Choosing the right type of battery is just as important as choosing the right type of power inverter. In a scenario where you choose and purchase the wrong type of battery, it will render your power inverter useless irrespective of the type of power inverter you have purchased. This article will explain you some of the different kinds of batteries available in the market and will help you in making the right choice.
- VRLA batteries:
VRLA is an acronym for Valve Regulated Lead Acid batteries. They are popularly known as maintenance free batteries. These batteries are housed in a sealed package and as a result they can be installed at any angle. Their sealed design is such that they don’t require any constant maintenance. Another advantage that makes them extremely popular is that they don’t require frequent ventilation and as a result they can be installed in poorly confined spaces with little or no ventilation at all. VRLA batteries derive their attribute of being maintenance and ventilation free by immobilizing the electrolyte. This immobilization of the electrolyte results in trapped hydrogen near the plates. Subsequently this trapped hydrogen is available during a re-charge and it considerably reduces the water loss. However the very design that provides the VRLA batteries with these advantages also proves to be a disadvantage for using them with power inverters. The very design that immobilizes the electrolyte also has a shunning effect on the battery’s power creating capacity and as a result they come with lower power capacity ratings. If your power inverter is supposed to provide backup power to many electronic devices then choosing VRLA batteries can be a bad idea.
- SLI batteries:
SLI stands for Starter Lighting and Ignition. These are big and heavy batteries. You will often find them in heavy duty vehicles like railway engines and large capacity trucks. But don’t fall for the size. Even though you might feel intimidated by the sheer size and bulkiness of these batteries, still they are a bad choice for your power inverter. These batteries are designed to provide high level voltages for a very short period of time. Such high levels of current are usually used to start an electric motor and for cranking the engine. Contrary to this, you power inverter needs a battery that can provide long hours of uninterrupted power.
- Deep cycle batteries:
Deep cycle batteries are also known as tubular batteries. From customer testimonies and technical point of view, these are the batteries that you should install in combination with your power inverter. Unlike the SLI batteries which act as a quick power source for a short duration, deep cycle or tubular batteries are designed to provide continuous power supply for longer periods of time. In fact they are designed in way so that they can discharge all their capacity, slowly over longer durations, usually several hours. Another advantage is that these batteries are recyclable. When your existing tubular battery dies out, just take it to the nearest dealership and you will get significant discounts on your next purchase. I personally recommend the usage of tubular batteries with power inverters.
The author of this article is a chemical engineer and works for a leading tubular battery manufacturer. His articles are amongst the most visited concerning the topic of power inverters misc.
0 comments :
Post a Comment