A deep cycle battery or a marine battery is a really powerful battery that can be used in all vehicle types.
It is generally used in heavy vehicles.
But if you intend on getting one for your car, we suggest you read on to know more about deep cycle batteries and if they can be compatible with your car.
Can You Use Deep Cycle Battery For Car Audio
Yes, you can generally use a deep cycle battery for car audio due to its robustness and capability of supplying sustained current for all power requirements and weather conditions. However, you need to make sure you have a powerful alternator to keep the battery charged.
- Can You Use Deep Cycle Battery For Car Audio
- What Is A Deep Cycle Battery?
- Types of Deep Cycle Batteries
- Can I Use Deep Cycle Marine Battery In My Car?
- How Long Can A Car Stereo Run On A Deep Cycle Battery?
- Can You Charge A Deep Cycle Marine Battery With The Help Of A Car Alternator?
- Are Deep Cycle Marine Batteries Good For Car Audio?
- Sources
Many different types of batteries can be used in your car.
While most cars’ most prevalent battery types are starter batteries, other batteries, such as Lithium-ion batteries, EFB batteries, AGM batteries, etc., are also used by people for powering their cars.
A battery is a very important part of the car, which, if not taken good care of, can cause a lot of trouble for car owners.
It is used to run the car stereo, the headlights, and even the ignition.
Choosing the perfect battery for your car to ensure the health of the car’s audio should be done keeping in mind various important factors such as the model of your car, the amplifiers installed, and the total energy consumed by your car’s audio.
Related:
- What is a Car Audio Battery? (Explained for Beginners)
- What Is The Car Audio Big 3 Upgrade? (Read This First)
- Can I Store A Car Battery In My Trunk? (Must Read)
What Is A Deep Cycle Battery?
A deep cycle battery or a marine battery is a battery that looks quite similar to a car battery but has some structural differences.
This battery is created to handle deep discharges with a depth of discharge as high as 80 to 100%.
It is a lead battery and is known to provide power for a long period.
They are most commonly used in the following areas:
- Recreational vehicles.
- Golf carts.
- Renewable energy (off-grid).
- Marine applications.
- Forklifts and other materials handling.
Types of Deep Cycle Batteries
The two types of deep-cycle batteries are:
1. Maintenance-free batteries
These are sealed batteries that do not need watering.
Therefore, maintenance of these batteries is a very easy task.
However, from time to time, an inspection of these batteries is advisable.
They are also known as Sealed Batteries or Valve Regulated Lead Acid batteries.
2. Flooded deep-cycle batteries
These batteries require a lot of maintenance regularly. It is to be refilled regularly when the level of electrolytes is lower.
Can I Use Deep Cycle Marine Battery In My Car?
A marine battery is often used for vehicles that require heavy discharge, and cars are not one of them.
However, you can use it for your car, and it will work just fine.
If you want to use a deep-cycle battery for your car, you should ensure that it is a 12-volt battery.
This will make it work perfectly in your car.
It is different from a car battery due to thinner lead plates.
They can work fine with all the electric components of the car, including brake lights, instrument panels, headlights, etc.
The benefit of using marine batteries is that they can handle extreme conditions like freezing cold or scorching heat.
There are a few factors on which the usage of marine batteries for your car depends.
These include:
1. Usage or purpose
If you intend to use deep cycle batteries for starting your car’s engine, it will be beneficial. These batteries will ensure that the engine of your car starts smoothly and runs efficiently without any hindrance.
2. The voltage of the battery
As mentioned above, a 12-volt battery can fit perfectly with your car and help it act as a starter battery as well as a deep cycle battery.
3. Size
The size of the battery makes a lot of difference in the way it works with your car.
However, using a marine battery for a car might have a detrimental impact on the life of the battery.
Also, it can reduce the lifespan of the electrical parts of the car that are using the battery for power.
This is because, originally, the marine batteries were built for heavier usage, and cars do not require that much power discharge.
How Long Can A Car Stereo Run On A Deep Cycle Battery?
Deep cycle batteries are highly extensive batteries and are more durable than normal car batteries.
While the risk of battery discharging prevails while playing stereo in a car with the ignition turned off, you can play your stereo for as long as possible (approx 40 hours) with a deep cycle battery.
However, this works out best only if you have a normal stereo.
If you have an amplifier in the car stereo which is prone to take up more power, a deep-cycle battery can help your car stereo run for one or two hours.
Can You Charge A Deep Cycle Marine Battery With The Help Of A Car Alternator?
An alternator is often used on marine equipment such as boats to charge marine batteries or deep cycle batteries.
However, it is observed that a car alternator cannot be sufficient enough to completely and efficiently charge up a marine battery.
The alternator of the car is designed to recharge the battery of the car when it is drained.
It is therefore sufficient for a starter battery, but it would not be okay to say that it is a perfect fit for marine batteries as they are a lot more powerful than starter batteries.
To charge up your deep cycle battery, you can use a charger with 15 amps if you want to get your battery charged up quickly, which will take 2 hours.
However, if you use a charger with only 5 amps, somewhere around 6 hours will be utilized to completely charge your battery.
Are Deep Cycle Marine Batteries Good For Car Audio?
Deep cycle batteries are known to provide regular current for a very long time.
Unless and until there is an amplifier attached to the music system of your car, your car’s stereo can run for about two days straight with the help of a deep-cycle marine battery.
Also, these batteries are repeatedly charged and discharged, and no great damage is posed to them in the meantime.
However, they carry a lot of power, and cars do not require that much power.
Thus, the audio system of your car can work more than just fine with a deep cycle battery, as it is provided with more playing hours even when the ignition is turned off.
If the total power requirement is larger than what the battery is capable of providing, only then will the battery and the parts of the car are affected.
If the battery is drained, the car audio is affected, but this cannot be the case with deep cycle batteries, as they have a very high backup.
To conclude, we can say that using a deep-cycle battery for your car is a good choice.
It will run for a long time and will save you from any battery-related problems that are often faced by owners of cars.
However, to ensure the efficient working of a deep cycle battery, you should try that the power of the battery is not more than 12 volts so that it can work perfectly with your car’s demands.
