Frequently Asked Questions

Relevant technical information is also provided for each product on our website.
To do so, click on a product.
This will take you to the product page where all relevant information is described.
For most products, you can also download the corresponding data sheets in .pdf format.
In addition, you can find technical information, product certificates and operating instructions on our downloads page.
With questions about the technical data of our products, you can of course always contact our specialists.

Intercel understands better than anyone that good quality of our products is crucial for reliable operation of your application.
That is why Intercel strictly monitors that all of our products meet our high quality standards.
This is done both upon arrival and periodically.
As soon as we receive products from the manufacturer, a fixed percentage are subjected to quality control.
In this process, both internal and external factors are carefully examined.
Products that do not pass our quality control are not included in our stock.
Even products that have been in stock for some time are periodically subjected to a quality control.
In this way, you can be sure that the products we supply to you are of a quality you can trust. Read more about Intercel’s quality guarantee here

In principle, VRLA AGM and Gel batteries may be mounted in any position (except upside down).
This is thanks to the leak-proof nature of such batteries.
By design, the position in which the batteries are mounted has no effect on their service life.
The same applies to lithium batteries.
Wet / NiCad batteries should be mounted upright at all times, otherwise there is a risk of battery acid leakage.

Read more about battery life here

AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat.
In an AGM battery, the battery acid is contained in woven fiberglass mats that are located between the lead plates of the battery.
This is in contrast to other types of lead batteries (also called “wet batteries”), where the battery acid is loose in the battery.
This has the disadvantage that these batteries must always be located upright because otherwise battery acid can leak out of the battery.
In addition, wet batteries are not suitable for mobile or long-term autonomous applications.
This is because in mobile applications there is too much movement which creates a risk of leakage and for long-term autonomous applications they are unsuitable as they require regular maintenance.
AGM batteries from Intercel are so-called “VRLA” batteries.
VRLA stands for Valve Regulated Lead Acid and means that the pressure in the battery is regulated by pressure valves in the battery cover.
Should the pressure in the battery become too high, the valves automatically reduce it to an acceptable level.
In normal battery operation, however, this will never have to occur.
Because AGM batteries are leak-proof, they can be easily transported and shipped without a lot of additional packaging and other measures.

Advantages of the AGM battery

AGM batteries have many advantages.
They have a long service life, low self-discharge and are maintenance-free.
This makes them more attractive than other types of lead-acid batteries.
In practice, these advantages mean that the AGM battery lasts longer, that it can be stored for a long time without needing to be recharged, without losing too much charge, and that the battery does not need to be topped up or maintained.
Also, the AGM battery can be mounted in any position (except upside down) without leaking.
This makes them ideal for use in locations that are difficult to access.
Because the AGM battery requires hardly any maintenance, it is perfectly applicable in autonomous systems or applications that are very remote.
This makes the AGM battery a reliable source of energy for a long time.

AGM batteries in all shapes and sizes

AGM batteries come in many different sizes and with many different specific features.
For example, there are small 6 Volt AGM batteries for use in toys or model making, but also large AGM batteries specifically designed for heavy cyclic use or UPS systems.
A suitable AGM VRLA Lead battery can be found for almost every conceivable application.

Battery specialist Intercel recommends

Intercel has decades of experience with AGM battery technology.
We understand how important the right battery can be for proper operation of your application.
Our specialists are happy to help you recommend the right battery.
For an overview of our AGM battery range, please visit our AGM battery products page.
For example, we have AGM batteries of 100Ah and AGM batteries of 200Ah.
For more information you can always contact one of our specialists.

A few practical tips:

• Never charge primary batteries.
  These get hot and may leak or even explode.
• Fully charge rechargeable batteries the first time.
  This is because they are supplied uncharged by the manufacturer.
  This first time charging always takes longer than normal and should preferably be done the slow way (i.e., not fast charging).
• Do not charge the battery in cold environments (below 0°C).
  Once charged, however, they are excellent to use in cold conditions.

