Charger for my T-105 RE Batteries

[sassypickins]

I cringe a bit to post this because here's yet another request for help on a topic that's covered in other threads as recent as...yesterday... yet I don't understand no matter how many I read, so I beg the forgiveness and patience of the experts and thank you in advance.

My house batteries:

2 - 6V Trojan 105 RE's flooded cell, wired for 1 - 12V at 225 Amp hours

So far I have charged on solar, or borrowed an old trickle charger when I have shore power.  Since I don't have a good battery monitor and don't really know what I'm doing, I have tried to not use more than 20% of the Ah, only by knowing what my appliances draw. 

My current need:

A good shore power battery charger and a monitor.  Is the charger listed below too weak, too strong, or just right? From what I've read, I'll want a faster charge when I only have shore power for a few hours, and a slower charge when I have more time. Did I read that right and does this charger provide both?

Progressive Dynamics (PD9245CV) 45 Amp Power Converter with Charge Wizard
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Dynamics-PD9245CV-Converter-Charge/dp/B000GANZZ6#
I picked this over a similar Iota based on a recent thread comparing the two; however, that thread pertained to AGM's whereas mine are flooded cell, and I thought I better not assume this would be a good match for me.

Also, I could not discern from the product description if this charger has a manual charge setting... didn't I read that would be a good thing with these T-105RE's?

I thought this Bayite meter would give me all the needed readings. Yes?

I didn't see a power cord with the charger, so hmmm, how does that work and makes me wonder what else I'll need to get the charger and monitor up on the wall and hooked up.

Appreciate any help here.  Sassy

 

[MikeRuth]

I found the manual on line for this charger, would it keep you batteries charged yes, does it meet Trojan's requirements no.
We want to take the best care of the batteries we can and yet for you and many thers we would like that to be as trouble free and automated as possible.

Others will chime in and I'll do some more looking around. I'm so set with just solar charging right now that I don't even have an automated charger.

Mike R

 

[sassypickins]

Thank you Mike. I've read so much about it all I'm confuzzled, but I did buy a hydrometer and have the Trojan maintenance manual downloaded to use for charging. It's the charger I'm so unsure about at this point. Thanks again.

Sassy

ps sorry about the weird formatting of my message. I was just trying to post links.

 

[SternWake]

There are recent reports of PD converters sold on Amazon arriving in a plain box with no labels and  with no serial numbers, and PD disavowes any responsibility of these saying they are counterfeits.

 With a seller listed as 'unknown'  I would not trust it.


When you plug in to the grid to recharge, how long will you have. 6 hours?  12 hours?  more?

Trojan on their non RE line say absorption voltage should be 14.8v( at 77F). They list a wider range of acceptable  absorption voltages on their RE line but this could be their marketing department throwing a hissy fit imagining their competitor's RE batteries selling faster.

Because of this, PD now offers a PD9245-14.8 model with a 14.8 absorption voltage.

As far as I know this is the only place that retails these higher absorption voltage models:

http://www.bestconverter.com/PD-9245C-148-45-Amp-RV-ConverterCharger_p_610.html#.WEZLBNIrKQM

The PD with charge wizard is Automatic, but can be forced to seek and hold 3 voltages, press  button once and it will Shoot for 14.8v with a maximum of 45 amps output, and hold it for 4 hours.  Press and hold button for longer and it will seek and hold 13.6v.  Press and hold button even longer and it will seek and hold only 13.2v.

If time to recharge is limited to 6 hours or less, or one is running a generator, then the 45 amp 14.8v PD9245-14.8 would be a very good charger for t-105's.  The regular pd9245 has a  14.4v absorption voltage.  This is a bit slower to charge the battery, and when the batteries age, 14.4v might not be able to fully recharge the batteries no matter how long one holds the 14.4v via the remote wizard.

  But 14.4v on new batteries would just slow the recharging a bit, but I would go for the 14.8v model simply as Trojans says 14.8v. One can always force it to a lower voltage after only a hour at 14.8v, if one is plugging in to the grid for a week and does not need to reach a high state of charge As soon as possible.  

