(Commonly used in cars, trucks, boats, golf carts, forklifts, RV's, solar/wind systems and many other applications)
Lead-acid batteries include AGM, VRLA, Gel Cell and Flooded batteries. Lead acid batteries are composed of battery cells. Each battery cell is approximately 2 volts. In most batteries, you can determine the voltage by counting the battery cells. In flooded batteries, each filler cap is a battery cell. In sealed batteries, the caps are sealed. A battery with 3 caps is a 6 volt battery. Examples:
6 volt Golf Cart Battery The 3 filling caps are circled | 12 volt Sealed Gel Cell Battery The 6 sealed caps are circled |
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Now that we know the voltage of the batteries, we can now determine the voltage of the system. Golf Carts: Count the number of batteries and multiply by the voltage. 6 x 6 volt batteries is a 36 volt system. Other systems: To determine the total voltage of a battery system, you first must determine how the system is connected. Battery systems are either connected in series or in parallel. First, observe the connections between the batteries.