I took some time to watch my chargers while they charge my battery banks. The first is from Craftsman Diehard. It has a transformer that depending on the exact grid voltage has a steady voltage of about 14 V DC. The resistance of the battery gradually increases and the resistance causes the amps to gradually fall off. 10 amps down to under 2 amps all at the original voltage. Not much smarts there. The steady voltage from start to pulling the plug can harm any battery.
The other is a ProNauticP 40 amp. It starts with voltage that is enough above the battery voltage to deliver the full 40 amps to the battery. As the amps drop, the charger increases it's voltage to maintain the 40 amps. When the voltage reaches my set point, 14.6V, the voltage is kept constant. Now depending on the resistance of the battery, the amps start to taper down, while the voltage remains at my set point. When the amps being accepted by the battery drop to my set point, 2A at 14.6V, the battery lowers the voltage to maintain the battery SOC, <13.5V. I have seen it at zero amps for hours. The charger checks to see if the battery will accept a charge by going back to the beginning 14.6V and dropping back to maintain if a charge is not required. My charger also will supply the required amps for some of my smaller loads such as refrigerator, if charger is on 120AC. There is a self selected equalization cycle. That all sounds smart enough for me. I don't hesitate to leave my system on grid when I am away from "home".
I will report on my solar set as I gather information.
The other is a ProNauticP 40 amp. It starts with voltage that is enough above the battery voltage to deliver the full 40 amps to the battery. As the amps drop, the charger increases it's voltage to maintain the 40 amps. When the voltage reaches my set point, 14.6V, the voltage is kept constant. Now depending on the resistance of the battery, the amps start to taper down, while the voltage remains at my set point. When the amps being accepted by the battery drop to my set point, 2A at 14.6V, the battery lowers the voltage to maintain the battery SOC, <13.5V. I have seen it at zero amps for hours. The charger checks to see if the battery will accept a charge by going back to the beginning 14.6V and dropping back to maintain if a charge is not required. My charger also will supply the required amps for some of my smaller loads such as refrigerator, if charger is on 120AC. There is a self selected equalization cycle. That all sounds smart enough for me. I don't hesitate to leave my system on grid when I am away from "home".
I will report on my solar set as I gather information.
