The maintenance of deep cycle batteries is minimal, with the exception of lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries must be topped off with distilled water on a monthly basis to keep their plates submerged. In the event the plates are not replaced, a new battery will need to be purchased. When you won’t be using lead-acid or AGM batteries for a long time, you can keep them charged with a trickle charger. Due to their battery management system, lithium batteries do not require it.
There are pros and cons to each type of deep cycle battery:
1. Lithium Pros & Cons:
Pros
- The capacity is 80 to 100 percent of its usable capacity
- Extremely high charging rates
- Memory is not present in the battery
- There is no need to maintain it
- A compact and lightweight design
- Between 2,000 and 5,000 charge cycles
Cons
- Among deep cycle batteries, this option is the most expensive
- Charges cannot be made at low temperatures
- Maintaining batteries is necessary (usually internally)
- Victron inverters and Battle Born lithium deep cycle batteries are installed in a Grand Design Solitude RV storage
- Inverters from Victron and batteries from Battle Born
2. Lead-Acid Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Sources that can be trusted
- Being tolerant of overcharging
- Capacity for high-current loads
- World-wide accessibility
- There is no expiration date on it
Cons
- The usable capacity ranges from 30% to 50%
- There is a great deal of weight
- Monthly maintenance is required
- Atmospheric gases are released
- Charging efficiency of 70% to 85%
3. Gel Pros & Cons:
Pros
- No spills are present
- Maintenance is not necessary
- Off-gassing is not an issue
- Heat tolerance
- Charge efficiency of 85% to 90%
Cons
- Batteries with AGMs and lead-acids have a higher cost
- It is not tolerated to fast charge
- It can be ruined if overcharged
- Profiles/setups have their own settings
4. AGM Pros & Cons:
Pros
- A usable capacity of 60% to 80%
- The rates are much higher than those of lead-acid or gel
- Liquids do not spill
- An off-gassing product
- You don’t need to maintain
- Charging efficiency of 95%
- The cold doesn’t affect it
Cons
- The cost of lead-acid batteries is higher
- Deals can be ruined by high prices
