Might have found charging spec's for GC2's

I bought my Powermax Boondocker from Randy and my V meter says 14.6/ 14.8 when it fires up. After being plugged into shore power for 2 days with 2 brand new GC2 Interstates the lowest I have seen is 13.2. Unplug it and 2 days later with cutoff switch off it reads 13.2. I'm not a wizard but this is what I see. It is also a 4 stage. You pros tell me what I have please. I have had trailers for 15 yrs but just now getting into upgrading things. I have a lot to learn. Thanks.

I bought my Powermax Boondocker from Randy and my V meter says 14.6/ 14.8 when it fires up. After being plugged into shore power for 2 days with 2 brand new GC2 Interstates the lowest I have seen is 13.2. Unplug it and 2 days later with cutoff switch off it reads 13.2. I'm not a wizard but this is what I see. It is also a 4 stage. You pros tell me what I have please. I have had trailers for 15 yrs but just now getting into upgrading things. I have a lot to learn. I hope I have mede a good choice for 4/5 day boondocking trips. Thanks.

64thunderbolt wrote:
I bought my Powermax Boondocker from Randy and my V meter says 14.6/ 14.8 when it fires up. After being plugged into shore power for 2 days with 2 brand new GC2 Interstates the lowest I have seen is 13.2. Unplug it and 2 days later with cutoff switch off it reads 13.2. I'm not a wizard but this is what I see. It is also a 4 stage. You pros tell me what I have please. I have had trailers for 15 yrs but just now getting into upgrading things. I have a lot to learn. I hope I have mede a good choice for 4/5 day boondocking trips. Thanks.

You have a PM4B, and it is working.

That's a myth. The single stage Parallax 7300 converter regulates at 13.8V. It doesn't boil batteries. Failure to do battery maintenance will destroy a battery. Don't blame 13.8V.

Sal

Unyalli wrote:
Floating at 13.8 will boil them.

"NEW IMPROVED MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS"

On a lead acid battery reminds me of a scenario I created 30 years ago with nutrition supplement psychosis...

"Yeah I bought the red blue green algae and gee it didn't work"
"Well ya gotta have the hand picked cold press stuff. The regular is a joke"
"Tried that too, no luck".
"It has to be picked BEFORE the spots appear"
"It was, it was"
"Was it picked on a full moon?"
"I have no idea"
"That's it! You have your answer"

Mex, why do you call T1275's "Scrubber" batteries? Do they come out of industrial floor scrubbers like used most nights at super markets?

For that once a month equalization charger regime that Mexwanderer talks about, where you want to charge at 5% of batteries amp hour rating and bring the battery up to 16.0V, while baby sitting it, then take it off the charger, my old fashioned Sears 12 6amp charger will do just that for a single group 24 DC battery. The charger will start at a 6Amp charge rating on the meter, and when it drops down to about 50% of it's rated charge rate, or 3 amps, the battery is topped off at 15.7 to 16.0V.

The more batteries and the more amp hours you have in your battery pack, the larger the charger you will need to engineer that 5% charge rate being held until the battery reaches 16.0V to be 100% charged and desulphated as much as is possible.

I like the KISS method, as long as nothing gets killed or hurt in the process of life time of your batteries being sacrificed.

My GC2's will not get up to 16.0V. I could run them at 10A all day long and not reach 16V.

The mentioned spec equalizes at 15.6V. The equalize voltage is also temperature sensitive.

Sal

NinerBikes wrote:


The more batteries and the more amp hours you have in your battery pack, the larger the charger you will need to engineer that 5% charge rate being held until the battery reaches 16.0V to be 100% charged and desulphated as much as is possible.

SIXTEEN POINT ZERO VOLTS

OR ("OR" is a specific word that means something)

The specific gravity in all cells reverts to OEM density

Whichever comes first

Sorry to jam a stick in the quibble machine.....

Sometimes mine will get to the high 15's during the finish charge. I got 16V once or twice but that was when I first did the destratification charges and didn't know how HF charger worked.