Always ensure that the battery is fully charged the first time; do not remove it from the charger halfway through the charging process, this is very detrimental to the battery.
Also, for the life of the battery, it is important that the battery be fully used up (or electronically discharged) before recharging.
The first time, or after prolonged rest, the battery may not be fully charged and may not reach its capacity.
Fully discharging and then recharging the battery will promote capacity uptake.
For ease of use of NiMH batteries, it is often desired that batteries are full within 1 to 2 hours.
Given the composition of NiMH batteries, fast charging within that time is not recommended, and chargers made specifically for these NiMH cells take at least 3 to 4 hours.
After the charging process, the charger should be able to switch to trickle charging.
If the batteries remain in the charger for several days (or weeks) after charging, the trickle charge current ensures that the battery remains full at all times.
Self-discharge is then compensated by the charger “trickling” additional energy. Read more about how to charge a battery here.

A failing (emergency) power supply often occurs unexpectedly.
As soon as it happens, it is important to limit the damage by acting as quickly as possible.
Intercel is prepared for this.
Typically, Intercel has technicians on standby to be of service to you as quickly as possible in emergency situations.
Do you need Intercel’s technical experts quickly?
Then call, you can find our number here.

For a mobility scooter, Intercel recommends a cyclic battery.
These batteries are specially designed to be charged and discharged frequently.
This ensures you have a reliable power supply to your mobility scooter for as long as possible.
With a high-quality cyclic battery, you will never simply run out of power while on the road.
Battery series that are excellent for use in your mobility scooter are the CPC and CPX series from Cellpower and the NPC series from Yuasa.
Not sure what the right battery is for you? Contact us and we are happy to advice you on which battery suits best.

Stibat stands for Batteries Foundation.
This is the organization that coordinates the collection activities for spent batteries in the Netherlands.
They develop activities in various areas to inform everyone about how and why to collect spent batteries.
And this is done on a non-profit basis.
Since 1995, there has been a statutory regulation requiring used batteries to be collected and recycled by or on behalf of battery producers and importers.
Stibat has taken on this task.
A so-called disposal fee must be paid per battery.

The CPC and CPX battery series from Cellpower are both AGM battery series for cyclic use.
A CPC battery is designed for high cyclic use and the CPX series for extreme cyclic use.
A battery in the CPG series, unlike those in the CPC or CPX series, is not an AGM battery, but a Gel battery. The difference is that in an AGM battery, the battery acid is absorbed in fiberglass mats between the lead plates in the battery.
In a Gel battery there is no liquid battery acid in the battery, but there is a gel-like substance between the lead plates.
Because of this composition, a Gel battery is less suitable as a starter battery since the peak currents are lower than with an AGM battery.
The advantage of a Gel battery is that it can withstand deep discharge.
Batteries from the CPG series are also very suitable for cyclic use.
Want to know which type of cyclic battery is most suitable for your specific application?
Please contact one of our specialists.

How long a battery lasts depends in part on how often and how deeply it is discharged. It is also important that the battery is charged properly and with the right battery charger. With normal use (i.e. the battery is not often discharged and charged), a service life of 5-8 years is feasible for the Gel battery and AGM battery. When using 2 Volt NiCd cells, a service life of 10-15 years can be achieved. When the batteries are frequently discharged, the service life of the batteries is reduced.

It is also important to consider the ambient temperature.
A normal ambient temperature is 20°C, when this gets higher it comes at the expense of battery life.

Creating a battery system is always customized.
The system must be able to meet the specific requirements of the user at all times.
In addition, the exact configuration also depends on the environment in which the system will be located.
Therefore, there is no fixed rule of thumb when it comes to the rack or cabinet you need for your battery system.
Intercel’s specialists have extensive experience in designing and assembling battery systems for emergency power supply, for example.
The materials used are always of high quality so that you are assured of a reliable power supply for a longer period of time.
Maintenance of your battery system can also be carried out by Intercel’s technical specialists. Read more about Intercel’s custom solutions here

You can basically just leave a battery connected to the battery charger, provided it is a so-called trickle charger.
A trickle charger is an intelligent battery charger that provides the battery with just enough current to stay fully charged without damaging the battery. Battery chargers without a trickle charge mode can potentially damage the battery by “overcharging” it.
So if you use an intelligent battery charger that automatically switches to trickle charging, you can leave the battery connected to the charger without any problems. Read more about how to charge a battery here.

