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Lorin David McCleary (Wacoastmci) (148.78.243.122)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 12:16 pm:   

Have 2-8D's in series and have hooked up a 24 volt 2.5 amp Deltran charger. Charger has gotten 2nd battery in series up to 15.1 V, but 1st battery in series is still at 13.5. Whenever voltage gets to 15.2 in 2nd battery, the battery equalizer clicks, the voltage in the 2nd battery drops to 14.1 for a few seconds and the voltage goes up in 1st battery in series to 14.1 then falls back to 13.5 after a few seconds. Cycle repeates about every 30 seconds or so. Wondering if this is the way the equalizer is supposed to be working. Not sure why batteries don't charge up equally with charger. Will this voltage cycling damage the equalizer or batteries or is this how it's supposed to work?
TWO DOGS (158.254.225.38)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 12:31 pm:   

sounds pretty good to me...no two batteries are exactly alike,just like women...if you are useing the bus...everything is fine...if it is parked for long periods...disconecting one cable on each battery is best,"in my opinion"...I leave here in the fall...disconect all vehicles as stated...when I get back in the spring,all I have to do is connect that battery cable...& the vehicle is ready to use...be it Cadilac,or bobcat , or whatever...everybody has their own way to do things,this way works best for me..
Lorin David McCleary (Wacoastmci) (148.78.243.122)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 12:32 pm:   

OK, I can now answer my own question...something is not working correctly. The 2nd battery in the series just boiled out electrolyte from a cell. Had a same thing happen with another charger last week and thought it was a faulty charger. What the heck could be wrong that I cannot use a lousy 2.5 amp charger to keep the chassis batteries up when parked? I am wits end with this and sure am tired of cleaing up spilled battery acid.
Nick Morris (Nick3751) (65.41.50.228)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 1:45 pm:   

I had a 8D that would boil over when hooked to a 1amp trickle. Preformed a little test to see if it still had life left. As decribed on this board I unhooked one bat and just left the suspect one hooked up (12v system) put the multimeter on it and read around 13 somewhere(can't remember) when I walked to the front and turned the headlights one everything went dead, even the voltmeter on the dash just like I'd turned off the master. Long story short that bat in now sitting in the shop waiting to go back to the battery store for a core.
Lorin David McCleary (Wacoastmci) (148.78.243.121)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 4:49 pm:   

I replaced both 8D's in Feb. It is not impossible that a new one could be defective. Odd thing is though that the batteries don't boil over when the alternator is charging them, just when I hook up a 110V trickle charger. Both chargers I've tried were the supposed "smart type" low amp which are not supposed to boil the batteries. I'm thinking it has to do somehow with the battery equalizer, but am the first to admit my lack of understanding of the charging/equalization system.
Sam Sperbeck (204.248.119.254)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 8:03 pm:   

Hi Lorin,
A simple way to determine if the problem is in the equalizer would be to disconnect it and see if one battery still boils. At least that will narrow the choices down. Is there a heavy load on the 12 volt tap that is causing one battery to be lower? Good luck.
Thanks, Sam Sperbeck
La Crescent, MN
Jerry Liebler (165.121.33.47)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 8:31 pm:   

Inter change the batterys then try the charger again. If the symptom stays with the battery it's a battery issue if it moves then it's a system issue.

Regards
Jerry 4107-1120
Lorin David McCleary (Wacoastmci) (148.78.243.121)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 9:38 pm:   

Thanks for the great suggestions. I'm starting to think that there may be(in order of likelihood): 1) a 12 V load on the 1st battery in series that is causing a short that the prevents the 1st battery from receiving the charge voltage or 2) Vanner is not working right or 3) 2nd battery in series has an internal short. Vanner claims their equalizer will balance the 2 batterys to 0.1 of a volt but mine sure isn't working that way.
TWO DOGS (158.253.193.32)

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Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 10:03 pm:   

I don't really see a problem....are the batteries running down after a while...???
Lorin David McCleary (Wacoastmci) (148.78.243.122)

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Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 4:48 pm:   

Two Dogs, there are two problems...1) 8D's run down when parked due to some parasitic load and 2) can't get a low-amp 24V charger to charge both batteries equally then hold them at float. The 2nd battery in series is overcharged and boiled while the first battery does not receive full charge. This happens, in spite of having a Vanner bat equalizer in the circuit. Checked the fuses on the Vanner controller this morning and they are OK. 8D's are just a few month old. Something is now working correctly, that is for sure.
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.154.176.93)

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Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 7:29 pm:   

A Vanner equalizer depends on the "upper" 12 to 24 volt battery being good. It can take voltage from that battery and give it to the lower, ground to 12 volt battery. It does not do the reverse. If the 24 volt battery is bad the Vanner cannot do it's job.


If only one cell is boiling, sounds like a shorted cell. Test each cell with a hygrometer and see if the cell that boils also has a lower specific gravity. I use the floating ball type hygrometers because they are easy to store and accurate enough to find a bad cell. All cells should read the same right after a charge and the next day.
Lorin David McCleary (Wacoastmci) (148.78.243.122)

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Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 7:57 pm:   

Stephen,
Checked the "upper" battery (the one that boiled) per your suggestion and in spite of it being new, there was a cell which tested lower than the rest. Before, I'd ruled out battery as source of problem since they were just a few months old but internal battery short is looking more like the problem. Time to drag out the upper 8D and take it to a battery place for load testing. Thanks for the explanation of the Vanner operation and suggestion, as mentioned by others also, that a battery short may be the problem. That sure seems the most likely source of problem. I'm slow to get the idea, but I'm getting it now! Thanks to all for help.

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