Lifeline Battery Recovery experiences?
I had a thread about our Magnum MS2812 going into Fault code mode overnight while boon docking. Posted under Magnum because I first thought I may have had a problem with my program parameters, and pos...
Forum Discussion
Ductape, LY, MW,
Many of your questions I do not have an answer to. MW, you said succinct Yes/No answers are required, and I don't have them. Looks like this is 'My Bad' for not digging deeper to understand the specifics of battery management. And I guarantee it was not done in a way to willingly ignore Lifeline, and or to cause a demise or damage to the battery bank. None the less, my ignorance in knowledge of battery management seems to have impacted my batteries.
I can repeat, as an RV'er non educated/techie/experienced to your levels of battery management knowledge. That when I asked Lifeline if the Magnum MS2812 AGM1 Charge Setting was appropriate for my battery bank, they said yes. And rightm or wrong, I thought I was covered to support this battery bank. I was also coached to live off of SOC. Well SOC seems to be a calculation based upon battery bank size, AH 'Bathtub' In/Out Amp hours. I never focused on Voltage, as the my understanding of the Voltage displayed on the Magnum ARC50 fed from the BMK Meter, and the MidNite Classic 150, are 'under load' or 'under charge' voltages. As when I'm in the coach the batteries are constantly in use and in charge.
In their 5 years of usage, they've been on Shore Power Magnum MS2812 AGM1 Charger Maintenance 85-90% of the time. We only travel 6-8 months a year, so four to just under 6 months of the year the Magnum has maintained the batteries.
The MS2812 has a spec that mentions Continuous Output at 25C = 125 ADC max, Charger Efficiency is rated at 85%, and Power Factor is > 95%. If 125ADC relates to 125Amps(?), then it would not equal the 160A C/20 rating... If this is correct, then I was given bad input, and did not know enough to challenge it, and have been under charging the batteries during their lifetime. May have been lucky some of the time, with the combination of Solar and Magnum chargers combined, getting closer to the level needed.
-----
I can't undue the last 5 years, of primarily MS2812 AGM1 setting Charger support of this bank.
While traveling, I will not have the ability to remove the batteries for weighting, and or getting Professional assessment and possible recovery/restoring of the battery.
I've used the Magnum Equalizing, AGM1 values that also match Lifeline's value for Conditioning (With temperature sensor adjustments, this has been between 15.4-15.6V as I've looked at the ARC-50 Remote. Two four hour Conditioning Cycles back to back, as Lifeline Tech Manual says 8 hours. I'm going to discharge the battery down to 75% SOC. Stop. Let rest as best I can for four hours while on Shore Power with no further charge. Take a Voltage Reading. Then fully recharge, and repeat two more four cycles of Magnums AGM1 Equalizing/Conditioning.
No magic I suppose left, and while traveling, is this not the best that I can do to try and restore/knock of sulfating build up to get the batteries a bit healthier? (Or, is this just wishful thinking?)
With less then 5-6 weeks of travel. I'm hesitant to buy a sophisticated charger to apply higher charging values over this period of time. Getting back to the home bae, I'll ask for Lifeline to recommend a Professional local shop for assistance in Recovery of the batteries.
I will continue to try to understand that if the MS2812 is undersized for the job of charging the 800AH bank, what my options are to address this. Different stand alone charger? Splitting, A/B'ing isolation the bank into two 400AH's segments, that the MS2812 should 'surely' support. Other's, etc.
Not trying to be flippant in this response. But not being at your level's of battery management expertise, I both scramble to understand some of the questions... And admit after my adult beverage, wonder why in five years of me talking to both Lifeline and Magnum Tech Support - I'm just now hearing that my Battery Management approach was not what it should have been, and or, the equipment to support it. Frustrating, and it's looking more like an expensive opportunity:)! (And to give Lifeline a plug. If I have been not properly maintaining the charge levels of this bank. Which is what I think I've inferred by some of the posts - pretty impressive I've got 5 years out of them (And sad too.).