Battery capacity (how many amp-hours it can hold) is reduced as temperature goes down, and increased as temperature goes up. This is why your car battery dies on a cold winter morning, even though it worked fine the previous afternoon. If your batteries spend part of the year shivering in the cold, the reduced capacity has to be taken into account when sizing the system batteries. The standard rating for batteries is at room temperature 25 degrees C (about 77 F). At approximately -22 degrees F (-30 C), battery Ah capacity drops to 50%. At freezing, capacity is reduced by 20%. Capacity is increased at higher temperatures – at 122 degrees F, battery capacity would be about 12% higher.

Wide temperature variations

Battery charging voltage also changes with temperature. It will vary from about 2.74 volts per cell (16.4 volts) at -40 C to 2.3 volts per cell (13.8 volts) at 50 C. This is why you should have temperature compensation on your lead-acid battery charger or charge control if your batteries are outside and/or subject to wide temperature variations.

Internal temperature of a battery

Thermal mass means that because they have so much mass, they will change internal temperature much slower than the surrounding air temperature. A large insulated battery bank may vary as little as 10 degrees over 24 hours internally, even though the air temperature varies from 20 to 70 degrees. For this reason, external (add-on) temperature sensors should be attached to one of the POSITIVE plate terminals, and bundled up a little with some type of insulation on the terminal. The sensor will then read very close to the actual internal battery temperature.

Battery life reduces at higher temperatures

Even though battery capacity at high temperatures is higher, battery life is shortened. Battery capacity is reduced by 50% at -22 degrees F – but battery LIFE increases by about 60%. Battery life is reduced at higher temperatures – for every 15 degrees F over 77, battery life is cut in half. This holds true for ANY type of lead-acid battery, whether sealed, Gel, AGM, industrial or whatever. This is actually not as bad as it seems, as the battery will tend to average out the good and bad times.

One last note on temperatures – in some places that have extremely cold or hot conditions, batteries may be sold locally that are NOT standard electrolyte (acid) strengths. The electrolyte may be stronger (for cold) or weaker (for very hot) climates. In such cases, the specific gravity and the voltages may vary from what we show.

A commonly used term in the battery industry is Ah and mAh, below is a description of what these terms mean.

What is ampere-hour (Ah)?

An ampere hour is one ampere per hour, or 10 amperes for 1/10 of an hour and so on.
It is amperes x hours.
If an application consumes 20 amperes used for 20 minutes, the number of amp-hours consumed is 20 (amperes) x 0.333 (hours), or 6.67 Ah.
The accepted number of Ah used in solar panels and backup systems (and for virtually all cyclic AGM batteries) is the “20 hours.
This calculates the total discharge to 10.5 volts over a 20-hour period while measuring the total amp-hours delivered.
Sometimes 6 hours and 100 hours are also used for industrial batteries because that is a typical daily cycle.
Sometimes 100 hours is used to make the battery look better than it actually is, but it is especially useful for calculating battery capacity for long-term amp-hour requirements.

What is milliampere-hour (mAh)?

Milliamp-hour calculates how much a battery discharges in the span of one hour.
Higher numbers here show higher battery life or higher storage capacity.
High mAh ratings don’t necessarily show speed, but mostly battery life.
For example, a 2000 mAh battery retains 2000 milliamps (2 amps) for one hour before it discharges to a voltage level that can be considered discharged.
1700 mAh (1.7 amps) retains 1700 mAh for one rental.
1000 mAh equals 1 ampere hour (aH).

“VRLA” stands for Valve Regulated Lead Acid, “AGM” stands for Absorbed Glass Mat, “SLA” stands for Sealed Lead Acid and “MF” stands for maintenance-free (Maintenance-Free).
All four of these terms basically refer to the same type of lead-acid battery.
An example is the pbq General Purpose series.
These batteries all have a black color and are designed for standby applications.

AGM (which stands for Absorbed Glass Mat) and gel batteries are examples of VRLA batteries (which stands for Valve Regulated Lead-Acid).
They are also called SLA batteries (Sealed Lead-Acid).
These abbreviations are a reference to the safety valves in the covers of these batteries.
The term gel battery is popularly used to refer to both AGM and gel batteries.
AGM batteries are also called “membrane,” “starved electrolyte” or “dry.”

What are the differences between AGM and gel batteries?

