Battery Water Question - Interesting Observation
Here's my charging system:
Progressive Dynamics Intelli-Power PD4655V 55A Charger/Converter
4 x 6V Costco Golf Cart Batteries - 3 years old.
Onan 2800
The only inverter I have is a small 300w one for my 22" TV. I have a 1000W one on a switched receptacle but I never use it, always off.
When I hooked up the four 6V batteries I used the same size cables as the generator and power converter/charger to series parallel them. Pretty sure they are at least 4awg.
I check my water levels in the batteries twice a year. Usually only having to add water once a year and not really that much. What I have noticed the last few times is that two of my batteries need more water than the other two.
What I can tell you about my installation that is less than perfect/ideal but was done due to factory cable lengths is that the converter/charger is hooked up to the left pair of batteries and that the generator is hooked to the right pair of batteries. Both "pairs", so to speak are in Parallel whereas both left and right "pairs", so to speak, are in series. So when the PD is charging its getting one pair, in my mind, and then equalizing. When the generator is charging its getting one pair and then equalizing. The generator pair always needs more water, which tells me the generator is obviously (and predictably) doing a worse job of charging and occasionally boiling the batteries. The PD obviously does not. The interesting part is that with the batteries in a series-parallel configuration and all the wire sizes the same I would have figured the system would be better balanced.
Am I looking at this right?
Is it time well spent to hook the generator and charger to the same point across all four batteries rather than two pairs that balance? I've never had any problems and the water usage is the only thing out of the ordinary that I have noticed.
Thanks for your time and knowledge.
Keith
Progressive Dynamics Intelli-Power PD4655V 55A Charger/Converter
4 x 6V Costco Golf Cart Batteries - 3 years old.
Onan 2800
The only inverter I have is a small 300w one for my 22" TV. I have a 1000W one on a switched receptacle but I never use it, always off.
When I hooked up the four 6V batteries I used the same size cables as the generator and power converter/charger to series parallel them. Pretty sure they are at least 4awg.
I check my water levels in the batteries twice a year. Usually only having to add water once a year and not really that much. What I have noticed the last few times is that two of my batteries need more water than the other two.
What I can tell you about my installation that is less than perfect/ideal but was done due to factory cable lengths is that the converter/charger is hooked up to the left pair of batteries and that the generator is hooked to the right pair of batteries. Both "pairs", so to speak are in Parallel whereas both left and right "pairs", so to speak, are in series. So when the PD is charging its getting one pair, in my mind, and then equalizing. When the generator is charging its getting one pair and then equalizing. The generator pair always needs more water, which tells me the generator is obviously (and predictably) doing a worse job of charging and occasionally boiling the batteries. The PD obviously does not. The interesting part is that with the batteries in a series-parallel configuration and all the wire sizes the same I would have figured the system would be better balanced.
Am I looking at this right?
Is it time well spent to hook the generator and charger to the same point across all four batteries rather than two pairs that balance? I've never had any problems and the water usage is the only thing out of the ordinary that I have noticed.
Thanks for your time and knowledge.
Keith
