US Battery "finishing" charge recommendation
Please check out these USBattery manufacturer recommendations for 2 and 3 stage chargers. http://www.wholesalesolar.com/pdf.folder/battery-folder/charging_instruction_2011_2.pdf Quite a bit diff...
Forum Discussion
Despite much talk of my 15.8v capable Schumacher, I'm really aiming for figuring out the best set points of my solar. I wouldn't subject any LA battery to that 15.8v daily. But USbattery recommending either 15.1 or 15.3 as acceptable maximum voltages throws a whole new set of variables into my thinking, and second guessing of the recommendations which I cannot meet exactly with solar.
I'll plug in when I have to and use the Schumacher until the day it releases its magic blue smoke, but not having to use it daily is highly desirable. I've kind of removed acquiring a converter from the equation at this point as well.
I'm thinking of setting the solar at 14.7v Acceptance/ Absorption, then a 15.1 or 15.3 solar float which might not even happen depending on the available sunlight and the amount removed the night before
Basically replacing the "float" with "Finish", or at least as close as I can get to the manufacturer recommended Voltages with the just solar.
Lets take the Schumacher and Alternator out of the equation for discussion.
Now this time of year my Solar cannot do a 10% charge rate of 13 amps. Around 8.5a at high noon is more likely. If I were to follow the 3 stage charger recommendation of 14.4v acceptance until only 3.9 amps (3%)were required to hold 14.4 and Finish of 15.3v for 2 to 4 hours, Which might not even be possible, would it make up for the lack of 10% bulk current initially?
Should I use instead the 14.7v acceptance recommendation of the 2 stage charger, and terminate earlier and do the every 30 day 15.3v eq cycle?
Solar is not ideal for meeting the manufacturer recommendations. It ramps up slowly, the battery will be under some load, and cycling load while charging.
I have 3 Solar variables I can set to best utilize what solar I have to best return the SG as high as possible each day.
Part of me thinks that if the 15.3 volts is acceptable to USbattery, then perhaps I should just set both acceptance and Float to 15.3 and this might stand the best chance of doing the task of maximizing SG each day as the fridge cycles on and off making the voltage rise and fall.
Part of me thinks that it is more likely that the solar can hold 14.4 through a compressor cycle and that the wildly swinging voltages caused by compressor cycling are not desirable.
Perhaps a float/finishing stage of 15.1 after 3 hours at 14.4, or nearly so is better. Perhaps bursts of 15.3 would be better when there is power to hold them in that range.
Then if one looks at the single stage charger recommendations it says 10 to 12% bulk rate until 15.3v is reached.
Not sure what the dV/dt(4mv/cell per hour) means.
I guess I could always experiment to see which settings return the SG the highest, but I wouldn't really know if these settings were detrimental, and checking SG is a PITA, and I do have a job and can't just drop everything and bust out the hydrometer. I've been relying more on voltage held for A/h removed as to how well the battery was charged that day. Today's 14.7Acc and 14.8finish are not holding as high a voltage as yesterday's 14.8acc and 15.1float, and both days the battery started out fully charged fresh from a 15.8 eq cycle.
So, what solar settings with my 200 watts of solar will best meet the 3 different listed charging recommendations for different charger types, do you all think?
I'll plug in when I have to and use the Schumacher until the day it releases its magic blue smoke, but not having to use it daily is highly desirable. I've kind of removed acquiring a converter from the equation at this point as well.
I'm thinking of setting the solar at 14.7v Acceptance/ Absorption, then a 15.1 or 15.3 solar float which might not even happen depending on the available sunlight and the amount removed the night before
Basically replacing the "float" with "Finish", or at least as close as I can get to the manufacturer recommended Voltages with the just solar.
Lets take the Schumacher and Alternator out of the equation for discussion.
Now this time of year my Solar cannot do a 10% charge rate of 13 amps. Around 8.5a at high noon is more likely. If I were to follow the 3 stage charger recommendation of 14.4v acceptance until only 3.9 amps (3%)were required to hold 14.4 and Finish of 15.3v for 2 to 4 hours, Which might not even be possible, would it make up for the lack of 10% bulk current initially?
Should I use instead the 14.7v acceptance recommendation of the 2 stage charger, and terminate earlier and do the every 30 day 15.3v eq cycle?
Solar is not ideal for meeting the manufacturer recommendations. It ramps up slowly, the battery will be under some load, and cycling load while charging.
I have 3 Solar variables I can set to best utilize what solar I have to best return the SG as high as possible each day.
Part of me thinks that if the 15.3 volts is acceptable to USbattery, then perhaps I should just set both acceptance and Float to 15.3 and this might stand the best chance of doing the task of maximizing SG each day as the fridge cycles on and off making the voltage rise and fall.
Part of me thinks that it is more likely that the solar can hold 14.4 through a compressor cycle and that the wildly swinging voltages caused by compressor cycling are not desirable.
Perhaps a float/finishing stage of 15.1 after 3 hours at 14.4, or nearly so is better. Perhaps bursts of 15.3 would be better when there is power to hold them in that range.
Then if one looks at the single stage charger recommendations it says 10 to 12% bulk rate until 15.3v is reached.
Not sure what the dV/dt(4mv/cell per hour) means.
I guess I could always experiment to see which settings return the SG the highest, but I wouldn't really know if these settings were detrimental, and checking SG is a PITA, and I do have a job and can't just drop everything and bust out the hydrometer. I've been relying more on voltage held for A/h removed as to how well the battery was charged that day. Today's 14.7Acc and 14.8finish are not holding as high a voltage as yesterday's 14.8acc and 15.1float, and both days the battery started out fully charged fresh from a 15.8 eq cycle.
So, what solar settings with my 200 watts of solar will best meet the 3 different listed charging recommendations for different charger types, do you all think?
