An AGM battery has many advantages over a traditional flooded battery. It has more power, longer life, a slower discharge rate, a faster charge rate, is more durable, and can be mounted in any position. Nearly all of these advantages come from one fundamental difference in the way manufacturers build these two different types of battery: AGM battery technology.
What is AGM battery technology?
A traditional lead acid battery is essentially a polypropylene plastic case that is packed with dozens of vertical, alternating lead and lead oxide plates. The space between the plates is flooded with battery acid (hence the terms “lead-acid battery,” “wet battery,” and “flooded battery”). The chemical reaction between the lead, lead oxide, and acid is harnessed by electrical conductors, making an electrical current.
An AGM battery is built the same way, but with one more component added. Between the plates of an AGM battery are tightly woven sheets of tiny glass fibers. These sheets are squeezed in between the plates of the battery and soaked with battery acid. So, instead of the acid sloshing between the plates, there is an acid-soaked sheet that keeps it in full contact with the plates at all times. This simple difference in design makes the AGM battery much more efficient than a traditional battery, giving it as much as two times the cycle life, twenty times the vibration resistance, and cutting its recharge time in half. Because of the extra manufacturing steps and the cost of the glass mat material, AGM batteries are significantly more expensive than traditional flooded batteries. However, in most applications, the extended battery life and increased performance offset the difference in price.
What difference does it make?
The increased cold cranking power of an AGM battery will allow your vehicle to start better in cold weather. This means that there is less chance of getting stranded due to a dead battery, or a battery that just can’t quite turn the engine over when temperatures drop below freezing.
With its shorter recharge time and longer battery life, an AGM battery will drain slower and charge up faster when you do drain it. This is especially useful in marine applications where the battery may be used to run a trolling motor and other on-board electronics. With an AGM deep cycle battery, you can spend less time babying your battery and more time out on the water.
Having twice the cycle life (the number of times a battery can be fully drained and fully recharged before it wears out), AGM batteries are ideal for extreme applications that involve a lot of starting and stopping. They work great in delivery trucks, construction vehicles, and mail carrier vehicles.
An AGM battery also has a leak-proof design. Since the acid is absorbed by the glass mat, it cannot leak out. This means that AGM batteries can be mounted in any position and they will not leak.
Finally, with twenty times the vibration resistance of a traditional battery, an AGM battery is ideal for construction, off-road, recreational, farm, and power sports applications. AGM batteries are built to take whatever your work or play can dish out.
Blain’s Farm & Fleet offers a complete line of automotive batteries for all of your automotive, commercial, and marine power needs.