Floor Scrubber Batteries: Lead Acid, AGM, TPPL and Lithium Compared

Floor scrubber batteries come in four types. Flooded lead acid is the cheapest but needs weekly watering. AGM is sealed, but like flooded it charges slowly and wants a full, uninterrupted charge. TPPL is sealed pure lead that charges about 3 times faster and takes top-ups. Lithium costs the most, takes top-ups at any break and keeps full power until nearly empty.

If that's all you needed, you're set. But if you're about to spend a few thousand dollars on a machine or a replacement battery set, the next few minutes will show you what each type really costs you over five years, and why the way your crew charges your batteries matters more than the label on the case.

A quick note: our store sells machines with every battery type in this guide, so there's no reason to push you toward one. Where the cheaper battery is the right call for you, this guide says so.

What are the four types of floor scrubber batteries?

Three of the four are lead acid: flooded, AGM and TPPL all store power in lead plates and acid, and they differ mainly in how the acid is held and how thin the plates are. Lithium is a different chemistry that's lighter and longer lived, with its own onboard electronics to manage charging.

Here's how they compare on the things you'll notice in your daily routine:

A cycle is one full discharge and recharge, so if your scrubber gets charged once per workday, you'll use about 250 cycles a year. The flooded, AGM and lithium ratings come from Tennant's battery guide, while the TPPL rating comes from EnerSys and applies at 60% depth of discharge.

Flooded lead acid: the cheapest, and the most care

Flooded batteries, also called wet cells, cost you the least to buy. Tennant rates them at about 750 charge cycles, which it says means a new set every 18 months to two years in regular use.

The catch is maintenance, specifically water. Charging uses up a little water in every cell, so someone on your team has to check the levels at least once a week and top them off with distilled water. Tennant says skipping that step can cut battery life nearly in half, and if you overfill instead, acid ends up on your machine and on the floor you're trying to clean.

Real crews show how much this matters: one custodian on Reddit found that his sets lasted 4 years once his team switched to distilled water, after earlier sets filled with tap water didn't make it to one year.

So flooded works best when your machine runs one shift and someone on your team owns the watering. Give it that attention, and it's the cheapest way to keep your floors clean.

For the full watering, charging and storage routine, see our flooded battery care guide.

AGM: sealed, but not care-free

AGM stands for absorbent glass mat. The acid soaks into fiberglass mats inside a sealed case, so you never water it and there's no spill risk.

Here's the surprise, though: Tennant rates AGM at about 400 cycles, or about a year of expected life, which is lower than flooded, not higher. AGM is also heavier than flooded and slow to charge, so Tennant sees it as a fit for machines with short runtimes.

Field reports tell a wider story, with custodians describing AGM sets that died in a year and others that lasted close to five. The difference usually comes down to two operating habits. First, your charger has to be set to AGM, since many chargers have separate modes for flooded, gel and AGM batteries. Second, AGM doesn't like being drained deep or topped off in short bursts.

Gel batteries are AGM's close cousin, and Tennant rates them at about 500 cycles with shorter run times. Treat either one right and you get a clean, sealed battery that nobody on your team has to baby. Our AGM and gel battery maintenance guide covers that routine.

TPPL: the lead battery most buyers never hear about

TPPL means thin plate pure lead. According to EnerSys, which makes NexSys TPPL batteries, the plates are 99% pure lead and very thin, so more of them fit inside the same case, giving you up to 20% more power than a standard battery of the same size.

The bigger difference for your routine is charging. EnerSys says wet and AGM batteries recharge at about 20% per hour, while TPPL recharges at about 70%. In its floor care battery guide, EnerSys says TPPL can take top-ups during the day without losing capacity.

EnerSys quotes two different speeds, a full charge in 90 minutes in its guide and 98% in 2 hours on its product page, so plan around the slower figure. Keep in mind that these numbers come from the company that sells TPPL.

TPPL also holds a charge in storage up to 4 times longer than wet or AGM, which matters if your machines sit through a whole summer, as they do in many schools. EnerSys rates it for up to 1,500 cycles at 60% depth of discharge.

One caution from the field: a technician on Reddit warned that some machines need their controller settings changed for TPPL, because its voltage behaves differently from standard lead acid. The simplest fix is to buy your TPPL factory-installed. Several Tornado machines in our store offer it as an option, and on the Tornado BDSO 27/28 stand-on the TPPL version costs the same as the gel version.

For charging, storage and cleaning, see the TPPL battery maintenance guide.

Lithium: highest price, longest life

Lithium costs you the most up front, and it's also the battery you're least likely to buy twice during the life of your machine. Tennant rates it at 2,000+ cycles, and U.S. Battery rates its lithium floor machine battery at 3,000+. Trojan backs its lithium with a 10-year warranty, compared with 18 months for its flooded batteries and 2 years for standard AGM.

