Solar for keeping batteries topped off.
Interested in a small solar solution to keep 2 24 group batteries topped off while the RV is in storage. Right now I disconnect and haul the batteries to the house and charge them monthly. The RV is i...
Forum Discussion
Hi westend,
Actually irreversible plate shedding happens on the positive plate for each and every cycle. The negative plate "loss" is replaced during the charging process.
If the negative plate is "hard" sulphated then high voltage may "blast" that material off the plate, but that is what we hope to avoid by charging at ideal voltages. The material may drop to the bottom of the battery.
Higher temperatures, increased specific gravity, and higher voltage all contribute to the speed of the reaction and increase positive plate shedding.
Actually irreversible plate shedding happens on the positive plate for each and every cycle. The negative plate "loss" is replaced during the charging process.
If the negative plate is "hard" sulphated then high voltage may "blast" that material off the plate, but that is what we hope to avoid by charging at ideal voltages. The material may drop to the bottom of the battery.
Higher temperatures, increased specific gravity, and higher voltage all contribute to the speed of the reaction and increase positive plate shedding.
westend wrote:
There is also plate shedding where the negative plate of the battery looses material from the plate. This is an ongoing process as the battery ages. The electrolyte is causing the material to dissolve. Raising voltages causes this to happen faster. A short duration of higher voltages like the 14.5V delivered by a vehicle alternator after starting the motor is not going to harm the battery as it is trying to recover from the large draw that was but upon it to turn the starter.
