Maximum amps for testing AGM capacity?
After a winter of being very sick, and a spring of catching up on farm chores, I am finally back to being able to work on the van at least once in a blue moon. Next step, testing the 100aH Fiamm telec...
Forum Discussion
Naio wrote:
I think what I need to know is, how many usable hours can I get out of each battery, and I think going down to 12 volts will tell me that. Am I wrong?
Only in that you are trying to find out what the MAXIMUM drain is that you can apply to do the test.
That is not a practical way to gauge the USABLE number of hours that you can expect in actual use.
If you can't reasonably estimate the draw in actual use, then the "standardized" test rate would be better than slapping a huge load on them.
AND.....if they are all 12 V batteries, you really have no choice in how to interconnect them, in "normal" use. They have to be in parallel.....unless you can somehow split the loads or have a transfer switch.
Sometimes the battery nerds do more harm than good. :)
I say one more time: Connect as many of them together as you can and do a "live" test with a simulated camping weekend.
Understand, however, that your charging system (converter/charger) probably is NOT capable of recharging a bank of 4 batteries in a reaonable amount of time. It likely wasn't designed to do that.
