My Screwy 31
First off let me say I am not stressing over this. It's just a battery, it is only money, it is meeting my overnight needs, but it is displaying strange behavior, and I am curious as to why. So th...
Forum Discussion
I did a quick dip yesterday.
I've been using the battery pretty hard. Monitor reporting 40 to 60 A/H removed each night. 95% solar recharge. Infrequent driving and a smidge of 25 Schumacher amps in the morning on some cloudy days.
My PVL-68 is partially shaded most of the day for the last 10 days, causing an ~ 2 amp drop in max solar current, but I still get to float each day, just a little later.
While I've set my float at 15.3v I've had my Max battery volts set at 15.0v.
So 14.9 absV and 15v float since last report.
SG Reading as of yesterday when taking 1.5 amps to hold 15.0v
1.255, 1.250, 1.260.
That lack of time at 15.3v finishing/top charging daily was apparent in SG readings, and during discharge too, as it drops fast to 12.4, and then 12.2, but it seems very reluctant to drop below 12.0. It is quicker to lose voltage under load, but seems to man up and fight at the 12.2v level despite the loads on it at that point which will touch 11 amps at times.
Anyway the battery is being worked hard, and I'm going to remove that 15.0v max lock today as it is just obvious to me this battery needs time at 15.3v daily, and it is also due for some time at 16.0v and the 'reset' caused by getting all the cells above 1.275 and close to 1.285.
Electrolyte still clear. Water use not excessive, battery is being worked hard and responding well to the (ab)use and near top charging daily.
I've been using the battery pretty hard. Monitor reporting 40 to 60 A/H removed each night. 95% solar recharge. Infrequent driving and a smidge of 25 Schumacher amps in the morning on some cloudy days.
My PVL-68 is partially shaded most of the day for the last 10 days, causing an ~ 2 amp drop in max solar current, but I still get to float each day, just a little later.
While I've set my float at 15.3v I've had my Max battery volts set at 15.0v.
So 14.9 absV and 15v float since last report.
SG Reading as of yesterday when taking 1.5 amps to hold 15.0v
1.255, 1.250, 1.260.
That lack of time at 15.3v finishing/top charging daily was apparent in SG readings, and during discharge too, as it drops fast to 12.4, and then 12.2, but it seems very reluctant to drop below 12.0. It is quicker to lose voltage under load, but seems to man up and fight at the 12.2v level despite the loads on it at that point which will touch 11 amps at times.
Anyway the battery is being worked hard, and I'm going to remove that 15.0v max lock today as it is just obvious to me this battery needs time at 15.3v daily, and it is also due for some time at 16.0v and the 'reset' caused by getting all the cells above 1.275 and close to 1.285.
Electrolyte still clear. Water use not excessive, battery is being worked hard and responding well to the (ab)use and near top charging daily.
