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What Is a Deep-Cycle Battery Used for?

Deep-cycle batteries provide an alternative to cranking batteries for applications requiring deep discharging and long service life. Structurally, they differ from conventional car batteries in that they use thicker, more antimony-charged plates. Given a desirable balance of factors, deep-cycle batteries can achieve efficiencies as high as 98 percent, be cycled to as low as 20 percent charge and last as long as 20 years. These factors include charging and discharging conditions, operating temperature, capacity, load and maintenance. Deep-cycle batteries typically provide power for forklifts, boats and backup power systems.

Boats and Recreational Vehicles
- All boats and RVs require steady amounts of current for long periods of time to power their accessories. While conventional car batteries do work in these applications, a single deep-cycle battery can outlast two to ten of them, as car batteries are rather designed for high current surges over short periods and for very shallow discharges of about 10 percent or less. An average deep-cycle battery, on the other hand, will survive several hundred complete cycles of 50 percent depth of discharge (DOD) without failure.
Forklifts and Golf Carts
- Some applications -- such as forklifts, golf carts, floor sweepers and other industrial equipment -- put a big premium on long periods of usage and long service life. The higher antimony content in deep-cycle batteries increases both plate life and battery strength. The maximum service life for these applications ranges from six years to 10 years, even at regular 80 percent DOD. Many industrial deep-cycle batteries can last up to 20 years under favorable conditions.
Backup Power Systems
- Deep-cycle batteries also serve as excellent alternatives to gasoline-powered generators in backup power systems. For these applications, inverters are used to convert DC power supplied by deep-cycle batteries to usable AC power for all sorts of appliances. They eliminate many of the common problems associated with gas-powered generators -- such as noise, engine maintenance, fuel storage and pollution. Hospitals, laboratories, apartment complexes and many large modern buildings and homes use deep-cycle batteries connected in series as power sources when the mains fail.
Off-Grid Power Systems
- Finally, deep-cycle batteries are used to store energy collected through solar panels, wind turbines and other off-grid power generation systems. Again, they work better than car batteries, which often discharge the collected energy and need frequent replacement. Among the different types of deep cycle batteries, the gel type and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are the most commonly used for these applications.

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