Battery Power Tips

  • Home
  • Markets & Applications
    • Automotive
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Energy Management & Harvesting
    • Industrial
    • IoT
    • Medical
    • Renewables & Grid Connected
    • Robotics
    • Stationary Power
    • Wearables
  • Learn
    • eBooks/Tech Tips
    • EE Training Days
    • FAQs
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • R&D
  • Resources
    • Design Guide Library
    • Digital Issues
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • LEAP Awards
    • White Papers
  • Engineering Training Days
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Dry cell vs wet cell batteries

By Jody Muelaner | October 6, 2021

Wet cell batteries have a pool of liquid electrolytes; they generate gases meaning they require venting and must be kept upright to avoid leakage. Dry cell batteries use paste electrolytes, which contain enough liquid for good electrical conductivity, but are stable enough not to leak when turned upside down.

dry cell vs wet cellThe first batteries were wet cells constructed in labs using open glass containers. Lead-acid wet cell batteries are still commonly used as car batteries and for backup power in buildings. In this type of wet cell battery, both electrodes are lead plates, which are suspended in a tank of sulphuric acid, acting as the electrolyte. Wet cell batteries enable high power outputs, and rapid discharge as the free flow of electrolytes facilitates high currents. They are also cheaper and easier to manufacture, with good resistance to overcharging. However, they are large, heavy, and can leak corrosive chemicals, making them difficult and dangerous to handle.

Absorbed glass mat (AGM) and gel batteries are valve-regulated, lead-acid batteries that blur the line between wet and dry cells. The sulphuric acid is stabilized in these batteries by being absorbed in a glass fiber mat or silica gel. This means they can be inverted without spilling, although they still require vent gas through a valve.

Most types of batteries in current usage are dry cell. This includes both single-use primary cells and rechargeable secondary cells. Examples of dry cell primary cells include zinc-carbon and alkaline cells. Examples of secondary cells include lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride cells Dry cell batteries are more convenient for mobile applications and now often offer higher performance. They are small, light, and do not leak chemicals, making them easy to handle. However, they tend to be more expensive and difficult to manufacture and are less resistant to overcharging.

Lithium-ion batteries are a particularly important type of dry cell battery. They use an aqueous lithium salt solution as the electrolyte, applied as a thin layer onto separator sheets sandwiched between the cathode and anode materials, which are also coated onto thin sheets. Typically this stack of sheets is rolled up to form a cylindrical battery cell.

You may also like:

  • What is an electrode
    What is an electrode?
  • electrolyte
    What is an electrolyte?

  • The difference between primary and secondary battery chemistries

  • How to read battery discharge curves

  • Introduction to batteries and their types
  • active cell balancing basics featured
    Active cell balancing basics

Filed Under: FAQs, Featured
Tagged With: FAQ
 

Next Article

← Previous Article
Next Article →

Comments

  1. Donald says

    June 9, 2022 at 3:15 am

    Great article, one question; I have a YYD Robo electric scooter with a 350w, motor, with a 36v, 7.5ah lithium battery. Is this a dry cell battery? They won’t let me ride the bus with the scooter claiming it doesn’t have a dry cell battery.

  2. Clark S. Sanford says

    November 23, 2022 at 12:55 am

    I have a 1984 Yamaha Venture 1200, and I changed the battery without thinking it though. I put a dry cell battery in where a wet cell should have went. So there is a wire that went into the wet cell, is there any way of bypassing that! So I can just keep the dry cell in it!

    • Kingsley Obillor says

      May 18, 2023 at 7:42 pm

      As the article implies dry cell are better than wet cells the limit of a wet cell charging system is the lack of overcharge & cut off circuit to trip off charging when battery gets fully charge

  3. Terry Smith says

    April 27, 2023 at 8:57 pm

    Is a 120 amp lithium caravan battery classed as a dry or wet not sure what to set up

  4. David A. Okoro-Sokoh says

    May 26, 2023 at 7:46 pm

    The question is which is better Wet or Dry cell.
    Please lets have the truth so as to make informed decision.
    Though you tried to highlight the advantages of the dry cell, is it the best one can go for?

“battery
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for EE professionals.

Featured Contributions

  • Preparing for sodium-ion battery storage? Advanced simulation models can help
  • Q & A: why automation is essential for advancing EV battery manufacturing
  • Battery and charging innovations driving electrification
  • What is a lithium battery digital passport?
  • Battery testing: critical to the rise of electric vehicles
More Featured Contributions

EE TECH TOOLBOX

“ee
Tech Toolbox: Internet of Things
Explore practical strategies for minimizing attack surfaces, managing memory efficiently, and securing firmware. Download now to ensure your IoT implementations remain secure, efficient, and future-ready.

EE LEARNING CENTER

EE Learning Center

ENGINEERING TRAINING DAYS

engineering

RSS Current EDABoard.com discussions

  • 12VAC to 12VDC 5A on 250ft 12AWG
  • Lightbox circuit help
  • Engineer's own PCB layout software guide?
  • LVS Mismatch Error in Simple Layout
  • Does mobility carrier ratio changes with Wn? (0.18um) inverter design
“bills
Battery Power Tips
  • EE World Online
  • Design World
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Solar Power World
  • The Robot Report
  • Contact
  • Sign Up Enews

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Battery Power Tips

  • Home
  • Markets & Applications
    • Automotive
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Energy Management & Harvesting
    • Industrial
    • IoT
    • Medical
    • Renewables & Grid Connected
    • Robotics
    • Stationary Power
    • Wearables
  • Learn
    • eBooks/Tech Tips
    • EE Training Days
    • FAQs
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • R&D
  • Resources
    • Design Guide Library
    • Digital Issues
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • LEAP Awards
    • White Papers
  • Engineering Training Days
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe