An complete overview on agm battery- is it better than lithium battery？

1.What is an agm battery? What does agm mean in a battery?

The agm battery is a valve-regulated sealed lead-acid battery (also called, VRLA battery) using a fiberglass separator. AGM stand for "Absorbent Glass Mat" or adsorbent fiberglass separator technology. It is an advanced lead-acid battery used commonly in a vehicle or start-stop devices. It provides full performance with no leakage, no slippage, and no extra maintenance.

AGM batteries are considered better than other lead acid batteries as it has minimal gassing, no leakage and better performance than the other conventional batteries composing of lead-acid chemicals. The key feature of the agm batteries is their life performance compared to the other lead-acid batteries, their cycle charging capacity is 3 times higher than that of ordinary lead-acid batteries.

The agm battery adopts a lean liquid design. The electrode plate is not immersed in the electrolyte (diluted sulfuric acid), but most of the electrolyte is adsorbed on the porous glass fiber separator, and the tight assembly technology is used to make the electrode. The plate is fully in contact with the electrolyte. In addition, the separator keeps a certain proportion of pores not occupied by the electrolyte, which is to provide a channel for the oxygen evolved from the cathode to move to the anode, so as to ensure that the oxygen can better diffuse to the anode and recombine to form water. The gas generated during the charging process will be attracted through a chemical reaction and the battery is completely sealed. Since the acid is 100% sealed and the battery plate is designed to be thicker, there is no acid leakage, reducing environmental pollution.

2.Do you have to charge a new agm battery? How often do you need to charge an agm battery?

The agm battery is a rechargeable battery that is used wildly used in electronic devices to power them, store energy for future use, and provide backup. As a rechargeable battery, the AGM battery should be charged to ensure long life performance. Before charging an AGM battery, the rated voltage and rated capacity of the battery or battery pack must be determined. The rated voltage is used to determine the charging voltage, and the rated capacity is used to determine the charging current.

While charging the agm batteries, paying attention to the charger being used is critical. The agm battery must use special charging equipment, you can choose an agm intelligent charger. An AGM battery with small capacity will require a smaller amperes charger. While the higher the capacity of AGM battery is, the bigger the charger it will need. So, a bigger charger plugged into a smaller AGM battery will flow more energy than required, which can damage the battery or affect its performance significantly.

3.Why is my agm battery draining so fast? What causes agm batteries to fail?

The agm battery is a long-lasting battery that can be recharged and perform well in a number of cycles. But sometimes agm batteries tend to drain faster and fail. One of the most common causes of agm batteries to fail is the over-recharging of it; During charging, the current will cause the water molecules in the electrolyte to decompose, releasing oxygen at the positive electrode and hydrogen at the negative electrode.

Therefore, after a period of use, the moisture of the battery will be lost, affecting the concentration of the electrolyte. Once the agm battery's sulfuric acid to deplete, which will most likely corrode the cell and plats of the battery, resultantly reducing the capacity of holding a charge for long. Other causes may include the corrosion of the AGM battery terminals, which can be removed with a metal brush scrubbing off them. And wring in it again with the device tightly. Or alternator can also be the cause AGM battery to discharge quickly, and it can only be fixed or rectified by a mechanic.

4.How long do agm batteries last? Which is the longest-lasting battery?

The agm battery can last up to 3 to 4 years, depending upon its use and maintenance. Suppose it is used frequently, recharged and taken proper care and kept under favorable temperature. Compared with ordinary lead-acid batteries, agm has stronger cycle charging capability, but its cycle life is still far inferior to that of lithium-ion batteries.

The longest-lasting battery is the deep cycle lithium ion battery, it can be recharged as they are long-lasting rechargeable batteries that it can cycle up to 4,000 times and reach 80% discharge depth (DOD) , we even can say that it will last 10 years if charged and discharged on average once a day（4000/365≈10.96), and for AGM battery, it can last up to 3 years with full performance having charged at full capacity, but these years and cycle of charging and discharging can be increased if agm battery is charged between 20% to 80% and not kept ideal when charged fully.

5.Can an agm battery become sulphated? How do you Disulfate an agm battery?

AGM batteries can be sulphated like other flooded batteries in the market, but agm batteries tend to store charge for log and discharge when required. So, it can be sulphated. And can be checked with the help of a voltmeter, as it is sealed so you cannot peak in it, so to check it for sulphated, you need to charge agm batteries fully with the required charger and use a voltmeter, if the results are above 12.4 volts then it is severed. And cannot be treated, but if it's below 12.4 volts, it's not severe and can be treated. A simple way to disulfate an agm battery is to use the proper charger for the battey and charge it fully. Charging will automatically disulfate the battery and charge it to its full capacity. But make sure not to overcharge the battery, as it might damages the battery.

6.Is agm better than lead acid? Can you replace the agm battery with lead acid?

The agm battery refers to a battery whose separator is made of ultra-fine glass wool material. It is a more advanced lead-acid battery and has many advantages that ordinary lead-acid batteries do not have. And they are wildly used in storing power, backup and start-stop devices. These batteries are better than normal lead-acid batteries as agm batteries are long lasting batteries with no leakage, no slippage, better performance and no extra maintenance.

Last but not least, agm batteries have a longer lifespan than normal lead-acid batteries and have higher capacity stability over the life cycle. However, even so, agm batteries still do not perform as well as lithium-ion batteries, which are more environmentally friendly, have longer cycle life and light weight, they are also maintenance-free, but with higher energy density.

7.How do you resuscitate a deeply discharged agm battery? How long does it take to recondition an agm battery?

AGM batteries can be reconditioned if they are deeply resuscitated. But, this method can be risky and can damage the battery. If you plug your deep resuscitated battery with the zero-volt smart meter, dump or linear charger. Then you can charge the battery at a low volt for two to three days, or till the battery gets fully charged. This might take a long for a charge, but it won't damage the battery. There are other ways which aggressive and can charge the battery but they have higher risk of damaging the battery.

8.Which is better, agm or lithium battery? Can I replace my agm battery with a lithium battery?

Both batteries are long-lasting chargeable batteries. At the same time, lithium-ion batteries use lithium-ion compound and agm batteries use lead-acid chemical. As if we see lithium-ion batteries are more expensive than agm batteries. But the replacement cost of agm batteries, including transportation and installation costs, will be higher than that of lithium io batteries. Lithium-ion batteries last more longer than agm batteries, it is cost-effective in the long run.

So, the choice is yours and depends on the work you are using. Each type of battery has its own suitable application scenarios, according to the characteristics of the battery, by applying it to the appropriate scene, it will be the best choice. If you are a person who wants a battery that cheap with little care, then an agm battery is your option, and if you want a battery that lasts longer with no care and high performance then, lithium-ion battery with higher battery cycle times is for you.