VRLA batteries come in two different versions: AGM batteries and gel batteries. In a gel battery, specific mixtures of silicon are often added to the battery acid, giving the electrolyte a gel-like structure and preventing the battery from leaking. By “drilling” channels into the gel, gaseous oxygen moves from the positive to the negative side. Here, oxygen encounters hydrogen gas and together the substances touch water. At that point, energy is released. Gel batteries have excellent capacity, but with the slightly higher acid resistance, they are less suitable as starter batteries. However, they are very resistant to deep discharge and will continue to work if the battery discharges 20% of its rated capacity.

In AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries, the electrolyte stays in place thanks to a separating membrane. This is why this type of battery also bears the name membrane battery. The membrane consists of a fiberglass mat and functions like a sponge. This function is based on the capillary properties of the membrane. AGM batteries are also sometimes produced with very thin separation membranes. This leads to a low internal resistance. This makes it possible to achieve a high amount of energy with a relatively small battery. This makes this type of battery interesting for a wide range of applications.

The official recycling symbol is the circle with 3 round arrows.
Batteries that still contain heavy metals are covered by European Directive 157 and must be marked with a special logo (crossed-out wheelie garbage can).
These logos should encourage consumers to return the battery instead of simply throwing it away in the garbage garbage can.

Charging a battery correctly makes all the difference. Yet the impact of charging correctly is often underestimated. In this, choosing the right charger is half the battle. The wrong charger causes direct or indirect damage to the battery, shortening its life span. Pbq has more than 10 years of experience with valve regulated lead-acid batteries. We often see that there is not a good match between the lead-acid battery and the charger. This has a negative impact on battery performance and service life. To choose the right charger for your battery, it is very important to understand the characteristics of an AGM battery.

The characteristics of AGM batteries

The charging current for each battery is limited.
For a VRLA battery, the maximum charging current is 0.3CA.
This means that the charge current should be a maximum of 0.3 times the capacity of the battery.
If this threshold is exceeded, the battery may become hot.
In this case, the battery’s internal structure and chemical composition become damaged and the battery permanently loses capacity.
The charging voltage is another number to watch out for.
Each cell of an AGM battery has a nominal voltage of 2 volts, and a 2-volt AGM battery consists of a series arrangement of 6 cells.
Temperature also greatly affects a battery’s performance.
The charging voltage must be compensated if the ambient temperature differs from 25 degrees C.

Charging 2-volt batteries

A battery will never become full by charging it at 2 volts per cell.
This requires about 2.4 volts per cell.
In contrast, electrolysis with water, a component of electrolyte, can charge at 2.3 volts per cell.
Therefore, it is very important not to leave the battery charger at a high voltage when the battery is almost full.

Charging gel batteries

Gel batteries have a lower charging voltage than AGM (Absorbing Glass Material) batteries.
Batteries used for standby applications have a lower charging voltage than batteries used for cyclic applications.
Always refer to the information on the battery’s label and its data sheet.

The charging protocol of batteries

There are many different ways to charge a battery and each type of battery will have a specific charging recommendation.
Therefore, it is necessary to choose a special VRLA charger for a VRLA battery.
This is because the wrong battery charger can permanently damage the battery.
A VRLA battery is charged according to the CC/CV charging protocol.
CC/CV stands for the two main phases in the charging process: constant current and constant voltage.
After these two phases, the battery recharges with a trickle charge.
Each phase has its own specific values and this depends on the battery type, battery capacity and usage.

Which charger should you choose?

A thoughtful choice of battery charger extends the life of your batteries.
Read more information about charging in the datasheet of your batteries.
You can find suitable chargers in our wide range of battery chargers!

What is the difference between a RedTop, YellowTop and BlueTop battery?
Intercel Europe will help you select the right Optima battery for all your applications.

RedTop battery

Use the Optima RedTop battery for normal engine startup, where an alternator directly monitors charge status and delivers energy to the battery as needed.
This is the case with most standard vehicles.
Think regular cars and even heavier vehicles such as RVs that need good starting equipment.

YellowTop battery

An Optima YellowTop battery is used when the electrical charge is higher than average or when the discharge state is higher when starting the engine.
This is the case in vehicles without an alternator and in vehicles with significantly high electrical loads.
In this case, the average alternator output is exceeded.
Consider vehicles with aftermarket audio systems, GPS, chargers, winches, snowplows, inverters, race cars.
This also applies to vehicles that have been given electrical applications from the factory.
Consider minivan power sliding doors and a DVD player.
The DVD player in particular uses a lot of power if it is used while the engine is not running.