 

The Iota dls-45 will seek 14.8v at 45 amps, and hold it for 15 minutes, then drop to 14.2v. I am not sure how long it holds this lower absorption voltage.  It is a bit more gentile on the battery, but charges slower, and perhaps not fully


About the bayite battery monitor/ power meter, I have not tested one and do not know how accurate they are.  I have used another ammeter with the same shunt( precision resistor) and it was poor at reading low currents.  A 0.71 amp load would register as 0.00a.  But at 2.5 amps it was  somewhat accurate. Mine could be calibrated, but if calibrated for 5 amps, would be off at 20 amps.
  I do not know how useful it would be if it is as inaccurate, and I bet some of these sold will be OK and some others likely off by a good amount.

So I hesitate to recommend it for a newbie to wire up and to trust, without having set one up myself and measured it against other tools.

But a Battery monitor is not a requirement.  One can simply choose to shut off loads at a certain voltage, Like 12.2v, and remain confident they are above 50% state of charge.  But if one is running a 10 amp load at 12.2v then shuts off all the loads, the voltage might then rebound to 12.42v indicating an estimated 63.% state of charge and one could have kept draining the battery for a it longer.  I am not actually looking at trojan's state of charge/voltage graph, but I do know they list a SG reading as it equates to state of charge, so one could actually dip a few cells and see pretty much exactly how discharged it is and take note of the voltage and the Amps flowing from battery at that time for future reference.

  If one is only running small loads and one reaches 12.2v, then that would likely be much closer to an actual 50%.

VOltage under load is not a great indicator of state of charge, but as long as one recharges before 12.1v, their batteries will Be okay. 

The only real battery monitors I would recommend are in the 200$ range. i am not saying the 20$ bayite meter cannot be good enough, only that I have not tested that product myself and do not really have much faith in a 20$ battery monitor. 

This is also something which can be added later, if/when the simple voltmeter no longer gives enough confidence, or one becomes more curious.

The following meter does not require a shunt, just slide the round sensor over a single battery cable and it will read amperage into or out of battery.  It also is a voltmeter. Very easy to wire.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DDQM6Z4/ref=s9_dcacsd_bhz_bw_c_x_3_w

It does not count and subtract AH or KWH like the other meter, but will show battery voltage and how many amps are flowing into or out of battery with fairly good accuracy.

Regarding the solar, if the solar controller has adjustable setpoints, then you should set absorption voltage to 14.8v, and if you can program its duration, well that time is variable depending on several factors, but with the hydrometer, you can set it for longer if it is not getting the cells to 1.275 or higher.

Generally the slower the solar panels gets the batteries to 14.8v, the less time it needs to be held there, where higher amp charging sources will get it to absorption voltage quicker, at a lower state of charge, and then Absorption voltage needs to be held longer

DO NOT believe that just because a solar charge controller reverts to float voltage, that the batteries are indeed full.  This belief has prematurely sulfated many many thousands of batteries and is doing so right now to many thousands.  It takes a long time to reach a true full charge, and the hydrometer will prove this time and again, and the person with a Hydrometer and uses it, and can adjust absorption voltage and its duration, will get many more deep cycles from their batteries.

It would not matter if Lead Acid batteries did not require occassional 100% recharges to keep sulfation at bay, but they do, and when deeply cycled every day, the proper duration to hold absorption voltage will greatly extend battery life compared to the person who believes the flashing green light indicating float voltage, on their charge controller.

it is really a shame when the sunlight is there to achieve a true full charge, but the solar controller prematurely reverted to a lower float voltage for the rest of the afternoon.


Converters do Not come with cables to go to the battery. One will need to run 4 awg cables to battery terminals. Wire size is important here, as voltage drop will also slow battery charging and could induce premature sulfation. So I recommend short and thick wires from converter output to battery terminals.

http://www.genuinedealz.com/custom-cables

I'd recommend against Auto parts store cables. They tend to use Steel ring terminals, which will rust and corrode quickly in the presence of battery fumes, and get highly resistive. SAE 4 gauge is also 6 to 12% thinner than 4AWG.

