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So I recently ordered new batteries for my CMM 1000 and based on the photo on the website I was expecting BB Battery 12v/17Ah batteries. What I ended up getting is is Powerstar 12v/22Ah batteries. I have concerns about using higher amperage batteries than the original...should I send these back or are they safe to use?

Thanks in advance!

They will be OK just give you more power for (longer time) thats all.

WELCOME to LMF...
Like EngineMan said... they will be fine... Actually they are Better than the ones you had.
Higher amperage batteries only have the Capability of giving more amperage, they will still deliver the amount needed as dictated by the circuit to what they are connected.
You actually have a 30 percent Better battery with the new ... :smile:KennyV

There is a bit of confusion here. The Ampere-Hour rating is the measure of Capacity. It is only loosely related to the current delivery capability of the battery. Only current is measured in Amperes or Amps. Higher capacity batteries never have any detrimental effect on the operation of an electric power system.

The reality is, however, that if these "higher capacity" batteries are not as well constructed as the original batteries and have higher internal resistance for example, they won't provide any more run time and could even provide less. Battery quality is important!

All I was trying to state was if it was 22Ah or 220Ah at 12 volts it will do the job that he want's it to do. in my mind 22 is better then 17.
And has regarding quality even the top end market one's will and often fail just like the low price one's.
These day's you get what you pay for, and more often then not its still *&^%t.

EngineMan said:

All I was trying to state was if it was 22Ah or 220Ah at 12 volts it will do the job that he want's it to do. in my mind 22 is better then 17.
And has regarding quality even the top end market one's will and often fail just like the low price one's.
These day's you get what you pay for, and more often then not its still *&^%t.

Click to expand...

My post wasn't directed at you at all. True enough, if all else is equal, 22Ah is better than 17Ah. My points were twofold based on previous posts:

1) Amps is not the same as Amp-Hours and these shouldn't be interchanged
2) Battery quality/construction can trump rated capacity when determining performance

I appreciate that....!:smile:

The Construction of the battery in question is likely very similar to the original, the intended application is the same. The only change was the Rating... (there are a few ways to increase the actual ampere hour)

The original posters Question was about the Safety in using a higher Rated... He is going to be safe using any higher amp Rated supply... & he should not be concerned about returning it.
any circuit will draw Only the amount current it was designed, (keeping the supply voltage the same).
There are different ways to measure the rating, but as to the quality of his new replacement, he likely Has a 30 percent Better battery. (some Battery technology is improving)... :smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

The Construction of the battery in question is likely very similar to the original, the intended application is the same. The only change was the Rating... (there are a few ways to increase the actual ampere hour)

The original posters Question was about the Safety in using a higher Rated... He is going to be safe using any higher amp Rated supply... & he should not be concerned about returning it.
any circuit will draw Only the amount current it was designed, (keeping the supply voltage the same).
There are different ways to measure the rating, but as to the quality of his new replacement, he likely Has a 30 percent Better battery. (some Battery technology is improving)... :smile:KennyV

Click to expand...

Kenny. This is exactly the sort of error in terminology I was talking about. This replacement battery isn't a "...higher Amp Rated supply...". This would imply it was capable of delivering higher current. This is a battery with a higher capacity rating which, if all else is equal, is able to store more energy (i.e. it is a bigger 'fuel' tank).

That is correct..
The current output of the battery would Not change in his application... He is not changing the load.

And with his New battery he has a battery that likely Has 30 percent better capacity... only a change in voltage or load will change the actual current...

I Think we are in agreement here, The only way I can see that the terminology could be in error is if we were discussing the use of a particular power supply in a different load.
The current stays the same in his case, it is going to be safe. :smile:KennyV

Since I have direct experience with using 22Ah batteries in a CMM1000, I can offer my 2 cents.

The batteries pose no danger, they will work fine. But they won't last as many years as the 17-18 A-hr version; mine lasted just 2 years (for details click here) and somebody else had them last just 1 year (see comment dated Aug. 6, 2012 here).

But if you've already bought and paid for them, you might as well get what you can out of them at this point.

My CMM1000 came with 20Ah batteries. From my experience, 18Ah batteries don't last past two years because, while the batteries function, they get to where they can't finish mowing my lawn, even mowing with the meter in the red. The 22Ah batteries will mow about 1/3 acre finishing with the meter still well into the green.

If you stop mowing when the meter first reaches the red, the batteries should last more like 4 years. Of course, you do need to wait & charge the batteries up again before finishing up the lawn. So choose what is less annoying to you (delay in finishing mowing the whole lawn, or more frequent battery replacement) and go with that.

I always mowed the back lawn, waited a day, then mowed the front. 1/4 acre lot, but lots of turns and angles or I'm just too slow & methodical to get the promised 1/3 acre out of a single charge.

Mark

Mark Widmer said:

Since I have direct experience with using 22Ah batteries in a CMM1000, I can offer my 2 cents.

The batteries pose no danger, they will work fine. But they won't last as many years as the 17-18 A-hr version; mine lasted just 2 years (for details click here) and somebody else had them last just 1 year (see comment dated Aug. 6, 2012 here).

But if you've already bought and paid for them, you might as well get what you can out of them at this point.

Click to expand...

I'm actually one of the 'Anonymous' posters on Mark' blog, but not the one he is referring to. You can see my post at the top of the comments here: Mark’s Electric Mower: The battery

I'm the poster talking about DEEP CYCLE batteries, which are a better fit for this mower, in my opinion. In my case I used Tempest TD22-12 batteries, as Tempest batteries seem to give me good performance in other areas.

Mine lasted for over 4 years. In Central Texas (really hot.) Charged in a garage during the summer (REALLY HOT) and the winter (sometimes too cold.) I severely abused them, running the mower until it was well into the red with nearly every cutting session.

In fact, they are probably still good; my old faithful trusty CM1000 itself finally just conked out on me.

Basically I want to note that it is likely that the Anonymous poster whose batteries conked out in just one year used batteries that were not rated for Deep Cycling.