Deep cycle batterie - watersnake question!

[sari96]

Can anyone tell me the reason for a 12v deep cycle batterie to be used for the jarvis walker watersnake? I only have a non deep cycle batterie that is 12v. What would be the difference in the two and could I just use the non deep cycle batterie?

Can not find the information on this, any info would be great!

[Gloomy Samurai]

Sari there is probably no reason why you can't use your normal battery, it is just not optimal.

Deep cycle batteries are designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time. Non deep cycle batteries(like a standard car battery) are designed to provide a very large amount of current for a short period of time (ie when starting the engine).

Obviously, running a water snake is better suited to the former rather than the latter.

Andrew

[Dinodadog]

If you need the elec just for positioning then car battery OK

If you need to go long distances then deep cycle is the best as stated above.

Dino

[sari96]

Ok cool thanks heaps for the info guys! Would you guys have any advice on amps??

[BASSTURD]

I currently run a 120ah deep cycle battery which is more than enough, I was out the other day and have my water snake going for about an hour in total and only used about 15amps of the 120amps.

Deep cycles are designed to be drained and recharged and require minimal to no maintenance. I highly recommend spending the extra dollar on a deep cycle. If your going to just use your water snake to cruising around and sneak up on structure and then shut it off I would recommend a minimum of 55ah, if your going to use it to hold yourself in the current for longer periods I would look up at the 80ah plus. You can also get decent quality battery chargers off ebay I brought a 20amp charger for $49 free post and it works a treat.

[sari96]

Dad just brought home 2 100amp deep cycles from work, so I'm pretty happy about that. How long do you recon they would last using it on my watersnake and old lowrange 5x ??

[BASSTURD]

if you had your watersnake on constantly at full power and lowrance you would probably get atleast 4 hours at a minimum id say. That's an approximate guess.

[sari96]

if you had your watersnake on constantly at full power and lowrance you would probably get atleast 4 hours at a minimum id say. That's an approximate guess.

On one of the batteries?

[BASSTURD]

oh shoot I didn't see the 2, sorry yeah one battery would do atleast 4 hours, with the 2 you would be right for a full day out on the water man.

[rayke1938]

What size watersnake is it. Impossible to predict run time without knowing size of motor.

Same as saying i have a motor car how many miles per gallon can I expect.

With 12 volt leccies the poundage of the motor roughly equates to the current draw at max speed.

Cheers

Ray.

[sari96]

What size watersnake is it. Impossible to predict run time without knowing size of motor.

Same as saying i have a motor car how many miles per gallon can I expect.

With 12 volt leccies the poundage of the motor roughly equates to the current draw at max speed.

Cheers

Ray.

54lb

[sari96]

Dad picked these 2 100amp deep cycles for free, they are worth over $300 each

[rayke1938]

Your motor draws 48 amps flat out. In theory you should be able to run for 2 hours but in practice much less.

You should NEVER discharge a battery below 11.8 volts.

I try not to discharge mine below 12.2 volts for maximum battery life.At 12.2 volts I have only used about 50% of my battery capacity

Pinched this off another site.

Battery depth of discharge

General rule of thumb: the less your deep cycle battery is discharged before being properly recharged again, the longer it will last.

Here's an example:

A Sonnenschein Solar Bloc 100 AH Gel Battery discharged to a depth of 70%, i.e. with only 30% or 30 AH (amp hours) remaining, will have a lifespan of around 1200 cycles, which is quite impressive. However, if it's only discharged to 50%, the expected number of cycles skyrockets to around 1700! If a cycle is a day, that adds over 1.25 years to the life of the battery.

Depth of discharge, also known as DOD, shouldn't be any more than 50% in most deep cycle batteries in order to get the best value for money. So if you have a 100 AH battery, consider the cut-off discharge depth being 50 AH.

Depth of discharge is a very important calculation you should make when choosing the size of a deep cycle battery.

Here's another example: If you want to power a laptop computer, check the amps rating on the adaptor. It's likely to be somewhere between the 3 and 5 amp mark. This translates to probably around 2 - 4 amps an hour under normal usage as your laptop won't be using the full amount at all times. So, based on the lower end:

100 AH battery = 50 AH available capacity/2 amp draw = 25 hours usage.

Also for mai,ium battery life get a decent smart charger not an el cheepo ebay one.

Ideally talk to Aussie 123 and get a ctek for a trouble free charger that will last for years.

Cheers

Ray

[sari96]

Your motor draws 48 amps flat out. In theory you should be able to run for 2 hours but in practice much less.

You should NEVER discharge a battery below 11.8 volts.

I try not to discharge mine below 12.2 volts for maximum battery life.At 12.2 volts I have only used about 50% of my battery capacity

Pinched this off another site.

Battery depth of discharge

General rule of thumb: the less your deep cycle battery is discharged before being properly recharged again, the longer it will last.

Here's an example:

A Sonnenschein Solar Bloc 100 AH Gel Battery discharged to a depth of 70%, i.e. with only 30% or 30 AH (amp hours) remaining, will have a lifespan of around 1200 cycles, which is quite impressive. However, if it's only discharged to 50%, the expected number of cycles skyrockets to around 1700! If a cycle is a day, that adds over 1.25 years to the life of the battery.

Depth of discharge, also known as DOD, shouldn't be any more than 50% in most deep cycle batteries in order to get the best value for money. So if you have a 100 AH battery, consider the cut-off discharge depth being 50 AH.

Depth of discharge is a very important calculation you should make when choosing the size of a deep cycle battery.

Here's another example: If you want to power a laptop computer, check the amps rating on the adaptor. It's likely to be somewhere between the 3 and 5 amp mark. This translates to probably around 2 - 4 amps an hour under normal usage as your laptop won't be using the full amount at all times. So, based on the lower end:

100 AH battery = 50 AH available capacity/2 amp draw = 25 hours usage.

Also for mai,ium battery life get a decent smart charger not an el cheepo ebay one.

Ideally talk to Aussie 123 and get a ctek for a trouble free charger that will last for years.

Cheers

Ray

Interesting! Thanks heaps for the heads up. My dad already has a few good quality battery chargers , hopefully I don't sound to stupid but how am I supposed to know that the batterie is half discharged?

[rayke1938]

when tho open circuit voltage is 12.2 volts.

cheers

ray