 

[sassypickins]

Sternwake, thank you. That was the model I wanted, the 14.8, and I knew you had mentioned it but I couldn't find it. Though your link went to a '404 error,' I did find the PD9245C 14.8 model on Best Converter's website, and the warnings from the company about authenticity, so I'll order through them.

I also found a PD9200 series pdf manual...but here I am shaking my head again, wondering if I am overlooking the obvious... where's the darn power supply instructions? Do I just get a construction grade extension cord and plug it in to this somewhere? Boy, that would be nice if it was so easy. I need to keep reminding myself I used to be sorta smart.

I also saw your link on another thread to the round sensor meter. If that's sufficient, done deal.

I followed the Trojan recommendations in setting my Midnite Kid Controller so it is likely at 14.8 absorption. I don't remember about a duration setting; I'll revisit that.

Back when I bought 4 AWG cabling, I got 'welding' cable and copper ring terminals. Sound right?

Thank you kind sir!

Sassy

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I also found a PD9200 series pdf manual...but here I am shaking my head again, wondering if I am overlooking the obvious... where's the darn power supply instructions? Do I just get a construction grade extension cord and plug it in to this somewhere?

Converters are kind of like battery chargers, and sort of not like battery chargers.  They not only keep your battery charged, they also serve as a power supply to run your 12 volt lights, water pump, and everything else that needs 12 volts when you are plugged in to the grid.  As such, they are usually permanently mounted, and wired to the ac fuse box in the rv as just another circuit. You plug in to shore power, and they come on automatically.  You COULD cut the female end off a heavy extension cord and hook the wires up to the input, and that would give you a plug you could plug in.

 

[sassypickins]

Aha!

 

[SternWake]

Sorry the link did not work, but glad you found the 14.8v model.
The Pd9245 comes with a standard 3 prong 15 amp household outlet cord to plug into any AC outlet. You can just use a good extension cord to plug into. I recommend 12AWG cord if over 25 feet long.

4 awg and copper ring terminals sound good, unless the copper terminals are Pico branded. These are very thin, but likely still OK for just 45 amps, if crimped well.

You will need an Allen wrench to tighten DC output terminals on Stranded 4awg wire. Retighten after first couple uses.

Directions are pretty straight forward, I believe it is a two or 3 page 8x11 instruction sheet which comes in the colorful box with it.

Make sure your mounting location is well ventilated, and perhaps not too close to your bed. The fan speed is controlled by output and temperature and it seems to make the fan whine at certain speeds which I found annoying in a really quiet environment. The 14.4v model I had was for a portable powerpack project for a friend, and at last report is still functioning well.

The round hall effect sensor ammeter/voltmeter combo is a wonderful tool, but it is not a battery monitor which will say your battery is 84% charged. you will have to see the voltage during discharge and make an estimation.

Say 12.6 volts under a 5 amps load, and you are still good to keep discharging, perhaps still above 85% charged
See 12.2 volts under a 1 amp load, you are very close to 50%, and time to conserve battery , or time to charge.

The ammeter can also tell you how the charging source is doing:
With no house loads on battery....
14.8 volts and taking 38 amps, battery is still below 80% charged.
14.8 volts and taking only 2.3 amps, and 225Ah of trojan t-105 battery is close to 100% charged.

If at 13.6v, press button to force PD back into 14.8v 'boost' mode, see how many amps are required. If it does not settle to under 2.5 ish amps withing 30 seconds, the battery is not fully charged. If it does fall to 2.5 or less withing a minute, the battery(2 t-105s) are fully charged and you can force it out of boost, to 13.6 or 13.2 by holding wizard button until light blinks rapidly or once a second or is solid. Very easy to force the voltage stages, especially when watching a voltmeter, and ammeter. Don;t stress it, it will be very obvious when hooked up and the button is in your hands.

I wish I could test the Shunted Bayite battery monitor/KWH meter for accuracy and function. I'd like to be able to recommend it or not, and answer questions on just how to wire it, but cannot at this time do so. I've read a few reports from others who have tried them, and they were not glowing reviews, more of a qualified 'Meh'.

My Bayite hall effect ammeter/voltmeter combo's voltmeter is inaccurate, but the amps are very close to my other meters. Others report the voltage display to be accurate. One can set the display to read amps or volts or toggle back and forth between the two. There is a little button on backside of the display for controlling this. I have mine set to display only amps, but if one wants to toggle it manually, then access to the backside of the display is required to press the button.

