lawrosa wrote:
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
It's tough to remain objective but try and get a feel if the batteries now seem to have more capacity when camping. You would be shocked to learn how many people are using "fully charged" batteries that have sixty to seventy percent of their original capacity.
TOP CHARGING
Get an inline AC power cord timer at the hardware store. When you return from camping, and the SMART charge system lies and shuts off, tickle the batteries with the 10-amp setting. You're at what, 3-1/2 amps now? See what the charger shows right after your converter flings a whopper reading at you. How many amps does the little charger say? This is a mini-BS detector. If the batteries need say an hour or so to bring them up, as the Beatles, sang, Let It Be. The object is to squeeze every nickel so tight the buffalo farts. It's not only cheapskate, it's incredibly GREEN. Well maintained good quality batteries last an incredibly long time -- with a minimum of bother.
This topping off, will reduce equalization by 90%. You may never need to equalize again.
LOL so what are you saying? I need layman's terms... No offense but sometimes your posts, although funny, seem written in code I do not understand... ha ha..
1. come home from camping. when converter shuts down to 13.6 and barely putting in 1 amp, SG may be low. so i'm being lied to...
2. Im at 3.5 amps yes more or less.
3. Not sure where the timer fits in...
4. When and what # will the converter throw so called whopper reading at me? Is the whopper reading the done charging scenario when actually I may need more?
Took charger off... SG still 1275... maybe slightly higher..
I hit CW button for last time now... Now I am going to let the converter do its thing over the winter.
I will not be doing anything till sunday. As im going to doctor now, and taking a drive tomorrow to see the tree in NYC... Spend the day there..
Be back sunday... Although I may have time later to read some posts...
Go camping. Come back, disconnect main ground from camper so all electric is isolated from recharging and set your solar panel voltage for 14.8V. Let charge in the sun until Specific Gravity reaches 1.275.
Check after 2 days. If your S.G. isn't 1.275, disconnect the solar panel and put your Sears recharger on it in 10 amp mode. Try 2 hours, and see if you drop down to 3.5 amps charging rate at end of 2 hours. Following day, read the specific gravity. Is it 1.275? Good! Store battery disconnected for 3 or 4 months. If it's not 1.275.... hit it again with good old Sear battery recharger for a couple more hours. Repeat until you see 1.275 SG and then store the battery.
My old Sears Manual battery recharger does 6 amps and will do up to 17.0V. Many the time it has cleaned up my very PIA Trojan T-1275 12V floor machine industrial battery with very stubborn 6% antimony plates, to the full 1.275 SG. This is a very stubborn to fully recharge battery, but done once every 7 to 10 days camping, it gets fully capacity back again.
Store a battery only when fully top charged. A good healthy battery should top charge with 14.8v if not sulfated.
Short of a manual charger... other methods include supervised recharging with a Power supply unit capable of 30 -40 amps and adjustable voltage input, something like the Mega Watt or MeanWell units, while dry camping on a gas powered generator like a EU2000i by Honda. Do a search here on MegaWatt or Meanwell PSU's for dry camping recharging.
