What is a Starting battery?
Starting batteries (sometimes called SLI, for starting, lighting, ignition) are commonly used to start and run engines. Engine starters need a very large starting current for a very short time. Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates for maximum surface area. The plates are composed of a Lead "sponge", similar in appearance to a very fine foam sponge. This gives a very large surface area, but if deep cycled, this sponge will quickly be consumed and fall to the bottom of the cells. Automotive batteries will generally fail after 30-150 deep cycles if deep cycled, while they may last for thousands of cycles in normal starting use (2-5% discharger).
What is HCA rating?
The full form of HCA is hot cranking amperes. It is the same thing as the MCA or the CA or the CCA, except that the temperature at which the test is conducted is 80°F.
Can batteries freeze?
In a partially discharged state, the electrolyte in a lead acid battery may freeze. At a 40% state of charger, electrolyte will freeze if the temperature reaches approximately ?6.0°F. The freezing temperature of the electrolyte in a fully charged battery is -92.0°F.
Do batteries self-discharger when not in use?
All batteries, regardless of their chemistry self-discharger. The rate of self-discharger depends both on the type of battery and the storage temperature the batteries are exposed to. However, for a good estimate, Trojan batteries self-discharger approximately 4% per week at 80°F.