While it is a combo voltmeter ammeter, I;d recommend a voltmeter with 2 decimal places which can be calibrated.

Unfortunately I have not found one with 2 decimal places that can be calibrated. The one I bought without the calibration option proved inaccurate and useless.

I use 2 of these on my dashboard. These have 3 wires with the third wire being a voltage sense wire which I hooked right to battery terminal. Without this voltage sense wire it would read voltage where I took power ( the dashboard fuse block), and this is not representative of voltage at the battery terminals. These can be calibrated.

https://www.amazon.com/bayite-wires...8&qid=1481014409&sr=1-5&keywords=DC+voltmeter

 

[Sabatical]

Sternwake, thank you. That was the model I wanted, the 14.8, and I knew you had mentioned it but I couldn't find it. Though your link went to a '404 error,' I did find the PD9245C 14.8 model on Best Converter's website, and the warnings from the company about authenticity, so I'll order through them.

I also found a PD9200 series pdf manual...but here I am shaking my head again, wondering if I am overlooking the obvious... where's the darn power supply instructions? Do I just get a construction grade extension cord and plug it in to this somewhere? Boy, that would be nice if it was so easy. I need to keep reminding myself I used to be sorta smart.

I also saw your link on another thread to the round sensor meter. If that's sufficient, done deal.

I followed the Trojan recommendations in setting my Midnite Kid Controller so it is likely at 14.8 absorption. I don't remember about a duration setting; I'll revisit that.

Back when I bought 4 AWG cabling, I got 'welding' cable and copper ring terminals. Sound right?

Thank you kind sir!

Sassy

Sassy if you have the Kid you have the option of the Whiz Bang Jr for a battery monitor. Have you looked into that?

Another benefit to using the "wbjr" is that you can set end amps for the absorption cycle. What I mean is you can tell it when to stop absorb voltage.

Another charging option is a switching power supply plugged into the Kid. I found them on ebay for $30. I talked with tech support and this method can be used although the user assumes the risk. Anyway, it's an inexpensive option that uses the brains of the charge controller that you already have so i thought i'd pass it along.

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

 

[SternWake]

Before I got my Meanwell rsp-500-15, I got one of those inexpensive 30$ adjustable voltage LED power supplies.


It had no overvoltage, over current or overtemperature protections built in.

To keep it from self destructing, i had to adjust the voltage often to just under the limit at which the power supply started buzzing.

I would NOT use one of these cheaper power supplies to feed a quality charge controller, even if they now claim to be protected against overcurrent, overvoltage and overtemperature.

The Unit I used, after my review on Amazon listing its limitations, simply updated their product info saying that it was protected against overvoltage current and temperature, and all the other cheapo clones did the same to their product descriptions

I got sick of having to adjust its voltage every few minutes, and cranked it upto 14.9v and hooked it to a depleted battery. This 30 amp power supply put out 38+ amps until it released the magic blue smoke 17 minutes later, then ordered the MeanWell

Hold off on the power supply feeding a solar charge controller for now, is my recommendation, Someone needs to make sure this is viable and what the limits are, before recommending others do it. BradKW has a thread on this topic.

If one wants to use one of these cheapo adjustable voltage power supplies as a stand alone charger, they will likely have to babysit the darn thing, starting with a lower voltage and slowly bumping it upwards as battery charges, unless the battery is charged enough that it cannot ask for more than the power supply's rating.

I've been using the Meanwell rsp-500-15 for over 2 years now.  My seething contempt for automatic battery charging has only grown since then.  Twisting a voltage dial after a period of time , from 14.7v to 13.6v, is hardly a task I dread.  It is much easier than having to trick an automatic charging source into holding absorption voltage for longer, and even easier than pressing the PD wizard's button for 1 of the 3 offered voltages it allows the user to select, if desired. 

The manual option is certainly not for everyone, and my Meanwell is modified with a better voltage adjustment dial and increased ventilation and heatsinking.

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-My-newest-electrical-toy.

