| Author |
Message |
David Anderson (66.90.192.31)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 2:05 pm: | |
I have 8 Sam's Golf cart batteries and a Trace sw2512 inverter. I've been plugged in for 9 months as I finish up the conversion. The Trace keeps the batteries up by staying in Float mode most of the time, unless I unplug and replug in.
I am guilty that I haven't checked my battery water for about 2 months. Today I checked it and all cells were low, with some of the plates uncovered. I was surprised by this. I didn't think it would bubble out the water in float mode.
I refilled with distilled water and sat down and reread the manual on charging. Factory default settings: Bulk charging 14.0, Float charging 13.6
The books says that full charge on my batteries is 12.7 volts. With that in mind, should my float mode be around 12.7 to 13.0 since I am plugged in most of the time?
I changed the programming to set Float at 12.7 to see what happens. I will be more diligent in battery water level checking in the future; however, I'd like some input on better charging parameters to avoid this in the future.
I'd appreciate your ideas.
Thanks, David Anderson |
Marc Bourget (209.142.38.81)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 8:05 pm: | |
Dear David, The following info is taken from Dave Smeads "Wiring for 12 Volts"
Full Charge, absorbtion voltage for a deep cycle liquid electrolyte battery is 14.4 VDC.
After full charge, a voltage applied over 13.8 will result in overcharge. Even 13.8 is too much if constant.
Depending on Charger Technology and pattern of usage, maintenance or float charging should range between 13.2 VDC and 13.7 VDC.
This is just a brief summary. I'd recommend you get his books.
Onward and Upward,
Marc Bourget |
Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.139)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 8:20 pm: | |
Here's an idea-- charge your batteries up to the set max of 13.6 (default setting), turn off the inverter/charger for 24 hours. Get a voltage meter and see what the "sitting" fully charged voltage is after the 24 hour period (assuming all batteries are good). Set your float voltage to that reading. The 24 hr period will give the batteries a chance to settle down to their normal fully charged state which is lower than what you will read right after you charge them up. |
Tom Caffrey (Pvcces) (64.114.233.84)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 9:08 pm: | |
David, you didn't mention the temperature your batteries were kept at over the winter. The maximum float voltage will be at a given temperature.
The lower your battery temperature, the higher the charge voltages that they will need and tolerate. By the same token, the higher the temperature, the lower the voltages.
You are not likely to discharge your batteries very much if they are kept above the full charge voltage at 70° or 80° of 12.6, so you shouldn't need to set the float very high.
As I understand float voltage, it is the voltage required to bring the batteries up from 98% to 100% charge. It is a little high if no power is taken from the batteries, and that is what you have when the system is plugged in all the time.
We plug in our system once a month when we can for one day when it is not in use, and we don't see any appreciable water consumption. The batteries seem to retain their performance quite well.
For what it's worth.
Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576
Suncatcher |
David Anderson (66.90.193.156)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 10:59 pm: | |
Excellent Ideas.
I like Geoff's idea. Explain something, however. Can I assume that full charge would be the voltage of the batteries, say after fully charged, no load for a period of say 24 hours?
In other words, what the voltage settles out to with no power input and no load would equal its happy fully charged state?
It sounds sensible to me in theory, but is it applicable in the field?
David Anderson |
Marc Bourget (209.142.38.81)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 2:22 am: | |
Dave, I see where you're going with this but you're never going to get a "full" charge or at least maintain the highest charge capacity of your batts without an equalizing charge, so don't drop that procedure from your "arsenal"
Marc Bourget |
FAST FRED (67.75.106.61)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 4:55 am: | |
IF at the PP (Power Post) all the time I would lower the sitting voltage to about 13V to 13.2V.
This is the range that RV converters (which are NOT chargers) usually hold the voltage.
You might consider a set of Hydro Caps , to help keep the water in & the plates from frying when dry.
Downside is there expensve and about 2 1/2 inches tall on top of the battt hight.
