Equalization

[leeco]

I tried it again and it was fine. I will see how my data goes before watching it right through. When I was at work we use to equalise if I remember correctly every 3 months

The guy I bought the bank off told me to top the water up about 5mm above the plates and he's the same guy that said you can only equalise twice in a battery lifetime and one or 2 of them are a little dodgy I think so a good equalise should sort them out I hope.

[ditchcrawler]

one or 2 of them are a little dodgy I think so a good equalise should sort them out I hope.

Or prove beyond doubt that the batteries he sold you are knackered

[leeco]

Or prove beyond doubt that the batteries he sold you are knackered

I don't think they are.

 

I bought 6 x 6v 200ah batteries and over the last 3 days I have connected 4 of them at 12v and with no load on them I got them to 14.20v today with my crapy 240w solar setup.

 

The other 2 I'm going to see I can do the same.

 

I have never seen them since I have had them above 13v.5 but I have topped them all up the other day so I think that's improved things and when my shit comes from bimble that I ordered last week I will equalise the lot of them.

Edited July 10, 2014 by leeco

[leeco]

Can I equalise these 4 gel ones?

 

 

[nicknorman]

Generally speaking you can equalise them but you will kill them if you do! (Ie you shouldn't equalise them!) unless the manufacturer's instructions say otherwise, which is very unlikely.

[by'eck]

Just to add to Nick's comments, Gel batteries can take a high charge current from say a powerful charger but not high voltage, the max being in the range 14 to 14.4 volts, certainly less than open lead/acid. This makes them unsuitable for equalisation.

[leeco]

OK cheers I will leave them.

[leeco]

It's good stuff this equalising as I brought my sterling inverter back from the boat and put this dead battery on it that's been dead for 2 years and its like new.

Edited July 13, 2014 by leeco

[ditchcrawler]

It's good stuff this equalising as I brought my sterling inverter back from the boat and put this dead battery on it that's been dead for 2 years and its like new.

Charger??

[leeco]

Charger??

Yeah its a pro combi s.

[leeco]

It's not like new the battery as the last cell was not giving a reading on the hydrometer it was that bad and took 3 hours to start bubbling like the rest of the cells and it's giving a bad reading still 2nd from the top of the hydrometer but it holds charge now and I will give it another blast and should get better.

[Ex- Member]

It's not like new the battery as the last cell was not giving a reading on the hydrometer it was that bad and took 3 hours to start bubbling like the rest of the cells and it's giving a bad reading still 2nd from the top of the hydrometer but it holds charge now and I will give it another blast and should get better.

 

There are numerous stuff on the internet with regard to reviving batteries, I have done this successfully on several occasions. The golden rule though is saving a battery with one or more dead single cells is impossible. A hydrometer test and or volt test can determine each individual cells condition.

 

I recall reviving what I thought was a completely knackered fork lift starter battery, it;s still working fine, must have been revived 3/4 years ago now.

[nb Innisfree]

I revived all eight of our near knackered AGM batts with prolonged 14.4 -14.6v absorption charges. That was more than five years ago and they're still going strong.

 

Touch wood.

[leeco]

Who should I listen to as on the sterling instructions it says I should remove all caps when equalising the bank but on the Trojan website it says keep all caps tight and sealed?

Edited July 15, 2014 by leeco

[Tony Brooks]

I suspect that rather depends upon if they are catalytic or labyrinth caps. With catalytic I can see sense in leaving them on so they recombine the H & O to water. With labyrinth types (old style) I would take them off. Just my thoughts, no definite knowledge.

[nicknorman]

I would leave them on. When the electrolyte is bubbling, the bursting bubbles spatter tiny drops of acid out of the top of the battery and onto anything in the vicinity if the caps are off. Non-sealed batteries must have vents - for example on the Trojans the caps have relatively large vent holes in them. Other types might have a single vent hole to service all the cells, sometimes with a spigot to connect a pipe to.

[leeco]

I would leave them on. When the electrolyte is bubbling, the bursting bubbles spatter tiny drops of acid out of the top of the battery and onto anything in the vicinity if the caps are off. Non-sealed batteries must have vents - for example on the Trojans the caps have relatively large vent holes in them. Other types might have a single vent hole to service all the cells, sometimes with a spigot to connect a pipe to.

I will do.

 

I have this battery maintenance sussed out now, the bank of 6x 6v trogans 4 of them are reading good on the hydrometer with only one cell bad but it might recover and the other 2 are real bad and get real hot when charging so I think I will get rid of them 2 as between them both I think each one has a good cell.

 

I wish I had brought my combi home ages ago because these 4 gell ones are holding charge over 13v and never had the chance to give them a good charge on the boat.

[leeco]

This is the set up I have going.

 

 

At the moment I just put the white gel batteries past float and holding at 13.27v.

 

 

 

Is this normal for these gel because I have never seen them like this?

 

I have the trogans that don't get hot in a bank of 2 and the other 2 in in a single bank that got really hot today but I didn't have 1 terminal tight when I had the 2 in a bank of 4 but all hydrometer reading increased when they cooled down but still get hot unlike the 4 in this pic.

 

 

I topped all the trogens up to max today after giving them a full charge so maybe it was the bad connection that messed stuff up today.

 

I'm a recovering battery abuser.

[smileypete]

The Battery FAQ has some info on equalization and handling precautions:

 

http://www.batteryfaq.org/

 

Worth monitoring and limiting the charge current, high overcharge/eq current means excessive gassing, increasing the risk of explosion. I'd be concerned if the batts are getting very hot as that points to this happening.

 

Flammable H_² (hydrogen) gas from batteries is lighter than air and can collect in ceiling voids...:

 

 

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited July 16, 2014 by smileypete

[Grace and Favour]

SP - - Is that Leeco's garage this morning?

[leeco]

SP - - Is that Leeco's garage this morning?

 

It might be in a day or 2.

 

How long should float charge last on a 400ah bank because its been on float for 8+ hours?

[Tony Brooks]

In theory the float charge could be for an infinite length of time as long as the float voltage is suitable for the battery type in question. In practice I would rather take them off charge after a day or so of float unless I was in attendance just in case a cell shorted and blew up. I would leave a multistage charger running if I were a livaboard but not on a holiday boat. In that case I may put it one for a month and then leave it off for a month and then only put it one in when I visited the boat to check it or wok on it.