Xantrex Truecharge2 Reliability?
Hello all, New member here with a 2015 Rockwood 2306 that we picked up June of 2018. We're upgrading from the terrible group 24 battery to a set of two Trojan T-105 batteries. I'm looking for a sui...
Forum Discussion
New( or Uncycled slightly aged) Flooded batteries behave a bit weird in the specific gravity department in my experience. I've had SG refuse to climb on new uncycled GC batteries. I had to drain and recharge them before it rose to acceptable level, and now 3 years later and much abuse later the owner reports no issues and my hydrometer revealed only ~1 hour of 16.2v after a few hours of 14.7v was required to max them out right where I first established them after that initial deep cycle.
It was not just a matter of stratification either, that first weirdness dipping them as i was moving them around, tipping them and also charging them upto 16.2v. The SG refused to get much above 1.260 until I deep cycled them then recharged them fully, then 1.275 on all.
Likewise I could not achieve a full charge rested voltage on my Spanking new NOrthstar AGM until I took ~50% from it and then charged it at 25 amps until full, Then it was 13.06v full charge and stunned
and scared me with the quickness at which it would crank my engine.
I'd say 14.7v them until amperage stops tapering, then drain them to 60% or less, then 14.7v them for as long as it takes until SG no longer rises. If it is still too low then 16.2v. if it still does not respond suspect your hydrometer is reading low.
KNowing maximum specific gravity when new and fully charged is wise, but also record the ambient and battery temperature, and note the interior cell gets warmer than the two outer when charging and the thermometer on hydrometer should register this if you allow enough time for electrolyte heat to move the thermometer level.
I've also seen few new batteries have the same exact level on each cell, so the low cells when topped up later on, will appear to read weaker than teh cell which seemed to be filled highest at the factory. Noting the low cells from the factory can remove a bit of the 'WTF?' readings later, on after watering is required.
As BFL states, as long as it is precise/repeatable and compared to itself in future tests, it can be inaccurate. Its just that initial maxing of specific gravity required to figure out what it the maximum is, and that might or might not require 16.2v, but I would say that it does require at least one discharge cycle on new flooded batteries.
I think Mex once recommended an initial conditioning charge of 14.0v for X amount of hours on flooded GC batteries to 'cure the plates' or some such.
It was not just a matter of stratification either, that first weirdness dipping them as i was moving them around, tipping them and also charging them upto 16.2v. The SG refused to get much above 1.260 until I deep cycled them then recharged them fully, then 1.275 on all.
Likewise I could not achieve a full charge rested voltage on my Spanking new NOrthstar AGM until I took ~50% from it and then charged it at 25 amps until full, Then it was 13.06v full charge and stunned
and scared me with the quickness at which it would crank my engine.
I'd say 14.7v them until amperage stops tapering, then drain them to 60% or less, then 14.7v them for as long as it takes until SG no longer rises. If it is still too low then 16.2v. if it still does not respond suspect your hydrometer is reading low.
KNowing maximum specific gravity when new and fully charged is wise, but also record the ambient and battery temperature, and note the interior cell gets warmer than the two outer when charging and the thermometer on hydrometer should register this if you allow enough time for electrolyte heat to move the thermometer level.
I've also seen few new batteries have the same exact level on each cell, so the low cells when topped up later on, will appear to read weaker than teh cell which seemed to be filled highest at the factory. Noting the low cells from the factory can remove a bit of the 'WTF?' readings later, on after watering is required.
As BFL states, as long as it is precise/repeatable and compared to itself in future tests, it can be inaccurate. Its just that initial maxing of specific gravity required to figure out what it the maximum is, and that might or might not require 16.2v, but I would say that it does require at least one discharge cycle on new flooded batteries.
I think Mex once recommended an initial conditioning charge of 14.0v for X amount of hours on flooded GC batteries to 'cure the plates' or some such.