ICE goes further, since the lithium battery in its RS26L rider and RS20L micro rider is guaranteed for the life of the machine, with an estimated 6,500 hours of run time.

Day to day, you'll notice the steady power. RELiON says its lithium packs hold steady voltage down to about 90% depth of discharge, so your brushes keep the same speed through most of the charge, and they weigh about half as much as lead acid. You can plug in over lunch and unplug with no harm done, and you'll never check water again.

Some lithium machines also share batteries. The NaceCare NX300 battery runs every NX machine, including the 440NX scrubber and the RBV 150NX backpack vacuum, so one spare pack keeps both of your machines running.

Keep two cautions in mind before purchasing: EnerSys warns that cheap, poorly engineered lithium packs can overheat, so stick to packs sold as a system with your machine, and always use a charger rated for lithium.

For the daily charging routine, storage, cold weather and warranty terms, see the lithium floor scrubber battery care guide.

What does each battery really cost over five years?

Sticker price only tells you half the story. To show the rest, here's one machine family from our store, ICE's 26-inch, 29-gallon ride-on scrubbers. The RS26 sells without batteries for $24,978. A wet battery set adds $2,338, an AGM set adds $3,807, and the lithium RS26L sells for $6,806 more than the battery-less RS26.

The chart counts how many battery sets you'd buy in five years, using the ratings above. AGM appears as a range, with Tennant's 400-cycle rating on the high side and a set that lasts as long as flooded on the low side.

At one charge per workday, flooded is the cheapest battery for you, as long as someone waters it. Lithium comes out close to a well-kept AGM set and far ahead of an AGM set that wears out at its rating. At two charges a day, lithium wins clearly, because its one set never needs replacing.

These figures cover batteries only, at September 2026 prices, and they leave out watering labor, electricity and downtime, which all favor the sealed batteries. Your real results also depend on how your crew charges, which is the next point.

ICE doesn't offer TPPL on this rider, so it isn't in the chart. On Tornado machines, the TPPL option adds $601 over AGM on the BR 18/11 and $1,295.93 on the BD 20/11L. At a 1,500-cycle rating, one TPPL set lasts about 6 years at one charge a day. On paper, that one set outlasts the three or four AGM sets Tennant's rating implies over the same stretch.

One honest exception: if your scrubber runs a few hours a week, you may never use up the rated cycles. Then the extra you'd pay for TPPL or lithium may never pay back, and the cheapest battery that fits your routine is the right buy.

Why charging habits matter more than chemistry

Here's what most battery comparisons skip: EnerSys says a wet or AGM battery rated for 700 cycles can drop to 300 if it's plugged in again and again without a full discharge. That's more than half your battery's life gone, from habit alone.

Custodians describe the same pattern over and over: machines get run until they die, parked without charging, or plugged in for 15 minutes to finish a job. A year later your batteries won't hold a charge, and everyone blames the brand.

Sometimes your batteries aren't even the problem, since crews also report failing chargers and chargers set to the wrong battery type, which look exactly like dead batteries. Before you buy a new set, work through our floor scrubber troubleshooting guide.

The short version is that lead acid wants one full, uninterrupted charge after each shift, while TPPL and lithium forgive top-ups. Pick the battery that fits the way your team actually works, not the way you wish it worked.

Which floor scrubber battery should you choose?

Start with your realistic cleaning schedule, then match your battery chemistry to it.

A few hours a week, one shift, someone who'll water: flooded lead acid, since it's the cheapest battery and your cycle count stays low.

Light daily cleaning, but nobody wants battery chores: AGM, with the charger set to AGM and a full charge after every use.

Daily cleaning with breaks, or machines that sit idle for weeks: TPPL, because top-ups and long storage are exactly what it's built for.

Two shifts, or you never want to buy batteries again: lithium. If you clean a small space, a compact lithium machine like the NaceCare 440NX or TGB 516NX gives you the same benefits at a lower price.

If you're not sure which fits, send us your square footage, floor type and how often you clean, and you'll get a machine and battery matched to your routine. You can reach us through our contact page or call (855) 601-5678. Your order is covered by our return policy, and you can compare every option in our floor scrubber collection.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a floor scrubber battery last?

At one charge per workday, the ratings work out to about 3 years for flooded, under 2 for AGM, about 6 for TPPL and 8 or more for lithium. Your crew's charging habits change those numbers a lot. For the machine itself, see how long floor scrubbers last.

How long does a floor scrubber take to charge?

It depends on your battery's size and your charger's output, so check your machine's spec sheet. As a rule, EnerSys puts wet and AGM at about 20% per hour and TPPL at about 70%.

Can I put lithium in a lead acid scrubber?

Sometimes, but it's not a simple swap, because you'll need a charger rated for lithium and the machine's electronic settings may need changes. Ask the manufacturer before you convert.