Deep Cycle Battery

What is a deep cycle battery and why should you care? If you want to have a large solar power system in your home, you will become quite familar with a deep cycle solar battery as you will need it when the sun goes down.  These batteries have many common uses, the most common of which are in boats, or marine vehicles, golf carts, RVs, and in storing solar energy for later use. 

The difference between this type of battery and regular batteries you use in your car is that a deep cycle battery will go through hundreds of discharge and recharge cycles throughout its lifetime.  It will use up most of its capacity when needed and then will recharge itself for the next discharge.

You can buy them cheap on eBay and power your boat, golf cart, or solar power system for less.

The difference between a car battery and deep cycle batteries is that a car battery is designed to provide a large amount of current for a short period of time, for example when you start your car.  Your car uses a bunch of juice to get the car started and then very little after that is used from the battery.  The alternator provides the power that is required to keep the car running.  Compare that to a deep cycle battery where it is providing a constant stream of juice over a long period of time.  You can use one to provide a steady flow of power to your home from the day's solar energy until the battery is drained.  And then it recharges again the next day and stores up the generated power and uses it again the next night and on and on.

There is a more detailed chemical explanation but you're probably not interested in that, you just want to know how you can save money when you buy deep cycle batteries.  I know I would.  You can buy them at a discount on eBay.  Amazon has them too but the prices tend to be cheaper on eBay.