversified from just selling cheap car batteries online
and started to diversify to other products such as the Lucas LX31MF battery and other cheap leisure
batteries, we had a whole new phrase book to learn. What I am getting at is the
fact that if we are finding out about different products and things are getting little more complicated?so how about the public,
when they have to choose a battery?
Terms that spring to mind are, AGM or VRLA? What does this
stand for? Many different batteries, for many types of installation will have these
letters showing somewhere on the battery and it will be important that you buy
the correct one. Another common type of battery is one known as GEL, but these are becoming less common in favour of the AGM battery.
AGM battery will probably be seen as one of the commonest
types of battery and comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and power ratings.
These batteries are made to supply electrical power to many different
applications such as golf trolleys, solar energy storage, bait feeders for
anglers, batteries that power stair lifts for the disabled, back-up power
systems (also known as UPS batteries, just to confuse things even further), the
list goes on and on.
The AGM battery can also be known as the VRLA battery, this
stands for “valve regulated lead acid battery” and the two types are virtually
the same battery. The AGM battery is sealed unit and will not spill out any
acid, even if the battery is fitted on its side, the acid will not leak. This
is because the acid is not free flowing, but is filled with a type of glass
matting, hence the term AGM “absorbed glass matting”. By adding this glass
fibre, then the batteries increased surface area gives them more power when
compared with a standard 12 volt battery that we use on many of our cars.
These batteries are sealed and maintenance free and does not
require any topping up, and will not give off any gasses. The battery also, has
deeper cycles that the standard car battery and holds the charge for longer,
making it suitable for multiple applications. These batteries are also fitted
with an internal safety valve, which will operate in extremely hot temperature;
this is the valve regulated part of the battery VRLA.
AGM batteries are generally more expensive than regular car
batteries, but because they last longer, are more cost effective. Many car
manufacturers are now using AGM batteries to power the new Start-Stop battery technology
that is used to reduce emissions in today’s modern cars. They are also used in
ships and boats, because they are sealed, they will not spill and mix with sea
water. The mixture of battery acid and
sea water gives off a very poisonous gas, which is very dangerous to humans.
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| AGM sealed ODYSSEY battery |
Solar energy storage is the next big thing for the AGM
battery. As we build up a system of solar panels and wind turbines, then there
is more need to store the energy from the sun and then release the electricity
at night when the sun goes down. A bank of AGM batteries is perfectly suited
for this job. This includes large banks of batteries in our towns and cities,
to help reduce surges in power especially on sunny days.
GEL batteries are very similar to the AGM ones that I have explained
about. The GEL battery has had gel added to the electrolyte instead of glass
matting and so has different charging cycle. This is the main complication for people;
we very often have golfers calling into us asking for a Gel battery when it is
an AGM that they really want. The GEL was thought to be much stronger than the
AGM batteries, but over time the AGM was proved to be a more resilient battery.
The two types of batteries also require different chargers,
if you have a GEL battery fitted to your appliance, then you will have a different
charging system and you must stick to the GEL battery, they will not intermix.
To finalise I feel that the AGM battery has still got a future,
but the Lithium-Ion battery may be the one to finally replace it, only time
will tell, the AGM battery has been around a long time now, and has been proved
and tested and can be almost completely recycled. The Lithium-Ion battery has
still yet to prove itself and the recycling position is still not known, so
only time will tell.
Disclaimer
Please note these are the words and opinion of the author
(Eric Roberts) only. Neither the author nor the website can be held responsible
for any errors or omissions. You should seek professional assistance if in
doubt about your choice of battery. The article may contain a link to
Batteriesontheweb where you can buy battery products online.
