Auto battery charger vs manual charger
This is not rv stuff but there's so much knowledge about battery's and chargers here I'm going to ask. My manual charger burnt up so I need a new one. I had to keep a eye on it when charging but it ...
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We own 4 automatics but this is my go to charger for refreshing the charge.
It is simple. It is a requirement if you own automatic chargers so you can make the automatics work on a very discharged battery.
On a 12v auto/tractor battery I can set it on 12v/6 amps over night. If it has tapered down to a 1 amp rate I have a known healthy battery. If it stops tapering at 2-3 amps I know it is a sick battery.
I forget and left one on at 6 amp rate for about a month a couple years ago. Just had it load and SG tested at Interstate Dist a couple weeks ago. He said it was built in 2006 but still load tested well with balanced SG readings. From that I gather you do not have to baby set a manual charger charging at a low rate.
Now if the battery is at the end of the life cycle and will only taper to say 3 amps a month later (days actually) it would be fried along with the charger I expect.
Automatics have their place but not as your solo charger from my experience. Now what I think is ideal is to put the automatic in Desulf Mode for three 24 hours cycles with the manual charger on 6 amps for the first day and 2 amps for the next two days.
With a 12v battery if it has not tapered to 1 amp after 24 hours or less depending on its starting SOC (starting state of charge and size) I will run it on the two amp rate for the next two days to see if I can recover some run time capacity.
Dying batteries should be replaced soon if in mission critical applications like driving across the USA.
It is simple. It is a requirement if you own automatic chargers so you can make the automatics work on a very discharged battery.
On a 12v auto/tractor battery I can set it on 12v/6 amps over night. If it has tapered down to a 1 amp rate I have a known healthy battery. If it stops tapering at 2-3 amps I know it is a sick battery.
I forget and left one on at 6 amp rate for about a month a couple years ago. Just had it load and SG tested at Interstate Dist a couple weeks ago. He said it was built in 2006 but still load tested well with balanced SG readings. From that I gather you do not have to baby set a manual charger charging at a low rate.
Now if the battery is at the end of the life cycle and will only taper to say 3 amps a month later (days actually) it would be fried along with the charger I expect.
Automatics have their place but not as your solo charger from my experience. Now what I think is ideal is to put the automatic in Desulf Mode for three 24 hours cycles with the manual charger on 6 amps for the first day and 2 amps for the next two days.
With a 12v battery if it has not tapered to 1 amp after 24 hours or less depending on its starting SOC (starting state of charge and size) I will run it on the two amp rate for the next two days to see if I can recover some run time capacity.
Dying batteries should be replaced soon if in mission critical applications like driving across the USA.
