Mixing Batteries on Float-- Mex Test Update 2
UPDATE 1 on 23 Dec post UPDATE 2 on 25 Dec post ---------- Mex is driving me crazy! He said do not mix my used 12s (Scrubber batteries, he calls them--humph! They are respectable golf car batte...
Forum Discussion
Hi BFL13,
It may help to think of alternator charging at the end of a long wire. The alternator tends to "see" the chassis battery--and shuts down leaving the battery on the long wire less than fully charged (or even not doing any charging at all).
A similar process may be going on with dissimilar chemistries and voltages. The six volt in series, because of their external series link needs must always have slightly lower voltage due to increased resistance from the connections, so charging voltage, for them, needs to be "tweaked" upwards to overcome the resistance--but that means the 12 volt jars would be receiving higher than optimal voltage and possibly tending towards overcharging.
It was interesting to see my house batteries being "thirsty" after 4 days of 13.2 volts in cold weather (-20 to -30 C), with little in the way of solar charging. I did remember to push the button to get to 14.4 a couple of times, but mostly I forgot.
It may help to think of alternator charging at the end of a long wire. The alternator tends to "see" the chassis battery--and shuts down leaving the battery on the long wire less than fully charged (or even not doing any charging at all).
A similar process may be going on with dissimilar chemistries and voltages. The six volt in series, because of their external series link needs must always have slightly lower voltage due to increased resistance from the connections, so charging voltage, for them, needs to be "tweaked" upwards to overcome the resistance--but that means the 12 volt jars would be receiving higher than optimal voltage and possibly tending towards overcharging.
It was interesting to see my house batteries being "thirsty" after 4 days of 13.2 volts in cold weather (-20 to -30 C), with little in the way of solar charging. I did remember to push the button to get to 14.4 a couple of times, but mostly I forgot.