Could I feed my meanwell into my solar charge controller? No the meanwell will output 40 amps, my charge controller is rated for 25.  Would I get a 20 amp version just for this purpose? No, not for my uses.

Would i use a programmable charger? of course, but I am not spending 500$ for one which allows one to set absorption voltage and duration, as that is still a compromise as the time at which one ideally needs to hold absorption voltage is a moving target.  The amperage threshold at absorption voltage, at which to initiate float voltage is a better method, rather than time.

When flooded batteries can only accept 2% of their rated capacity ( 2 amps per 100Ah of capacity) then the battery is likely very near 100% charged, but one can double check them with a hydrometer and adjust accordingly for their uses.

With AGM, 0.5% of capacity at absorption voltage, or 0.5 amps per 100Ah of capacity.

If charging sources could determine how much amperage is flowing only  into battery, vs how much is powering DC loads, and could be programmed to switch to float only once these amperage thresholds at absorption voltage( compensated for battery temperature) are reached, then i would consider them, if they cost 150$ for 40 amps. 

 Until then I will twist a dial to seek and hold the charging voltage for as long as I deem proper at that time.

 

[Larry48]

Seems they also have

 

[Raven+Squid]

Hey Sternwake, thanks for the info and the time spent typing it all out.

 

[sassypickins]

Sabatical, I was wondering if there was a way to 'use the Kid's brains' -- so thanks!

I called Midnite Solar and talked with Roy, who gave me a lesson on how the Whiz Bang Jr can be used with the Kid Controller to monitor other power charging sources through a shunt and though I can't say I 100% understand it all, it sounds like it may work out for me so that I won't have to buy a separate battery charger monitor.

Sternwake, I asked if the PD charger being 45 amps and the Kid 30 amps is a problem. He said there's no backfeed to the Kid from the other power sources (shore power battery or vehicle). The Kid would 'rest' but the readouts will perform according to however the battery charger is programmed. I can see amps and volts in and loads out and SOC and Ah remaining and places to set charge stage voltages and more on the Kid - only to one decimal, unfortunately - but until I get to the point where I'm actually charging using the PD charger, right at this moment I can't envision what I will have to watch for. The Midnite Kid Solar Controller pdf is very informative.

What do y'all think?

I also called Best Converter RV Supplies and was told a power cord comes with the charger. Yay since I was going to make a pigtail; now I won't have to.

Sassy

~~ Sassy wonders if she can install her brain somewhere in this system and charge her memory bank ~~~

 

[sassypickins]

Larry, thanks for the info about the 60 amp charger -- I had already ordered the 45 when I saw it. I hope it will be sufficient for my 225Ah batteries.

I am going to try the Whiz Bang Jr with my Kid Controller for monitoring my battery charger. Does anyone else do this?

Sternwake, I didn't understand what you wrote about your Meanwell but I thank you for always being so willing to share your knowledge. You can only hope the receiver gets it, right? Does what I'm doing sound ok so far?

Sassy

Sassy

 

[Sabatical]

Larry, thanks for the info about the 60 amp charger -- I had already ordered the 45 when I saw it. I hope it will be sufficient for my 225Ah batteries.

I am going to try the Whiz Bang Jr with my Kid Controller for monitoring my battery charger. Does anyone else do this?

Sternwake, I didn't understand what you wrote about your Meanwell but I thank you for always being so willing to share your knowledge. You can only hope the receiver gets it, right? Does what I'm doing sound ok so far?

Sassy

Sassy

I use this method with two different systems, the one we travel with and our off grid tiny house. It works well and is all we have needed.

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

 

[SternWake]

Sternwake, I asked if the PD charger being 45 amps and the Kid 30 amps is a problem.  He said there's no backfeed to the Kid from the other power sources (shore power battery or vehicle).  

 The is no issue running 2 or even 3 charging sources at the same time.  They can all work together until battery voltage approaches the setpoint of the charger with the lowest absorption voltage. Then that charger will output nothing while the other chargers carry on further raising voltage to their maximums. 

