What’s the difference between float and cyclic applications?
A float application is one in which the battery undergoes extended periods of time on charge and is only rarely discharged, for example, when a switch performs an open/close operation or when system voltage is lost. A cyclic application is one in which the battery is discharged more frequently (as little as once a month), which, in turn, means that it is recharged more frequently. Cyclic loading is very hard on batteries. In fact, depending on the extent of the discharge and the ability of the charger to completely replenish battery capacity before the next discharge, cyclic loading can cut battery life in half. Are float applications more reliable than cyclic applications? Battery life is certainly more predictable in float applications. The life expectancy of batteries in the cyclic mode is too complex to predict and is heavily dependent on reliable replenishment of capacity between discharges. The more frequently a battery is discharged and the deeper the depth of discharge, the hig
