What is the difference between gel cell and traditional wet batteries?
Wet cells do not have special pressurized sealing vents, as they do not
work on the recombination principle. They contain liquid electrolyte that
can cause corrosion and spill if tipped or punctured. Therefore, they are
not air transportable without special containers. They cannot be shipped
via UPS or Parcel Post or used near sensitive electronic equipment. They
can only be installed ‘upright.”
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Wet cells lose capacity and become permanently damaged if:
-Left in a discharged condition for any length of time (due to sulfation).
This is especially true of antimony and hybrid types.
-Continually over-discharged, due to active material shedding. This
includes specially designed deep cycle wet cells, but is especially true
of automotive types.
Deep cycle antimony wet cells have seven times less shelf life as Our gel
cells have tripled the deep cycle life of wet cell antimony alloy deep
cycle batteries, due to our unique design.
How do gel cells recharge Are there any special precautions?
While our gel cell will accept a charge extremely well due to its low
internal resistance, any battery will be damaged by continual under- or
overcharging. Capacity is reduced and life is shortened.
Overcharging is especially harmful to gel cells because of their sealed
design. Overcharging dries out the electrolyte by driving the oxygen and
hydrogen out of the battery through the safety valves. Performance and
life are reduced.
If a battery is continually undercharged, a power-robbing layer of sulfate
will build up on the positive plate, which acts as a barrier to electron
flow. Premature plate shedding can also occur. Performance is reduced and
life is shortened.
Therefore, it is critical that a charger be used that limits voltage to no
more than 14.1 volts and no less than 13.8 volts at 68°F. Batteries used
in float service should be charged at 13.8 volts. For deep cycle service,
a maximum voltage of 14.1 should be used. The charger must be temperature
corrected to prevent under- or overcharging due to ambient temperature
changes. (See Charging Voltage vs. Ambient Temperature chart on page 11.)
Important Charging Instructions
The warranty is void if improperly charged. Use a good constant
potential, temperature corrected, voltage-regulated charger. Charge gel
cells to at least 13.8 volts but no more than 14.1 volts at 68°F (20°C)
Constant current chargers should never be used on gel cell batteries.
Can gel cells be installed in Sealed battery boxes?
NO! Never install any type of battery in a completely sealed container.
Although the normal gasses (oxygen and hydrogen) produced in a gel cell
battery will be recombined as described above, and not escape, oxygen and
hydrogen will escape from the battery in an overcharge condition (as is
typical of any type battery).
For safety’s sake, these potentially explosive gasses must be allowed to
vent to the atmosphere and must never be trapped in a hermetically sealed
battery box or tightly enclosed space!
Can gel cell be used as a starting battery as well?
Gel cell will work in SLI (Starting, Lighting and Ignition)
Applications providing the voltage is regulated between 13.8 and 14.1
volts at 68°F. Most vehicles’ regulators are set higher than 14.1 volts.
Therefore, the charging system must be adjusted for the Battery to
recharge properly for best performance and longest life
What do the ratings and specifications signify for this line?
All ratings are after 15 cycles and conform to BCI specifications.
CCA = Cold Cranking Amps at 0°F (—1 7.8°C)
Cold cranking amps equal the number of amps of current a new, fully
charged battery will deliver at 0°F (—17.8°C) for thirty seconds of
discharge and maintain at least 1.2 volts per cell (7.2 volts for a
12-volt battery).
CA = Cranking Amps at 32°F (0°C)
Same as above tested at 32°F (0°C). (Note: All cranking ratings are
guidelines. Gel batteries are designed for cycling foremost.)
RC = Reserve Capacity at 80°F (27°C)
The reserve capacity is the time in minutes that a new, fully charged
battery can be continuously discharged at 25 amps of current and maintains
at least 1.75 volts per cell (10.5 volts for a 12-volt battery).
Minutes discharged at 50, 25, 15, 8 and 5 Amps
Minutes discharged is the time in minutes that a new, fully charged
battery will deliver at various amps of current and maintain at least 1.75
volts per cell. These are nominal or average ratings.
Ampere Hour Capacity at 20, 6, 3 and 1 Hour Rates
Ampere hour capacity is a unit of measure that is calculated by
multiplying the current in amperes (amps) by the time in hours of
discharge to 1.75 volts per cell. (These are nominal or average ratings.)