It was mentioned to feed a solar controller with a  cheap 30 amps 30$ AC to DC LED power supply( instead of solar panels) and get a kind of homemade Grid powered charger with adjustable user setpoints. I was recommending a newbie not try this, that the 'possible' dangers of doing so with an unprotected DC power supply, simply caused me to go off on a tangent and confuse you further.

The PD converter is a power supply, and A 3 stage automatic charger.  It does not separate those 2 functions, and no separate wiring needs to go from PD9245-14.8 to battery and/or from PD9245-14.8 to DC fuse panel.

The PD9245-14.8  will take care of your AC/grid charging needs and will properly recharge trojan T-105 or other golf cart batteries. 

The minimum amperage charger I would recommend for a pair of GC-2 or t-105 batteries, is 25 amps, and if on generator, 45 amps.  A 45 amp charger seeking 14.8v is Good.  One that can be forced to seek 14.8v at 45 amps output manually is even better.

I am Not familiar with the Midnite kid battery monitor, but someone mentioned it allows user adjustable Absrption voltage and duration, and this alone will pay for itself in extended battery life.
 
 These Battery monitors require that a Shunt be installed in the Negative cables between battery and all loads or charging sources.  On one side of shunt, a  single fat cable (4awg or thicker) goes to house battery(-). No other cable or wire can go directly to house battery(-), except for the possible temperature sensor for the solar charge controller.

 The other side of the shunt has all loads(-), and all charging sources(-) attached to it.  House battery has to be grounded through shunt, It cannot go directly to the frame, or it will not read alternator amperage correctly and the % remaining figures will never read correctly.

The Shunt will have 2 smaller waires, one leading from the battery side of the shunt, and one from the loads/ charging sources side of shunt.  this is supposed to be twisted pair wire( to minimize RFI) and runs to battery monitor.  the battery monitor reads the millivoltage drop across the shunt, does a little math, and figures out how much current is flowing into or out of battery, and counts it over time.

Please read these:
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/battery_monitor

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/programming_a_battery_monitor

There will be some differences in exactly how your battery monitor and the Victron battery monitor used in the links above works and is to be wired.  I am not sure what those differences are but it is very useful none the less.

 

[sassypickins]

I received my PD 9245C 45-amp 12v charger/controller today.  It has a sticker on it saying, "Modified 14.8 Boost."

The examples (below) in the accompanying paperwork assume a 105 Ah fully-depleted battery (10.5v - yikes!) and demonstrate the time Boost, Normal, Storage should take to charge under normal operating temperature for a 105Ah battery.

In Boost (14.4v), about 8 hrs to 90% and 11 hrs to 100%
In Normal (13.6v), about 40 hrs to 90% and 78 hrs to 100%
In Storage (13.2v) about 60 hrs to 90% and 100 hrs to 100%

It says this charger has a microprocessor that will sense voltage on the battery and automatically select either Boost, Normal or Storage to provide the correct charge level.


The charger came with a 'remote pendant' which plugs into the charger like a phone cord.  It has a green light indicating charge mode by certain blinking patterns, and it has a bypass button I can press to override and manually direct the charger to any mode including the 14.8 equalizer mode.  

This is all new to me, so I am glad to see I can plug in this charger to maintain battery health when my van is in storage.  It will maintain at 13.2v and kick to 14.4v for 15-minutes every 21 hours to help reduce plate sulfation.

Probably old hat to a lot of you, but maybe other noobs like me can get some use out of this info.

I also received the Midnite Solar Whiz Bang Jr and shunt today. 

I'll get to figuring out how to install all this.  But first I'll watch the ice finish melting and read Sternwake's links.

BIG thanks to everyone.

Sassy

 

[SternWake]

Glad it arrived!

It has a sticker on it saying, "Modified 14.8 Boost."

Can I get a Yeeehawwwwwww?

PDs marketing literature grinds my gears a bit, as that boost to 14.4 or 14.8v every 21 hours is a Destratification stage. It will cause bubbling on flooded/wet batteries, and mix up the electrolyte so the denser heavier Acid which sunk to the bottom of the cells, does not chew the bottom of the plates faster. This is not required on AGM batteries, though it should not really damage them either, unless it is very hot ambient temperatures and the batteries are never cycled and the converter always plugged in. 13.2v is also lower than most AGM float recommendations which are generally 13.6v, Lifeline being the exception at 13.2 to 13.4 recommended.

Any time a battery is charged, it is being desulfated, but this word rings bells in the marketers minds and confuses the general public, which generally leads to more profit. Ca----ching!

An 'Equalization' is a forced overcharge bringing the battery to as high as 16.2 volts. EQ charges should technically be monitored by a human with a Hydrometer and a thermometer and ended as soon as specific gravity maxes out, or quits rising, or battery temperature starts rapidly rising or is above 110F, with 120F the absolute cut off point.

Your PD will never go above 14.8v volts, and as such can never do a true 'equalization' but again the marketers latched onto this word and had a micro orgasm dreaming of their bonuses should sales increase as much as they wish to believe.

The PD is IMO, the best RV converter available, as it allows a savvy user to override the automatic voltages, and since they have made the 14.8v version, allow those with Trojan batteries to meet those absorption voltage specs, or those generator charging, not to waste fuel charging at lower slower voltages.

 

[sassypickins]

Sternwake --

Does your 'Yeehawww' mean good or bad? (I know, sorry...)

If I can't equalize using this charger and my hydrometer, should I take the batteries to a shop or something for that? Geez, I thought I was on the right track and now I dunno again.

Sassy

 

[SternWake]

Yeeehaw, is good.


Equalization charges are rarely performed by those cycling batteries, and the less often they are required, the better, as they are abusive.

  They tend to only be necessary on batteries which are deeply cycled often, and  not recharged often enough to 100% full.  An EQ charge on such batteries kind of resets the capacity to the absolute maximum of remaining potential capacity, not the 'when new' capacity. Though 'potential' and 'when new' can be quite close with a quality battery with not too many deep cycles on it


16.2 volts is outside the realm of most every off the shelf/ in the cart charger.  Which is likely why the marketers latched onto the soothing  'equalization' term, and bastardized it.

Only a hydrometer can really determine if a EQ session is needed.

It would be a good idea to perform an EQ when a hydrometer reveals cell density varies more than 0.015 between cells, or that a normal 4 hours at 14.8v could not get the cells up to 1.277. but without the ability to get the batteries to 16.2v, try the boost button for 14.8v for another hour or 2, or 4 and see if it climbs upwards again.

Do note that Specific Gravity readings need to be compensated for temperature, and electrolyte temps rise during charging.  The SG reading might read the same on the float as 45 minutes earlier, but if the temp is 5 degrees hotter, then the Sg IS still rising, and cells in the middle of the battery get warmer than the cells on the outside.

This hydrometer comes with a thermometer so adding or subtracting from the float reading is easy.
https://www.amazon.com/OTC-4619-Professional-Battery-Hydrometer/dp/B0050SFVHO

I recommend people not trust the EX red or similar plastic hydrometers.

Only AGM manufacturer to  list a 'reconditioning' procedure is Lifeline/Concorde, which is similar to an Equalization of flooded batteries but they say to hold 15.5v for 8 hours after a normal 'full' recharge, to restore lost capacity.




Those with solar controller with adjustable setpoints can perform EQ's if they have their batteries 'full' by 11Am or so on a sunny day.  Those with 12v nominal solar panels can bypass the controller and hook solar panel to already 'full' battery to achieve 16.2v.

It will require about 5 amps per 100Ah of capacity to bring a 'fully' charged battery from 14.8v to 16v.



Remove loads from batteries.  16.2v will damage some electronics.

When performing an EQ, monitor battery temperature. 120F is absolute cut off temp, but it can shoot from 110 to 120 very quicky. An Ammeter would reveal than instead of amps tapering, they are increasing indicating thermal runaway has begun. Terminate EQ charging when SG no longer rises, amps start increasing, or cell temperatures cross the 110F threshold. The batteries will be bubbling vigorously. Avoid the fumes and make sure there is plenty of ventilation.

EQ charge sessions are really for those seeking absolute maximum life from their flooded batteries.  But if one has to spend big bucks on a charging source capable of 16 volts, well return on investment comes into the picture.  If the 16v charging source is 100$, well that is 2/3 the price of another T-105.