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
Back to the 29,30,31 battery
Same case, different lids for different terminals. Historically this battery has suffered from an imbalance of total plate/separator volume versus electrolyte. An imperfect ratio. Too little electrolyte or too many plates. Take your pick.
Bottom line. This series of battery has a noticeably higher percentage of warranty claims legitimate or not. It is a rather unforgiving battery.
Equalization is a precise formula designed to "Get The Job Done" with as little, time, effort and energy as feasible. Taking a badly sulfated battery to 15.0 volts may require 96 hours at that voltage and then remove 81% of hardened sulfation as compared to over 90% if a proper equalization is performed. Chemistry is complex enough as it is. Mix it with electricity and you get a real challenge when trying to figure it all out. I haven't but I keep trying...
Like it or not a person cannot "cheat" the process and win. The Battery Council International protocol for desulfation (equalization) was derived and proven in World War II Pacific Fleet submarines, primarily in the Gato class sub. Exide had a platoon of engineers living in Vallejo California commuting to Mare Island solely to autopsy sub batteries. Sub batteries were not changed in Freemantle Australia, nor Pearl Harbor because the Navy demanded each and every battery failure be analyzed, documented, and filed. Five carbon copies. BuShips officers practically lived at the battery manufacturing plants, Primarily Exide and Gould.
Apply five percent of the total amp hour rating in current (amperes) across the battery (example 5 amperes for a 100 amp hour battery measured at the standard 20 hour rate) and allow voltage to rise until such as as the FIRST occurs...16.0 is reached or electrolyte density in all cells reaches OEM density. There is a trick here. It takes a battery three ADDITIONAL hours after having charge shut off for the CHEMICAL reaction to finish taking place.
With a 1.280 battery I would equalize it until the specific gravity OF THE LOWEST CELL reaches 1.275 TEMPERATURE CORRECTED, Then shut the charger off. Wait three hours, then measure the specific gravity. FEW batteries that fail to reach 1.270 times water density in ANY CELL are going to survive another 20-50 50% amp hour cycles.
I have found through the school of hard knocks, that 4 - 7% constant current amperes WILL WORK for equalization. Allow more or allow less time according to the degree of deviance from the 5% protocol.
My twinned 1,650 ampere hour 2 volt cells, require 2.66 volts to equalize. I must use ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY AMPERES constant current to equalize cell by cell.
With 2-volt cells, equalization can be done cell per cell AS NEEDED. Sometimes I equalize a pair of twinned cells, to as many as six or seven. Whatever the hydrometer demands.
This month, on the 16th, the battery bank has a birthday. It will be eligible to walk into a bar and drink alcohol. Twenty-one years. By sheer coincidence today is the day Jesús is going to "do" three twinned cells. From practical experience learning I prepared a chart "X HOURS FOR X GRAVITY" A nineteen dollar wind up timer will be set which trips a relay cutting power to the power supply. He can walk up from the enramada (restaurant) any time after the timer shuts off. Dip the cell, and correct if necessary.
Sadly no one is exempt from reality - except those whom I keep in excess of arm's length.
Same case, different lids for different terminals. Historically this battery has suffered from an imbalance of total plate/separator volume versus electrolyte. An imperfect ratio. Too little electrolyte or too many plates. Take your pick.
Bottom line. This series of battery has a noticeably higher percentage of warranty claims legitimate or not. It is a rather unforgiving battery.
Equalization is a precise formula designed to "Get The Job Done" with as little, time, effort and energy as feasible. Taking a badly sulfated battery to 15.0 volts may require 96 hours at that voltage and then remove 81% of hardened sulfation as compared to over 90% if a proper equalization is performed. Chemistry is complex enough as it is. Mix it with electricity and you get a real challenge when trying to figure it all out. I haven't but I keep trying...
Like it or not a person cannot "cheat" the process and win. The Battery Council International protocol for desulfation (equalization) was derived and proven in World War II Pacific Fleet submarines, primarily in the Gato class sub. Exide had a platoon of engineers living in Vallejo California commuting to Mare Island solely to autopsy sub batteries. Sub batteries were not changed in Freemantle Australia, nor Pearl Harbor because the Navy demanded each and every battery failure be analyzed, documented, and filed. Five carbon copies. BuShips officers practically lived at the battery manufacturing plants, Primarily Exide and Gould.
Apply five percent of the total amp hour rating in current (amperes) across the battery (example 5 amperes for a 100 amp hour battery measured at the standard 20 hour rate) and allow voltage to rise until such as as the FIRST occurs...16.0 is reached or electrolyte density in all cells reaches OEM density. There is a trick here. It takes a battery three ADDITIONAL hours after having charge shut off for the CHEMICAL reaction to finish taking place.
With a 1.280 battery I would equalize it until the specific gravity OF THE LOWEST CELL reaches 1.275 TEMPERATURE CORRECTED, Then shut the charger off. Wait three hours, then measure the specific gravity. FEW batteries that fail to reach 1.270 times water density in ANY CELL are going to survive another 20-50 50% amp hour cycles.
I have found through the school of hard knocks, that 4 - 7% constant current amperes WILL WORK for equalization. Allow more or allow less time according to the degree of deviance from the 5% protocol.
My twinned 1,650 ampere hour 2 volt cells, require 2.66 volts to equalize. I must use ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY AMPERES constant current to equalize cell by cell.
With 2-volt cells, equalization can be done cell per cell AS NEEDED. Sometimes I equalize a pair of twinned cells, to as many as six or seven. Whatever the hydrometer demands.
This month, on the 16th, the battery bank has a birthday. It will be eligible to walk into a bar and drink alcohol. Twenty-one years. By sheer coincidence today is the day Jesús is going to "do" three twinned cells. From practical experience learning I prepared a chart "X HOURS FOR X GRAVITY" A nineteen dollar wind up timer will be set which trips a relay cutting power to the power supply. He can walk up from the enramada (restaurant) any time after the timer shuts off. Dip the cell, and correct if necessary.
Sadly no one is exempt from reality - except those whom I keep in excess of arm's length.