But they do save water.
FAST FRED |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.154.129.148)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 7:35 am: | |
I have the same inverter. I use 13.2 as a float and have no problems with water boiling out. I also use 14.2 as a bulk, but when plugged in, I set the bulk timer to 30 minutes or less for those occasional power failures which might trigger a bulk charge that really isn't necessary. On a weekend dry camping event I use 3 hours for bulk but it doesn't take that long to recharge. I watch my E-Meter for amphours replaced into the batteries and make my decision to shut down the genset based on that. I, too, have 8 golf car batteries. With the electric house fridge and other loads, I use about 275 amphours per day (I'm not frugal about electric use). Two sessions with the genset for about 2-3 hours seems to bring them right back to full. I need to start the genset for the electric cooktop or a/c's anyway so it's no big deal.
Jim |
Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (63.224.197.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 2:34 pm: | |
I think the RESTING voltage of your golf cart batts should be around what you have--12.7 VDC.
Your float voltage actually sounds OK. You will need to keep track of water useable a little better...
....or get some hydrocaps if you are lazy like me. Your batts SHOULD require top off water. Good luck. |
David Anderson (66.90.199.65)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 9:14 pm: | |
Thanks guys. You've been very helpful. Question for Marc on the equalization. How often does that need to be done. The Trace default is 30 minutes, but I'm not sure when it's done. Perhaps Jim knows since he has the same setup. Is it done manually, or automatically during the bulk charging phase?
David Anderson |
Mike Stabler (Docdezl) (64.255.109.167)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 8:22 pm: | |
FWIW Hold this in memory; Using 12 volt series wireing on 6 volt batts just one bad sell will take them ALL out. Animony is a white powder used in the lead to help it standup to vibration. "NO MAINTANCE" use calcium in place of Animony in the lead to acomplish this same resualt. HOWEVER they hold and take a charge differantly.
Animony batt @ 6.1 or 12.2 volts is full charge!
Animony batt can be charged by the generator/alt.
Animony batt will on sustained demand raise amps as volts drop. Slow spiral to the bitter end.
Animony batt will desipate its charge resting over weeks.
NO Animony batt @ 12.2 volts can be DEAD ie no amps. carbon pile load test maanditory for state of charge.
NO Animony batt must be recharged with a NO MAINTENANCE batt charger. Alt. will only surface charge.
No Animony will HOLD a charge (shelf life) months.
NO Animony will GIVE all the amps its got @ 12 volts to the bitter end.
NO Animony will set and work at 50% charge untill you put them on a charger or, until you need a 60% charge.
NO Animony batts that are still good (just need a charged correctly) are replaced.
smoke rattle and,stink.....docdezl |
Chuck Harris - PD4104 (207.172.11.147)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 7:27 am: | |
Mike, I know you have a valuable message hidden in your last post, but because of the poor wording and sentence structure, I cannot figure out what it is.
In the first "paragraph" you say that "NO MAINTANCE" use calcium... then down in the bottom, you say "NO Animony must be recharged with a NO MAINTENANCE batt charger.
Do you mean that we must not charge a Lead/Antimony battery with a No Maintenance charger, or that we must charge a non Lead/Antimony battery with a No maintenance charger?
I cannot tell! Would you please try the above again with actual english?
Thanks!
-Chuck |
Mike Stabler (Docdezl) (64.255.109.221)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 10:06 pm: | |
Sorry: IE I have a problem with the advertising bu!!sh!t. The batteries without animony use calcium and are advertised AS "no maintainance". And I swear I have never pulled the tape OFF and filled or "Maintained" 3 or 4 hundred of these battries on the life of my Interstate Battery salesman!
Batteries with animony in the lead are your normal fill caps and require maintainance.....distilled water.
Now you explain to me the "low maintainance" that was out there for a while?
Sorry for the confusion. I am a ASE certified double gear not and english major.
smoke,rattle and,stink....docdezl |