Battery Storage Charge Profile

Thank you

westend wrote:
If you maintain a 12.6V or higher voltage in the battery, there will be very little stratification or sulfation. That happens when electrolyte is at work shifting ions between plates and, a tiny bit, from metal aging. That's what I needed to know

If I'm just giving it a short charge each day would it be more beneficial to do it during the heat of the day or would it matter? it's drawing very little current.

If you maintain a 12.6V or higher voltage in the battery, there will be very little stratification or sulfation. That happens when electrolyte is at work shifting ions between plates and, a tiny bit, from metal aging.

A better cure for your battery storage situation would be: Switching to an AGM battery, replacing the inadequate WFCO charger, or disconnecting the WFCO converter and using a good battery tender.

FWIW, I keep a couple of 12V auto batteries stored. I charge them manually with a small 12V power supply. Every so often, I will hit them with my shop charger as it stirs the electrolyte. I haven't checked SG in them for a couple of years as their longevity is not that much of an issue.

I guess this question will die as the first did

2112 wrote:
I thought I had my battery disconnect switch off for the last six weeks or so but I left it on. My WFCO boiled out my 6 1/2 year old battery (date code 06/10). She lived a good, long life but I murdered her.

Is 1 hour on, 23 hours off a good profile to maintain without harming my new not yet purchased group 27 marine hybrid or can you recommend a better profile? I have been leaving it on for 2 days and off for 5 but after so many years that's getting old. I'm looking for a better way without replacing the WFCO.

As one who has owned countless WFCO converters I doubt (as I said earlier) it had anything to do with "murdering" your battery. With adequate fluid there's little chance any WFCO could "boil out" any battery as rarely does a WFCO ever achieve it's advertised 14.4 volt bulk charge rate. None of mine ever have and is the reason I now instead use a stand alone CTEK charger that will. I'd say you killed it yourself by allowing parasitic draw to destroy the battery, perhaps also by not maintaining a proper fluid level in each cell. If you intend to keep using your WFCO to maintain your new battery I'd forget that timer nonsense, just plug the trailer in 24/7, and allow it to do it's job but anytime you're not plugged into shore power disconnect the battery. FWIW, my current Interstate G27 is now 10 yrs old, still maintains a full charge, and until about a year ago has seen nothing but a WFCO to maintain it. :B

I'm reaching out to the WLA battery experts again.
I have been charging my battery one hour a day for a few months now. It's set up to charge from 5am to 6am every morning. The thought being it would be better to give the battery a little bump during the cooler morning.

When it first kicks on it draws 1.8 to 2.2A but quickly tapers down to about 0.5A and holds that for the hour.

Am I seeing this correct? Should I give my battery a little taste when it's cool or during the heat of the day? Cool is a relative term. Our low is 75-80 and highs in the upper 90's.

Thanks

2112 wrote:
My WFCO boiled out my 6 1/2 year old battery (date code 06/10). She lived a good, long life but I murdered her.

I've read this claim before but I'd sure like to know how a WFCO that is supposed to bulk charge @ 14.4 volts but never does can possibly "boil out" any battery that has been regularly checked for proper fluid level and not excessively discharged. :h 6 1/2 yrs service is pretty darned good for any battery so I'd have serious doubts your WFCO was in any way able to "boil out" your battery ... more likely it died of old age and because it had stratified from not being properly bulk charged. My own Interstate G27 which up until last fall had only ever seen a WFCO is now 9 yrs old and still going strong.

Thanks for the reply RoyB but I'm not sure this answers my question.

My concern is stratification and scaling. As mentioned, I have been applying a 13.6V - 13.8V charge (whatever the WFCO feels like doing that day) for 2 days and removing it for 5 days and repeat. I would equalize them about every 6 months or so. This seemed to work fine for years but I don't know of a method to gauge or quantify stratification or scaling. It appeared to not be an issue with this profile.

Would a 1 hour on 23 hour off profile cause long term issues with stratification or scaling? Or anything else?

How long does your last GP24 battery in your radio room go between charges?

My single mode charger boiled out one of my batteries in about three weeks. This was only putting out 13.6VDC...

Now I have a smart mode PD9260C Converter/Charger which puts out smart mode charging DC voltages...

This does the 14.4VDC - 13.6VDC - 13.2VDC and once every 19 hours will run about 15 minutes putting out 14.4VDC...

I use to watch my batteries after installing this unit but always found them in good shape...

It does everything automatic now when I leave it running off of home shore power...

Here lately however I have been doing a complete disconnect on my stored batteries and if they start out being fully charged then and reading 12.7 or so VDC just sitting there they will very slowly start dropping their charge.

Over the winer months it will take a couple of months for them to get from the 12.7VDC to the 12.5VDC readings. When I see that I will connect the batteries and turn on the PD9260C converter/charger again to bring them back to their full 100% charge again...

I have one GP24 battery setting here in my radio room that has been sitting here in a box disconnected and reads 12.6VDC and will occasionally flicker down to 12.5VDC... I can switch in my standby 600WATT PSW Power Inverter and it will run a couple of 120VAC emergency lights for hours... This is my last good GP24 12V 85AH battery from my original battery bank here.

I am currently in the planning stage to redo my trailer battery bank using two groups of T105 6V batteries in series to give my a good 450AH capacity 12VDC battery bank... Just about got my metal battery box all drilled out and fitted with BLUE SEA Switches, meters, and lug terminals components for monitoring and distributing my 12VDC power requirements. Waiting for money to purchase my Trojan T105s Batteries from a local golf cart dealer here where I live... This will all mount on my trailer tongue area in a 58-inch Torklift Battery box with top slide where my older 12VDC interstate set in plastic battery boxes... Gonna be a Perfect Fit within the one inch welded on Battery tray angle guides...


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