RV Batteries Part 3
Deep cycle batteries are designed to be regularly deeply discharged using most of its capacity. Deep cycle battery plates tend to have thicker plates with higher-density paste material and thicker separators. The thicker battery plates resist corrosion through extended use.
These lead-acid batteries can be either Flooded or Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM), but deep cycle batteries are designed to be drained down overtime at a slower rate than a starting battery and have an overall larger usable energy storage capacity (measured in Amp hours vs. Cold Cranking Amps). These deep cycle batteries will deliver fewer cold cranking amps than a starting battery of the same size, and have the ability to recover after being discharged and recharged over and over without losing as much of their overall charging capacity.
Deep cycle batteries should also be charged at a slower rate than a similarly sized starting battery. They can recover from being discharged for a longer period of time than starting batteries. You typically find deep cycle batteries being used to power golf carts, forklifts and trolling motors. Deep cycle batteries should be selected as your house batteries on a Class A/B/C RV, or the sole batteries on either a fifth wheel RV or bumper pull trailer.
These are designed to run lights, radios, computers, chargers, and a variety of other electrical appliances where the instantaneous demand from any of these devices is nowhere near that required to start your primary vehicle engine, but the overall demand for energy can exceed the starting demand spread out over the weekend.
