| Author |
Message |
Nelson Thomas (205.188.209.8)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 8:52 pm: | |
Just bought two 12v float chargers for my 4104. Box says "not a trickle charger, won't overcharge, for batteries rated from 5-125 amp-hours,constant 12.5 vdc regulated output, just plug it in and forget it". Got them at a major discount tool supplier.
I put one on each 8d battery even though they are hooked together through the isolater switch, is this the right way, not enough, or overkill? Just want to keep my batteries topped off and in good shape.
Nelson, Knoxville TN. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 10:41 pm: | |
Nelson, nominal float voltage is typically around 2.5 volts per cell (VPC). On a 12 volt battery this would equate to about 13.5 volts for a float voltage. Check the actual battery voltage after the charger has been on for a couple of days. It should be a little over 13 volts for proper float service.
Richard |
Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.15)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 6:15 am: | |
I don't think you can put a battery charger on each battery if they are connected by an isolator. Shouldn't you disconnect them from each other? The first battery charger is going to try to feed the other one through the isolater, and if you only use one charger on the first battery you are going to have a voltage drop through the isolator to the second battery. Disconnect them from each other and you'll have no problems. |
DonTX/KS (66.82.9.11)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 8:25 am: | |
I was thinking the same Geoff, but I would assume he has a manual switch to connect/disconnect the two. I have been using these gizmo's with great sucess for a couple of years now, my lifestyle causes my stuff to sit for 6 months at a time. No more dead or shot batteries when I come back, I am sold on them. I will have to heed Richards advice however, I have not bothered to put a voltmeter on things, and I picked them up on sale for around $6 each. |
Pete RTS/Daytona (209.165.1.79)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 10:06 am: | |
One float charger per isolator side is fine - the isolator normally works as a one way valve (flows only one way from center post to each end post) to allow whatever is connected to its middle post to flow tru the oneway diode device to charge each battery - in your case a charger directly mounted to the battery will only charge that battery (no diode loss to worry about) the charger voltage can not pass thru the diode to the other battery |
Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.15)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 12:17 pm: | |
I re-read the original post, and Nelson says he has an "isolator switch", so I guess all he has to do is flip the switch to disconnect the batteries from each other. Pete-- I haven't looked at an isolator for so long I forgot that they are fed by a wire from the alternator, with a lead for each battery to keep the charging separate.
--Geoff
'82 RTS CA |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.154.176.85)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 10:31 pm: | |
Richards math was a little off this time but his advice is certainly correct. I use 12.5 volt float chargers on equipment in the barn for winter and they do not maintain a full charge, just keep the battery from dying.
I would recommend budgeting about $100 +/- for a marine 3 or 4 stage charger. They can be bought for one to four separate outputs for separate battery systems. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 11:15 pm: | |
Steve, you are absolutely correct. Float voltage should be somewhere between 2.25 VPC to 2.3 VPC, or 13.2 to 13.8 battery volts depending on the battery manufacturer. As I recall, some of the 5 year warrenty Power batteries used a hot mix of acid and required 2.3 VPC(13.8 VPB). I do not know if they are still in business or not. Their batteries were for large UPS systems. We normally used 48-50 of them in series for a nominal 600 VDC buss. There sure is a lot of smoke in a setup like this. LOL |
mark (66.43.13.106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 11:25 pm: | |
Stephen F:
Do you happen to know the brand/model of the chargers you are talking about?
Thanks
mark
75Gillig636D |
Nelson Thomas (205.188.209.8)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 12:23 am: | |
The float chargers are the Chicago brand about $17. at H.F. My shut off switch as far as I can tell is just a mechanical type switch located in the wheel well behind the battery compartment. Both hot Leeds go to it and each batteries neg. cable goes to a separate ground.
I stopped at a battery store today and they had some three stage chargers that look pretty good for about $40. I don't remember all of the details though. Thanks for all of the replys. I had thought with the isolator switch in the off position that the batterys would have no source of a drain and would stay up but they did'nt. I will see how these float chargers work. I also bought a neat little meter to check the results.
Thanks : Nelson in Knoxville |