Battery guru's...? for you please

[DILLIGAF]

How do you tell if a battery is WET, GELL or AGM when it is not marked? I assume the gell batteries are sealed while wet batteries you have to put water in them, right? What the hell is an AGM battery?
Thanks

[DAB]

Hey Tom, how you doing? Here you go:
A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. We sell the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the standard flooded deep cycle battery. AGM's will cost 2 to 3 times as much as flooded batteries of the same capacity. In many installations, where the batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. AGM batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes, Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive most freezes. Not everyone needs these features.
David

[SummitKarl]

How do you tell if a battery is WET, GELL or AGM when it is not marked? I assume the gell batteries are sealed while wet batteries you have to put water in them, right? What the hell is an AGM battery?
Thanks
you don't have a AGM Batt in your boat "Absorbed Glass Mat"
more of a aircraft spec for those. they use impregnated glass matt between the plates instead of gel, they are very efficient batteries, they recombine oxygen and hydrogen so there is very little water loss from electrolysis
typically you can tell the Difference between a "Flooded"=wet battery and a Gell cell simply buy the case, Gell is Sealed and Flooded has caps to add water

[SummitKarl]

Hey Tom, how you doing? Here you go:
A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. We sell the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the standard flooded deep cycle battery. AGM's will cost 2 to 3 times as much as flooded batteries of the same capacity. In many installations, where the batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. AGM batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes, Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive most freezes. Not everyone needs these features.
David
:idea: google (http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#AGM,%20or%20Absorbed%20Glass%20Mat %20Batteries)

[SummitKarl]

Thanks guys. I just bought a new charger and it asks what type of battery you are charging. Why, I don't know but I set it on WET and plugged it in. I have it plugged in to the batteries on my sons boat and will keep it plugged in all winter to maintain them.
It is a Black and Decker charger and seems pretty slick. Once you plug it in it tells you how much voltage you currently have. Also has a little cooling fan that runs while plugged in to keep the charger cooler.
Thanks
make sure it's set on float or it does float, if not say good bye to that batt

[DAB]

:idea: google (http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#AGM,%20or%20Absorbed%20Glass%20Mat %20Batteries)
Yeah, it's real easy too...now ask me about flashlight batteries (the sticks) and I'll tell you everything I know..

[DAB]

Dave...I could care less where you got the info. It was what I was looking for.
Thanks and I hope things are well.
Hell Tom, why think hard when you can type? Things are good, thanks for asking..

[Nord]

you don't have a AGM Batt in your boat "Absorbed Glass Mat"
more of a aircraft spec for those. they use impregnated glass matt between the plates instead of gel, they are very efficient batteries, they recombine oxygen and hydrogen so there is very little water loss from electrolysis
typically you can tell the Difference between a "Flooded"=wet battery and a Gell cell simply buy the case, Gell is Sealed and Flooded has caps to add water
Actually, double check that. I use Optima gells which are to be charged in AGM format!! It says right on the instructions they come with!!!!!
I thought the same thing.