First time charging new batteries
I just bought a pair of Costco/Interstate 6 volt batteries. On the first two charges, they don't seem to be accepting charge as fast as I expected. They have not gone above 31 amps either time. I a...
Forum Discussion
Inexpensive batteries are manufactured, start-to-finish, inexpensively. Imagine processing 800 batteries a day through a greening room. By greening to say, 90% or so, a hundred dollars a day in power alone, can be saved. Now multiply that by 220 days for a year. Squeeze in 2 full batches instead of 1-3/4 per day and that's even more money saved. The battery greening is incomplete which affects performance for a longer period of time. A longer customer break-in period.
Capacity is going to increase as the number of cycles increase. A good top charge right out of the box is recommended as is limiting the first five or so discharges to a maximum of 70% remaining.
The lower the quality of a battery the harder it will forever be to gain that last ten percent of charge. From out of the box to recyler. Acid starvation compounds the problem. Meaning golf car batteries tend to be easier to recharge than group 31 or group 65 batteries. You've heard me use the term "Dense Plate Paste" which is much more costly than economy paste. Use economy paste and that battery will not achieve full-charge as easily.
Hydrometer tip: If the cell is hard to access, slip a length of VACUUM TUBING over the nipple and use a glass to fill with electrolyte. Several draws may be needed if the cell is really a tight fit to fill the glass with enough electrolyte for a good hydrometer fill.
When the bobber floats, gently squeeze and relax the bulb several times while keeping the hydrometer vertical. The float will rise and fall smoothly ensuring bubbles are expelled and the float isn't sticking to the glass column.
I cannot emphasize this enough!
Establish which cell tends to read lowest. Few batteries have all exactly even cell electrolyte density. Then pick on that cell for the life of the battery. The weakest link in the chain. I have 24 cells to read. I repositioned the bank so the weak-sister cell is nearest the door. I do full readings of the other 23 cells once a month.
It would not hurt a bit to cure freshly purchased cyclable batteries for 4-5 days at 14.0 volts. 24-hours a day. This is more effective than imposing a significantly higher voltage for a much shorter period of time.
Capacity is going to increase as the number of cycles increase. A good top charge right out of the box is recommended as is limiting the first five or so discharges to a maximum of 70% remaining.
The lower the quality of a battery the harder it will forever be to gain that last ten percent of charge. From out of the box to recyler. Acid starvation compounds the problem. Meaning golf car batteries tend to be easier to recharge than group 31 or group 65 batteries. You've heard me use the term "Dense Plate Paste" which is much more costly than economy paste. Use economy paste and that battery will not achieve full-charge as easily.
Hydrometer tip: If the cell is hard to access, slip a length of VACUUM TUBING over the nipple and use a glass to fill with electrolyte. Several draws may be needed if the cell is really a tight fit to fill the glass with enough electrolyte for a good hydrometer fill.
When the bobber floats, gently squeeze and relax the bulb several times while keeping the hydrometer vertical. The float will rise and fall smoothly ensuring bubbles are expelled and the float isn't sticking to the glass column.
I cannot emphasize this enough!
Establish which cell tends to read lowest. Few batteries have all exactly even cell electrolyte density. Then pick on that cell for the life of the battery. The weakest link in the chain. I have 24 cells to read. I repositioned the bank so the weak-sister cell is nearest the door. I do full readings of the other 23 cells once a month.
It would not hurt a bit to cure freshly purchased cyclable batteries for 4-5 days at 14.0 volts. 24-hours a day. This is more effective than imposing a significantly higher voltage for a much shorter period of time.