YellowTop battery applications

The Optima YellowTop batteries are suitable for:

• Racing vehicles without a charging system (alternator or generator)
• Special drag racing vehicles
• Vehicles with diesel engines and aftermarket electronics
• A car with audio and/or video applications with more than 250 watts compared to the OE system
• Vehicles with heavy equipment.
  Think inverters, hydraulics, winches or other accessories
• Electric cars

BlueTop battery

The Optima BlueTop starter battery (with a dark gray housing) is used only when a dedicated starter battery is needed; it should never be used for cycle applications.
The dual-purpose BlueTop (it has a light gray housing) can be used for both engine starting and cyclic use.
It is therefore a true deep-cycle battery with extremely high starting current.
Trolling engines, marine applications with heavy electrical accessories and RVs should use a dual-purpose BlueTop.
This is both a starting and deep-cycle battery.
Use a BlueTop starting battery for marine applications and RVs if it is only for starting the engine.

Optima starting and deep-cycle battery

Note that the difference between BlueTop and a YellowTop deep-cycle battery, is that BlueTop batteries have both automotive (SAE) terminals and threaded ends.
YellowTop’s (except D31T) only have SAE terminals.

Do you get confused by the colored tops?
Then keep the following in mind: if the battery housing is dark gray, then you are dealing with a starter battery.
If the casing is light gray, then you have a deep-cycle (dual-purpose) battery in front of you.

A series circuit is used to increase the total potential of a battery system (also called voltage or voltage).
In a series connection, however, the capacity remains the same.
For example, when 30 batteries of 12.8 volts at 100 Ah are connected in a series, a battery system is created that provides 384 volts at 100 Ah.
When creating a series connection, it is very important that all connected cables be the same length and thickness.
In a series connection, the positive terminal of a battery is connected to the negative terminal of the connecting battery.
The remaining unconnected positive (+) and negative (-) terminals must then be connected to the device that needs power.
These connections are also called the “end” positive and “end” negative of circuits.

Batteries of different capacities (Ah and voltages) should never be connected to each other by series connection.
Furthermore, we recommend that batteries of the same voltage and capacity, match in brand, product series and preferably production date.

Batteries for deep-cycle applications

With the “deep-cycle” application, the battery is used as a direct energy source: these batteries are often used intensively.
In fact, they are charged and discharged several times throughout their service life.
Batteries suitable for deep-cycle use are best suited for electric wheelchairs, golf carts, boats, electric lawn mowers, medical equipment and toys.
Deep-cycle batteries can also be used to power electric motorcycles and scrubbers.

Batteries for standby applications

In “standby” use, the battery is used as a backup power supply.
These batteries are intended for standby applications and are mainly used for emergency power.
This limits damage from sudden power failure.
When this emergency power is needed, stationary or standby batteries are often used.
These batteries rarely discharge and the charge remains constant.

To maintain the correct charging current for an AGM battery, we have made one rule of thumb. The minimum charging current for an AGM battery is 10-25% of the battery capacity. As an example; for one 12V 100Ah AGM battery, we recommend charging it with a 12V battery charger with a charging current between 10A and 25A. The maximum charging current when charging AGM batteries is 30% of the battery capacity, to prevent overcharging and damage to the battery.

What happens when the charging current is too small?

Is too small a charging current harmful to an AGM battery?
It is often thought that an AGM battery will fill up even with a small charging current with a long wait.
But unfortunately, a battery can be damaged if the charging current is too small.
Here is a technical explanation: due to gravity, the released heavy acid (during charging) will stay at the bottom of the battery.
If the charging current is high enough, there will be sufficient gas formation in the battery.
This creates good acid mixing in the battery, so the specific gravity of the battery acid at the top and bottom of the battery is almost the same.
This significantly increases the lifespan of an AGM battery.
Intercel therefore recommends that you always use a battery charger with a charging current of at least 10% of the nominal capacity of the battery.

LFP stands for Lithium Iron Phosphate, which is a type of lithium-ion battery.
LFP batteries use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) as the cathode material.

Fire safety measures include the use of fire-resistant partitions, automatic extinguishing systems suitable for lithium-ion batteries, and training personnel in emergency procedures.
The use of extinguishing agents such as dry chemical powders or special fire extinguishers for lithium fires is essential.