EXAMPLE
10 amps for 20 hr. (10 x 20) = 200 Ah © 20 hr. rate
8 amps for3 hr. (8 x3) = 24 Ah @3 hr. rate
30 amps for 1 hr. (30 xl) = 30 Ah @1 hr. rate
Therefore, if you have an application that requires
a draw of 17 amps for 3 hours, you would need
A 51 Ah battery (© 3 hr. rate).... (17 x3= 51).
However, the 51 amp hours delivered is 1O0% of the capacity of this 51 Ah
battery.
Most system designs will specify a battery that will deliver a minimum of
twice the power required. This means the battery will discharge to 50% of
its capacity. Using a 50% depth of discharge (versus 80% or 100%) will
dramatically extend the life of any battery. Therefore, when helping to
specify a battery for a system, choose a battery with twice the capacity
required for best performance. If 50 Ah is required, specify at least a
100 Ah battery.
Introduction
Sealed gel technology (commonly referred to as “gel cell” technology)
was developed several years ago. Over the years, the gel battery has
evolved and developed into the battery of choice for discriminating system
designers, application engineers and sophisticated users.
In 1991, East Penn began building gel cell batteries using tried and true
technology backed by more than 50 years experience. East Penn’s unique
computer-aided manufacturing expertise and vertical integration have
created a product that is recognized as the highest quality, longest lived
gel battery available from any source.
Applications
Gel cells can be used in virtually any flooded electrolyte wet cell
application (in conjunction with well-regulated charging), as well as
applications where traditional wet cells cannot be used. Because of their
unique features and benefits, gel cells are particularly well suited for:
Deep Cycle, Deep Discharge Applications
- Marine Trolling
- Electronics
- Electric Vehicles
- Wheelchairs
- Portable Power
- Floor Scrubbers
- Personnel Carriers
- Marine House Power
- Commercial Deep Cycle Applications
- Standby and Emergency Backup Applications
- UPS (Uninterrupted Power Systems)
- Emergency Lighting
- Computer Backup
- Cable TV
- Telephone Switching
- Unusual and Demanding Applications
What is a gel cell?
A gel cell is a lead-acid electric storage battery that:
-is pressurized and sealed using special valves, and therefore should
never be opened.
-is completely maintenance-f ree*.
-uses a thixotropic gelled electrolyte.
-uses the “recombination” technique to replace oxygen and hydrogen
normally lost in a wet cell (particularly in deep cycle applications).
- RVs
- Sailboats
- Golf Cars
- Race Cars
- Off-road Vehicles
- Marine Starting
- Air-transported Equipment
- Wet Environments
Diesel & ICE. Starting
Is non-spillable, and therefore can be operated in virtually any position.
However, installation upside-down is not recommended.
Connections must be retorqued and the batteries should be cleaned
periodically
How does a gel cell work?
A gel cell is a “recombinant” battery. This means that the oxygen that
is normally produced on the positive plate in all lead-acid batteries
recombines with the hydrogen given off by the negative plate. The
“recombination” of hydrogen and oxygen produces water (H which replaces
the moisture in the battery. Therefore, the battery is maintenance-free,
as it never needs watering.
The oxygen is trapped in the cell by special pressurized sealing vents. It
travels to the negative plate through tiny fissures or cracks in the
gelled electrolyte.
The sealing vent is critical to the performance of the gel cell. The cell
must maintain a positive internal pressure. Otherwise the recombination of
the gasses will not take place, and the cell will dry out and not perform.
In addition, the valve must safely release any excess pressure that may be
produced during overcharging. Otherwise the cell would be irreparably
damaged.
It’s important to note that a gel cell must never be opened once it leaves
the factory. If opened, the cell loses its pressure, and the outside air
will “poison” the plates and cause an imbalance that destroys the
recombination chemistry.
Hence the name: Sealed Valve Regulated (SVR) Battery.
What is the difference between gel cell and “starved electrolyte”
batteries?
Both are recombinant batteries; both are sealed valve regulated.
The major difference is that the “starved” or “absorbed electrolyte”
battery contains an amount of liquid electrolyte added at the factory that
soaks into the special separators. Therefore, it is non-spillable because
the entire liquid electrolyte is trapped in the sponge-like separator
material. There is no “free” electrolyte to spill if tipped or punctured.
Because of this “acid-starved” condition, this type of battery does not
normally perform well in heavy, deep discharge applications. The gel cell
has more electrolytes available; therefore it is better suited for deep
discharge applications and can accept occasional overcharging.
