| Marine Batteries: Installing a House or Accessory Battery |
From "Shipshape Boating"
episode DSSB-106 |
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Installing a house or accessory battery for a boat is different from installing the starter battery. Where the starter battery needs a big burst of power to start the engine, an accessory battery needs a long, steady draw of power.
Here's a review of a few different types of accessory or house batteries:
- Gel Cell Battery -- This type of accessory has an acid inside that is a gelatin, which allows the battery to be mounted in "any" position you choose --- upside down, on its side, etc.
- Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Battery -- This type of accessory battery has acid impregnated fiberglass (figure A) -- basically a spiral of fiberglass where the electro-lighter (acid) is located. It looks like a six-pack of soda. This battery also can be mounted in any position, which is a major advantage. Everything is fully sealed so nothing can leak out.
- Wet Cell Battery -- This is the battery that Gerviskis will mount in this segment. It's a little less expensive that the two previous batteries that were discussed, and it allows you to actually maintain the battery. The other two are maintenance-free. Sometimes a battery may lose its acid level, and with this particular model, you can take off the cap of the battery and add some distilled water when the level is low.
Note: Another reason Greviskis went with the stainless-steel mounting frame is because he knew he would be using a battery in which he would need easy access.
For each house or accessory battery, there will be a reserve-capacity number right on the battery. For the one Greviskis chose, the number is 140 minutes (figure B). This tells you how much time you will get out of your battery. How this number is calculated is that if you're running -- theoretically -- 25 amps of power on the boat at the same time, you could run those different battery power sources (lights, radio, etc.) for 140 consecutive minutes without having to recharge the battery.
Note: Reserve minutes are based on 25-amp draw, and you recharge the battery with the use of the boat engine or alternator.
To tie down the house or accessory battery, use the exact same technique that was used for the starter battery -- see segment one for details.
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