Battery floating voltage

way back in the day we used to use time clocks on the simple battery chargers so we in effect got some exercise into them

 

wickipedia ....float voltage...
Continuous-preservation (float) charging: 13.4 V for gelled electrolyte; 13.5 V for AGM (absorbed glass mat) and 13.9 V for flooded cells.
see also http://www.sterling-power.com/support-faq-2.htm

only here to help

 

Thats what I said on my opening post. I said the Mastervolt charger was floating them at 13.4 and you said it was the funniest thing you had ever heard.

I think CDK was on the money who explained what the black stuff was and why.

But thanks to you too, I would never have thought of looking on the internet.

 

so its 13.9 but its still going to shorten the life by not exercising them

 

Yes thats right. Piston thinks that if I turn on 4 amp draw the battery charger will respond with a full on charge when the battery charger itself responds to voltage drop.

I dont think a 4 amp draw will cause a reaction in that way and why should it if the batteries charger is seeing 13.4.

The batt charger will just take up the draw as it is supposed to do.

However I have decided to un plug the charger and leave the batts unattended for the evening with as much draw as I feel appropriate and re plug in the morning or when the voltage is below 12 .2 ish

Any way it does'nt switch in to a full charge on a 4 amp draw.

 

What you can do for an experiment ( if your not boating the next day) is to get a small inverter 12/240 with a known low voltage cut off and connect it to a light bulb with a known draw and an ac electric clock, assuming its enough load to run the batterys down to the invertor cut off you can work out your battery capacity ( maybe just do one battery at a time)

 

Both my GPS and fish F give digital voltage. The panel meter for house draw is analogue.

Strange,-- although connected very close, the GPS and fish finder never agree infact the GPS is erratic. Im not concerned as reading voltage was not what I bought it for.

With one eye shut I can see the alaloge is pretty damn close to the FF voltage of 13.4.

Digital volt meters are for some reason expensive, far more so than a fish finder.

 

Frosty,
Try this one...
http://www.springers.com.au/product.asp?SKU=1012

I will get it for you if need be, but would expect they would simply post for you.

 

Yep that the cheapest ive seen. Im a power boat --I have power coming out of my ears. Im not a voltage watcher like a yachtie would be, so it not that important to me.

The fish reads out voltage under depth and sea temp anyway.

 

The only place to read the voltage is on the battery, not on a circuit especially if you're talking decimal points.
You can clean up your battery plates by applying a constant amperage charge for a half hour at approximately 10% of your amp hour rating. That will burn your plates clean and give you maximum absorption again. This is the same as cycling the battery a few times.
Again the main difference between a service battery and a start battery. A start battery has larger plate surface area to provide more starting amps. A service battery has thicker plates to allow it more cycles before wearing out.
For standby a deep cycle service battery is not needed, rather a rugged battery that won't be damaged by shock and vibration.
In my unfortunate experience a large battery that sits on standby with little fluctuation will see many plates become fouled. The remaining plates will do the required little work and receive overcharging causing premature failure.

 

You can clean up your battery plates by applying a constant amperage charge for a half hour at approximately 10% of your amp hour rating. That will burn your plates clean and give you maximum absorption again RUBBISH. ( charging at 1/10 AH is a normal recharge and takes 14 hrs )

Leisure batteries are starting batteries with another label and a bigger price tag so the makers dont make a loss on warrantee claims

To see where you are get your hydrometer out ...if it wont go above 1120 then the cell is sulphated..if only one cell is affected this will still stuff the battery.

 

Sigh..I thought it was obvious when I wrote it that the battery would have to be equalized already. I apologise for the offence caused.

 

No offence caused or even thought about ....now tell me what YOU mean by equalised

 

You cant offend Piston --he hasnt got any nerve endings,--too many electric shocks I suppose.

 

so did you check your SGs frosty? One solid way to know the situation......