A common mistake in solar setups is using a car battery for storage. Car batteries are built to deliver a short burst to start an engine — not to be drained and recharged every day. For solar, you need a deep-cycle battery.

Why deep-cycle?

Deep-cycle batteries are designed to release most of their stored energy slowly and then be recharged — exactly the daily cycle a solar system does. Used correctly they last years; a car battery used this way dies in months.

Tubular vs deep-cycle for solar

• Tall tubular — the best value for daily-deep-cycling solar systems (homes with heavy load-shedding). Long life, handles deep discharges well, requires distilled-water top-up.
• Deep-cycle / solar — robust sealed or low-maintenance options suitable for moderate cycling and cleaner installations.

For most Pakistani homes running fans, lights, TV and a fridge on solar/inverter backup, tall tubular batteries are the workhorse choice.

How to size the battery bank

1. Add up your load (watts) and how many hours you need backup.
2. Convert to watt-hours (Wh) = watts × hours.
3. Divide by 12 V (system voltage) to get amp-hours (Ah) needed.
4. Add ~30–40% margin because you should never fully drain a lead-acid battery and to account for inefficiency.

Example: 400 W of load for 4 hours = 1600 Wh → ~133 Ah → choose 180–200 Ah of battery.

Don't forget

• Match the battery type to your charge controller/inverter.
• Keep batteries in a ventilated, cool place — heat shortens life.
• Never mix old and new batteries in the same bank.

United Batteries stocks the full AGS range — tall tubular, deep-cycle and solar-suitable models — and our team sizes the right bank for your load. Visit us at R.A. Bazar, Rawalpindi or message on WhatsApp for a recommendation.