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Deep Cycle Battery for ENGINE CRANKING? | Ask The Expert with NIGEL CALDER
May 9, 2024 · 2 min · 6K views
What this video covers
Deep cycle batteries function effectively as engine cranking batteries provided they possess sufficient cold cranking amps to turn the engine over. Nigel Calder and Jan Attenstedt confirm that using deep cycle batteries for starting an Atomic 4 engine is acceptable if the battery bank capacity is large enough to handle the load.2:03 Deep cycle batteries deliver energy more slowly over a longer duration and withstand more charge-discharge cycles than dedicated cranking batteries. While dual-purpose batteries exist as a middle ground between cranking and deep cycle types, they offer no inherent advantage if the current deep cycle setup already performs reliably.2:04 Connecting two deep cycle batteries in parallel often provides ample cranking power for older engines. However, maintaining a separate, dedicated starter battery remains a recommended safety practice to ensure engine ignition even if the house battery bank discharges to a critically low level. Proper battery bank configuration and charging strategies for multiple battery setups are detailed in the Boat Electrics 101 course available at boathowto.com.
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