Statpower Portawattz 3000, Owner'S Manual, Page: 14 / 36

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5.2 Battery
The battery you use strongly affects the performance you can expect
from your Portawattz 3000. It is important to connect the Portawattz
3000 to the correct size and type of battery. The following information
will help you select the appropriate batteries for your application.
5.2.1 Battery type
The lead-acid battery which is probably most familiar is the
starting battery in your automobile. An automotive starting
battery is designed to deliver a large amount of current for a
short period of time (so it can start your engine). Only a small
portion of the battery’s capacity is used when starting the engine
and it is quickly recharged by the running engine. It is not
designed for repeated charge-discharge cycles where the
battery is almost completely discharged and then recharged.
If it is used in this kind of deep discharge service, it will wear
out very rapidly.
Deep-cycle lead-acid batteries are designed for deep discharge
service where they will be repeatedly discharged and
recharged. They are marketed for use in recreational vehicles,
boats, and electric golf carts so you may see them referred to
as RV batteries, marine batteries, or golf cart batteries.
For most applications of the Portawattz 3000, Statpower
recommends that you use one or more deep-cycle batteries
that are separated from the starting battery in your vehicle by a
battery isolator. A battery isolator is a solid-state electronic circuit
which allows equipment to be operated from an auxiliary battery
without danger of discharging the vehicle’s starting battery.
During vehicle operation, the battery isolator automatically
directs the charge from the alternator to the battery requiring
Figure 5 - Configuration for Medium-Duty Applications