Again, not trying to dodge questions, or argue, or be flippant...
Best to all,
Smitty
I will
Many of your questions I do not have an answer to. MW, you said succinct Yes/No answers are required, and I don't have them. Looks like this is 'My Bad' for not digging deeper to understand the specifics of battery management. And I guarantee it was not done in a way to willingly ignore Lifeline, and or to cause a demise or damage to the battery bank. None the less, my ignorance in knowledge of battery management seems to have impacted my batteries.
I can repeat, as an RV'er non educated/techie/experienced to your levels of battery management knowledge. That when I asked Lifeline if the Magnum MS2812 AGM1 Charge Setting was appropriate for my battery bank, they said yes. And rightm or wrong, I thought I was covered to support this battery bank. I was also coached to live off of SOC. Well SOC seems to be a calculation based upon battery bank size, AH 'Bathtub' In/Out Amp hours. I never focused on Voltage, as the my understanding of the Voltage displayed on the Magnum ARC50 fed from the BMK Meter, and the MidNite Classic 150, are 'under load' or 'under charge' voltages. As when I'm in the coach the batteries are constantly in use and in charge.
In their 5 years of usage, they've been on Shore Power Magnum MS2812 AGM1 Charger Maintenance 85-90% of the time. We only travel 6-8 months a year, so four to just under 6 months of the year the Magnum has maintained the batteries.
The MS2812 has a spec that mentions Continuous Output at 25C = 125 ADC max, Charger Efficiency is rated at 85%, and Power Factor is > 95%. If 125ADC relates to 125Amps(?), then it would not equal the 160A C/20 rating... If this is correct, then I was given bad input, and did not know enough to challenge it, and have been under charging the batteries during their lifetime. May have been lucky some of the time, with the combination of Solar and Magnum chargers combined, getting closer to the level needed.
-----
I can't undue the last 5 years, of primarily MS2812 AGM1 setting Charger support of this bank.
While traveling, I will not have the ability to remove the batteries for weighting, and or getting Professional assessment and possible recovery/restoring of the battery.
I've used the Magnum Equalizing, AGM1 values that also match Lifeline's value for Conditioning (With temperature sensor adjustments, this has been between 15.4-15.6V as I've looked at the ARC-50 Remote. Two four hour Conditioning Cycles back to back, as Lifeline Tech Manual says 8 hours. I'm going to discharge the battery down to 75% SOC. Stop. Let rest as best I can for four hours while on Shore Power with no further charge. Take a Voltage Reading. Then fully recharge, and repeat two more four cycles of Magnums AGM1 Equalizing/Conditioning.
No magic I suppose left, and while traveling, is this not the best that I can do to try and restore/knock of sulfating build up to get the batteries a bit healthier? (Or, is this just wishful thinking?)
With less then 5-6 weeks of travel. I'm hesitant to buy a sophisticated charger to apply higher charging values over this period of time. Getting back to the home bae, I'll ask for Lifeline to recommend a Professional local shop for assistance in Recovery of the batteries.
I will continue to try to understand that if the MS2812 is undersized for the job of charging the 800AH bank, what my options are to address this. Different stand alone charger? Splitting, A/B'ing isolation the bank into two 400AH's segments, that the MS2812 should 'surely' support. Other's, etc.
Not trying to be flippant in this response. But not being at your level's of battery management expertise, I both scramble to understand some of the questions... And admit after my adult beverage, wonder why in five years of me talking to both Lifeline and Magnum Tech Support - I'm just now hearing that my Battery Management approach was not what it should have been, and or, the equipment to support it. Frustrating, and it's looking more like an expensive opportunity:)! (And to give Lifeline a plug. If I have been not properly maintaining the charge levels of this bank. Which is what I think I've inferred by some of the posts - pretty impressive I've got 5 years out of them (And sad too.).
Again, not trying to dodge questions, or argue, or be flippant...
Best to all,
Smitty
I will
