What is an 8D battery?
We rarely hear about 8D batteries in our daily lives, 8D batteries are deep cycle batteries that are typically used in boats, RV’s, and solar panel off-grid systems, and it is only in these applications that you will see 8D batteries. 8D batteries typically refer to the battery pack size, and from the history of their development, lead-acid batteries need to be larger in order to get a larger capacity, so the size of the battery pack size has a lot to do with how much energy the battery can store and how much energy it can provide. 8D batteries are the largest standard battery pack size of any existing 12-volt battery. energy and how much energy it can provide.
8D batteries are the largest standard battery pack size of 12 volt batteries available. The dimensions of an 8D battery are approximately 21 inches by 11 inches by 10 inches (L x W x H). 8D batteries are available in a number of different brands, battery sizes, types, and features for us to choose from. It is important for us to be aware of 8D batteries, and then make a choice that is tailored to our individual needs. 8D batteries are available in many different sizes, battery sizes, types, and features.
Currently there are two main types of 8D batteries Lead acid 8D batteries and lithium 8D batteries
1. Lead-acid 8D battery
Lead acid 8D batteries are larger and need to install more and thicker lead plates inside, which can provide more capacity and higher starting current, which also leads to the heavy weight of lead acid 8D batteries, lead acid 8D batteries usually weigh about 150 pounds and have a capacity of 230 to 300 amp hours, it can provide about 1500 amperes of cold cranking current, which is the reason why lead acid 8D batteries are popular .
2. Lithium 8D Batteries
Lithium 8D batteries weigh about 70 pounds, which is less than half the weight of lead acid 8D batteries, and also have about 3 times the power for deep cycle applications, the same cold cranking current for engine start applications, and are much easier to install, and lithium 8D batteries last more than lead acid 8D batteries, and with this evolution, lithium-ion batteries are replacing lead acid 8D batteries.
How 8D lithium batteries work
8D lithium batteries are mainly composed of 3 parts: the battery cell Battery management system (BMS) Battery box. The main function of the battery cell is to store and release energy, the function of the battery management system is mainly to detect the battery temperature and voltage, provide battery protection, calculate the operating status of the battery, continuously optimize the performance of the battery, and play a supervisory role, and the battery case is to protect the internal battery pack, and isolate it from external devices. When the 8D lithium battery is working, the anode will release lithium ions to the cathode, thus generating a current of electrons. When it is necessary to supply power to the device, the cathode will release lithium ions to the anode and generate a current to supply power to the electronic device.
Difference between 8D lithium battery and 8D lead-acid battery
1.8D lithium batteries and 8D lead-acid batteries: the number of cycles of use
The number of cycles of the battery determines the service life of the battery, the higher the number of cycles of the battery, the higher the life of the battery, the lead-acid 8D battery if the standard liquid-rich lead-acid batteries in the discharge depth of 25%, the cycle life of about 2,500 times, the lead-acid 8D batteries if the standard sealed lead-acid batteries in the discharge depth of 25%, the cycle life of about 1,200 times, with the Unlike lead-acid batteries, lithium 8D batteries in the depth of discharge below 80%, the cycle life of more than 5000 times, in this depth of discharge, lithium 8D batteries than lead-acid 8D batteries have a much higher life expectancy.
2. Charge and discharge rate difference
Battery charging and discharging rate is also very important, lead-acid 8D battery charging and discharging rate is limited, can not be too fast or too slow, lithium 8D batteries can be processed in a short period of time at a very high rate. However, check the manufacturer’s specifications when choosing lithium batteries, as some batteries are not supported.
3. Difference in Stability
When we use 8D lead-acid batteries in boats battery or RV batteries, we may experience a drop in the voltage of the battery pack, or we may run high power loads that will cause the voltage of the battery pack to drop. And we may also use high power AC loads, which require the inverter to convert DC to AC to provide a large amount of power to the load, which will also lead to a drop in battery pack voltage, and in severe cases, the inverter will not work, resulting in an unstable state. So we need to choose a high enough voltage when using batteries to prevent similar situations. Lithium 8D batteries are able to handle high current capacity, which does not cause a sharp drop in voltage when running, and improves stability.
4. Difference in weight
Lithium 8D batteries weigh about 70 pounds, which is less than half the weight of lead acid 8D batteries. 8D lead acid batteries use heavy lead plates that can weigh up to about 200 pounds, which can be very difficult to move.
5. Temperature difference
Temperature batteries also have different impacts, for 8D lead-acid batteries with different temperatures the capacity of the battery will be different, if we use 8D lead-acid batteries in winter we need to increase the size of the battery pack to make up for the capacity of the battery.
8D lead-acid batteries need to adjust the charging according to the different temperatures, while 8D lithium batteries, regardless of the temperature, the capacity of lithium batteries remain the same, and do not need to adjust the charging rate according to the temperature.
6. Difference in safety
Batteries with different chemistries have different risks, and we also need to pay attention to the safety performance of batteries and means of protection when we choose batteries.
6.1 8D Liquid-rich lead-acid batteries. 8D liquid-rich lead-acid batteries contain sulfuric acid and electrolyte, which need us to check regularly. And during our charging process, 8D liquid-rich lead-acid batteries will produce gas, so they need to be ventilated, and will explode if the gas builds up in the absence of ventilation. During our regular inspection, we also need to pay attention to the electrolyte level, if the level is low, we need to add distilled water. In the charging process if overcharging, there may be sulfuric acid overflow, we need to wear safety equipment to ensure the safety of life and health.
6.2 8D Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries. 8D sealed lead-acid batteries do not need to check the electrolyte level and venting, we only need to carry out a normal appearance check, check the wiring harness connection, whether there is corrosion.
6.3 8D lithium batteries. 8D lithium batteries also do not vent and check the electrolyte level, but need to pay attention to the battery may be thermal runaway phenomenon
Battery Inspection Precautions
When checking the battery, you need to pay attention to wear safety equipment (insulated gloves, goggles, etc.), the surrounding environmental conditions, the inspection should be the first appearance of the inspection, check the appearance of whether there is damage, bulging, leakage, corrosion, etc., and then you can use a multimeter to check the battery voltage, check the wiring harness connection, confirm that there is no error after removing the safety equipment.
How to care for maintenance 8D battery
Maintaining 8D batteries is similar to our daily maintenance of ordinary batteries, we correctly maintain 8D batteries and comply with the principles of battery use, you can improve the service life of the battery, the specific steps are as follows:
1. Regular charging: In the process of our use of 8D batteries, if the battery is not enough power, 8D batteries will remind us that the battery is not enough power, then we need to charge the battery.
2. Don’t overcharge: Long-term charging will cause damage to the inside of the battery, and the life of the battery will decrease.
3. Avoid completely depleting the 8D battery: When the 8D battery is completely depleted, it will not only affect the life of the battery, but also the performance of the battery.
4. Place in a suitable location: If the battery is placed in an extremely hot or cold environment, it will have different degrees of impact on the battery, pay attention to moisture, avoid direct sunlight in daily life.
5. Use a suitable charger: When using a charger, you need to use a charger with the same specifications and parameters to avoid damage to the battery.
What is 4D battery?
4D batteries are one size smaller than 8D batteries, 4D batteries measure about 21 inches x 9 inches x 10 inches (L x W x H) and weigh around 100 pounds, 4D batteries are smaller in size, they have less capacity and start the engine with less current. On average, 4D batteries draw 150-200 amp hours and 900-1300 amps for a cold start.
Summarize
8D batteries are mainly used in boats, RVs, and solar battery off-grid systems. Replacing lead-acid 8D batteries with lithium 8D batteries has gradually become more popular.
