| Author |
Message |
FAST FRED (65.58.186.95)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 7:10 am: | |
The new issue of Home Power has some interesting things for Bus Nuts.
( Free download on line)
Seems the folks that created a home brew battery desulfator has a new bigger unit for home construction at ;
www.shaka.com/~kalepa/desulf.htm
There is also a simple low cost back yard method of creatin Quality cable ends for use at the batt.
And a disturbing article from Scandia Labs that the finish voltage should be 15.3(2.25 per cell)and held there for at least 3 hours.
This would make recharging from a gen set a huge waste of time.
Might really make sense to have a solar cell on roof , and charge controller , to extend the life of the house batts.
Or perhaps a "Smart " voltage regulator on the engine alt would work , if the coach wasnt camped for too long.
AS they want a 5 day between finishing charges MAX.
Worth the time to read it?
Depends on the cost of your House bat bank.
FAST FRED |
JMaxwell (66.42.92.16)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 10:41 am: | |
FF: If I read your summary correctly, then we had all better stock up on distilled water to replenish the solution level. 3 hrs. at equalizer level every 5 days is a lot of boiling. My Trace and solar controller both have auto equalizer to 15.3. The trace is every 30 days I believe and the solar is every 50 hours, but neither ever hold that level for more than a few minutes once the batteries reach 15.3 True, I don't think my genset will even power the Trace charger to the 15.3 level, but, the solar does. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (66.190.119.82)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 10:55 am: | |
Fred, What issue? I can not find anything in issue 88 which is currently available for download. Also what is the names of the article or page numbers.
The math in the battery charge information does not compute. 6 cells at 2.5 vpc is equal to 13.5 volts.
At 15.3 volts as a finish voltage, the end cell voltage would be 2.55 vpc and that would boil the batterys very fast.
Richard |
Scott Whitney (24.205.233.143)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 11:47 am: | |
Hi Richard,
Is your second paragraph a typo or can you elaborate? 2.5vpc x 6 = 15v Or is that the discrepancy you are pointing out?
Scott |
Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (170.215.36.61)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 2:16 pm: | |
"And a disturbing article from Scandia Labs that the finish voltage should be 15.3(2.25 per cell)and held there for at least 3 hours."
Maybe the original quote is a typo and should be 13.5v instead of 15.3v, that would calculate as 6 x 2.25v = 13.5v.
Peter. |
FAST FRED (65.56.26.81)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 2:21 pm: | |
The easiest way to solve the watering problem of high volt finish charging is with a Hydro Cap .
These have a platnum Catylist and are sized to the batts and charge rate. About $8.00 EACH , and about 2 inches high on the top of the bat.
Could be that distilled water , and a Quality battery slide instalation might be cheaper.
The issue this is taken from is HP#89, however if you want the Source;
www.sandia.gov/pv/bos/briefs.htm
FAST FRED |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (66.190.119.82)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 9:15 pm: | |
With a 15.3 volt finish charge for three hours, you better have a water hose instead of a hydroCap to keep the cells full, and you better have some humungus A/C units to keep the battery cool.
I would suggest you re-read the article. It specifically excludes boats and RV's from this procedure.
Scott, yes, that is the discrepency I was pointing out. I think your question was answered by Peter.
Richard |
FAST FRED (63.215.227.216)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 25, 2002 - 5:47 am: | |
AS I read the article it explains that boats & Rv's ,because of the ability to get grid power can use a 120V charger for the long time periods needed at the higher voltage.
NOT a negation of the NEED to have the batt charged at a higher voltage than the usual 14.4
Also by reading thru the article about battery voltage regulation we can realize why many systems will overcharge at the stock volt setting.
The "Other" loads , besides the batt do not allow the voltage to taper , or the amps to taper, so the batt gets the full voltage and mucho amps the entire time the coach is driven.
On my GM I was boiling the batt after a day or two of driving (12 hour+ days).
OR if everything was shut off the alt relay would keep opening , the RED light , would cycle off & on.
This is because the GM expexted those two 60 to 80A blowers to be on , and there removed.
Solution was to lower the charge / operate voltage to 13.4 , not a lot of finishing charge , but at least the batts last.
The Todd batt charger has a high point setting & final (abet only 14.4V) charge came at night at the PP.
The newest fancy chargers can be set to hold the higher voltage , but the easiest might be a big buck inverter that programs easily.
FAST FRED |