battery for home generator

deene · Feb 19, 2022

i just bought a used elec start gen for the house, it has the original battery which i think is a dry cell on it, can i put a wet cell lawn mower battery on this? they are cheaper and i think last longer than the dry cell type, will it charge ok, stand up to vibrations ok? thanks for any input

Vito · Feb 19, 2022

I have a lawn tractor battery on my generator but thats the type it came with from Honda. I would goggle the battery number and see what crosses to it.

HTH

Vito

Hobo,NC · Feb 19, 2022

I replaced one of mine with a lawnmower battery and use a solar charger to keep it charged. On the other I used a car battery and keep a battery maintainer on it.

504 · Feb 19, 2022

I converted mine to electric start and used a mower battery. I have not been happy with the battery life at all. I think the next one I will buy a small car battery and try that. My F-932 JD mower uses one and it as a cheapy from WW.

Steve@Advance · Feb 19, 2022

Is it a dry cell or a sealed lead-acid?

There should be a voltage, an amp hour, and cranking amp rating on the battery.

As long as the voltage is the same, and the amp/cranking rating is the same or higher on the replacement battery, it will work.

If there is room for a common size automotive battery, that will be the better choice over a garden tractor battery. A cheap, low watt solar charger will keep it ready to go!

John T · Feb 19, 2022

I don't see many of the old style Dry Cell batteries nowadays and wonder if that's really what you have ?? A lawn more battery of the correct voltage (12 I assume??) and adequate CCA rating should do the job, but if there's room I prefer a small regular small car battery myself. If its the same voltage the generators charging system should work.

John T

BarnyardEngineering · Feb 19, 2022

Not a "dry" cell, but a "gel" cell battery.

ss55 · Feb 19, 2022

What about an AGM Absorbed Glass Mat battery like the Optima brand? They may cost twice as much but should have longer life and lower maintenance than a lead acid battery.

Brian -central oh · Feb 19, 2022

(quoted from post at 13:07:09 02/19/22) i just bought a used elec start gen for the house, it has the original battery which i think is a dry cell on it, can i put a wet cell lawn mower battery on this? they are cheaper and i think last longer than the dry cell type, will it charge ok, stand up to vibrations ok? thanks for any input

On my electric start generator, I did away with the battery completely. Instead, I took an old set of jumper cables, cut off one set of the alligator ends and replaced them with ring terminals and connected where the original battery cables connected. Since the generator is only used for emergency power, it is no big deal to hook the jumper cable ends to a battery on a vehicle to start the generator. The plus side is one less battery to maintain.

MarkB_MI · Feb 20, 2022

The only real requirement is that the generator's charging voltage needs to be compatible with the battery. Every generator I've seen with a battery had a '12 volt DC' output, meaning a charging voltage of around 13 to 14 volts.

Whatever battery you choose, it will help to keep it on a battery maintainer. Or at least charge it up once a month.

battery for home generator

deene

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Vito

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Hobo,NC

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504

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Steve@Advance

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John T

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BarnyardEngineering

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ss55

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Brian -central oh

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MarkB_MI

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