I Think I Just Bought Way Too Much Battery
Hi guys, I'm hoping I'm wrong and someone will point something out to me that I haven't considered. I just purchased 2 L-16 batteries from some off-brand (that is supposedly US Battery underneath it ...
Forum Discussion
Charge voltage is important to keep batteries healthy, as they need to be brought to what the manufacturer says is the best voltage to dissolve sulfate and get to a full charge. But--voltage will not tell you if the battery is full, and neither will time or most of the algorithms. The only way to reliably tell if you are completely full is to look at the amps going to the battery (not out of the charger). Second best would be to look at amp hours returned compared to used and adjust with charge efficiency.
Most chargers will chronically undercharge a very big battery bank, as the absorption timers are set to be safe for smaller banks. Even the ones that claim to indirectly measure the state of charge, bank size, etc and adjust the timers usually will be on the undercharge side to be safer. The figure slower death by undercharging is better than quicker death by overcharging. If you know the amps the battery is receiving, you know if you are charged, or not.
Most chargers will chronically undercharge a very big battery bank, as the absorption timers are set to be safe for smaller banks. Even the ones that claim to indirectly measure the state of charge, bank size, etc and adjust the timers usually will be on the undercharge side to be safer. The figure slower death by undercharging is better than quicker death by overcharging. If you know the amps the battery is receiving, you know if you are charged, or not.
