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AGM Batteries
Absorbed Glass Mat - what does it mean to you?
Safety
AGM batteries are safer for a few reasons; first, this battery type contains no “free acid” this means that all the usual liquid acid that sloshes about in a traditional flooded cell is contained in a sponge like material. Thus if the container of the battery is compromised in some way little or no acid will leak out and there is certainly none to splash up.
The second safety feature is simply a part of the design, since AGM batteries do not require the traditional reservoir of fluid above the plates and additional air space above that to prevent the fluid from being pumped out by pneumatic action, the plate groups of the AGM battery can fill most of the interior area of the battery, giving accumulated gasses very little space to accumulate. The gasses are recombined into electrolyte and reabsorbed by the separator materials.
Performance
The performance of AGM Batteries is directly linked to the use of very pure materials. This has been discovered through the long years of research and development by all the major players in the industry. All the manufactures will add some small amounts of alloy to their grid materials to make their secret recipes but all proper manufacturing of high quality AGM batteries require one thing; Pure Lead. That’s lead that is mined or what the industry calls “virgin” or 3 “9’s” as in .999% pure. This material yields a battery with very stable characteristics and predictable performance. Pure lead batteries have far longer life spans than do batteries made from recycled materials. Charge retention, charge acceptance and discharge potentials are all maximized with the use of pure lead grids. This also minimizes undesirable characteristics such as heavy gassing, grid corrosion and acid leakage through terminals. The use of pure lead grids in AGM batteries can also lead to the construction of batteries with grids thick enough for deep cycle use but with conductivity such that they still make excellent engine starting batteries. This makes them a perfect choice for so called “dual purpose” applications.
Reliability
AGM batteries are constructed from materials that are designed to produce very little gas when recharging, the pure lead grids can last up to 10 years and more in service so reliability in increased substantially. We have seen AGM batteries still in service well past their normal service lives. It for this reason that you find some of the longest warranties available on AGM batteries. The tight packing of the cell materials combat the harmful effects of vibration so well that that even off road abuse is rarely a problem for AGM batteries.
Value
When you couple long life with high reliability and an almost total absence of maintenance you get an equation that adds up to excellent value. You can add “better for the environment” as well since you won’t need batteries as often you are not consuming additional valuable resources. Recycle it when it is spent and AGM batteries make you are an overall winner! Federal Battery Home
