highdesertranger
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thanks stern. I hope your dad is doing ok. highdesertranger
if it ain't broke don't fix it
- Thread starter anm
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Sternwake: I agree with what has been said (in the various websites) about impedance testers, I bought one which always tells me my battery is great, no matter what the state of the battery really is.
The impedance tester is what led me to search for a carbon pile load tester, which is just another tool, but a simple and straight forward one. It delivers a load to the battery and monitors amps and voltage while doing it. Almost all battery testers are for testing a battery that is going to be used in a motor vehicle and used for starting it, and for that they probably do ok. The carbon pile load tester has the advantage that it's adjustable. I don't have to use it the way they intend it to be used, I can adjust the load to say 20 amps and see how the battery responds, I can plot voltage over time. I can see what it's doing, but it is just another tool.
From what I have gleaned so far there is nothing, no one instrument, that can accurately tell you the condition of a battery, even though they all purport too. I think house batteries and the user (us) have something approaching a symbiotic relationship, which is improved greatly by us understanding and catering to our battery's needs. We do that by gathering as much information as possible, most of it from here, some from other websites, manufacturers (both battery and charger), but also a lot from experience and talking to those with experience...
The impedance tester is what led me to search for a carbon pile load tester, which is just another tool, but a simple and straight forward one. It delivers a load to the battery and monitors amps and voltage while doing it. Almost all battery testers are for testing a battery that is going to be used in a motor vehicle and used for starting it, and for that they probably do ok. The carbon pile load tester has the advantage that it's adjustable. I don't have to use it the way they intend it to be used, I can adjust the load to say 20 amps and see how the battery responds, I can plot voltage over time. I can see what it's doing, but it is just another tool.
From what I have gleaned so far there is nothing, no one instrument, that can accurately tell you the condition of a battery, even though they all purport too. I think house batteries and the user (us) have something approaching a symbiotic relationship, which is improved greatly by us understanding and catering to our battery's needs. We do that by gathering as much information as possible, most of it from here, some from other websites, manufacturers (both battery and charger), but also a lot from experience and talking to those with experience...
Canine
Well-known member
Getting back to the original post,I finally got the 12 volt side of my system fused today.Took about an hour to get it done.Well, besides the 8 years I've been putting it off.I had a 250 amp circuit breaker on it before,but it would trip at 200 amps or less.
After my initial frustration with my system failure I have decided to put a fuse back in the system between the charge controller and the battery. This is the fuse holder I am going to use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&tag=cheaprvliving-20&linkId=DTVFFKA4X62KDE7I It was originally recommended by Bob (thanks Bob), and to me it looks like the best designed of any of the large blade-fuse holders since the screws that attach the cables to it also clamp down on the blades of the fuse rather than just relying on spring pressure which can weaken over time and heating from high current loads.
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