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fvalarm(at)rapidnet.net
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 Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm Post subject: Battery charge voltage |
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Bob,
My RV7A is not flying yet but after much reading here over the years I
decided I was confident to make my own battery solution for my Yamaha
personal watercraft. Since I only use the boat for one week of the year, it
doesn't make sense for me to keep a "manufacturer's recommended battery" in
it all year due to the cost. It seemed to need a new one every couple years
even though I kept it on a maintainer during the other 51 weeks.
Background:
Original OEM battery was 12V Champion 16CL-B flooded lead/acid motorcycle
battery
Engine is 155HP 2-cycle Yamaha
Battery was always left in the boat and on a batt maintainer during off
season,
This year I bought a no-name RGB 17AH battery and it cranked/started the
engine just fine.
I made a voltage measurement with the engine running a various RPM and found
that the charging voltage (with battery connected) ranged from 13.0 to 13.4
volts.
Am I correct to conclude that with this arrangement, while good enough to
start the engine, it will never get fully charged up? I would expect to see
14+ volts to charge the OEM flooded battery. Could this be why that OEM
battery never seemed to last more than a couple years even though it was on
a charger 95% of the time?
What, if any, difference is there between the recommended charge voltage for
these two batteries?
This is relevant to my future RV because it too will likely be put away for
long periods during the off season. I don't know yet whether I will use a
flooded or RGB battery.
Bevan
RV7A wiring
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skywagon
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 184
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| Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:08 pm Post subject: Battery charge voltage |
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Bevan,
My own personal findings are that a "maintainer" set to about 13.1 to 13.2
is about right to handle new and old flooded batteries. If you push it
higher, the older batt's with a little bit of sulphation and other cranky
aging, may gas too much when taking in more than 13.2. A new batt. with no
internal deteration handles tad bit more voltage without gassing.
In the normal use airplane world, we use our birds too little. This is hard
on lead/acid batts. Usual life is about 2-3 years. I have have had as much
as 7 years life when keeping on a tuned up maintainer. Even after 7 years I
replace the batt. just to keep the worry factor at bay.
What I mean by a "tuned up" unit. I have found that more than 50% of the
maintainers are not set correctly during manuf. To many are set to higher
voltage. Most of them have 1 or 2 pots inside the case that can be tuned to
the best float voltage. Many are a pain to take apart in their potted
cases.
Be sure to check the float voltage on any maintainer about 24 hrs. after
connection to the batt. with an accurate digital DVM or similar. Again, my
personal high setting is 13.2 v.
David
---
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:55 am Post subject: Battery charge voltage |
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My RV7A is not flying yet but after much reading here over the years I
decided I was confident to make my own battery solution for my Yamaha
personal watercraft. Since I only use the boat for one week of the year, it
doesn't make sense for me to keep a "manufacturer's recommended battery" in
it all year due to the cost. It seemed to need a new one every couple years
even though I kept it on a maintainer during the other 51 weeks.
Background:
Original OEM battery was 12V Champion 16CL-B flooded lead/acid motorcycle
battery
This is probably the worst battery you can
choose for operational "fragility" . . .
Engine is 155HP 2-cycle Yamaha
Battery was always left in the boat and on a batt maintainer during off
season,
What brand/model of maintainer?
This year I bought a no-name RGB 17AH battery and it cranked/started the
engine just fine.
I made a voltage measurement with the engine running a various RPM and found
that the charging voltage (with battery connected) ranged from 13.0 to 13.4
volts.
Pretty low. I'm pretty sure this engine would
have a pm alternator. Does the rectifier/regulator
have and adjustment screw on it?
Am I correct to conclude that with this arrangement, while good enough to
start the engine, it will never get fully charged up? I would expect to see
14+ volts to charge the OEM flooded battery.
. . . or ANY lead-acid technology . . .
Could this be why that OEM
battery never seemed to last more than a couple years even though it was on
a charger 95% of the time.
Flooded batteries suck for air while on storage.
. . . but it could be a combination of flooded
technology and/or the operating features of
the maintainer. Not all maintainers are cut from
the same engineering expertise. If you plug the
maintainer in while the vehicle is parked, it SHOULD
get fully charged between uses . . . so the low
bus voltage shouldn't be a service life factor.
What, if any, difference is there between the recommended charge voltage for
these two batteries?
None . . .
This is relevant to my future RV because it too will likely be put away for
long periods during the off season. I don't know yet whether I will use a
flooded or RGB battery.
. . . why recombinant gas of course. No battery box.
No spills. Very good self life. Better cranking performance
for the weight and volume. Much better low temperature
performance. Flooded batteries should
be relegated to the museums of electro-whizzies that
have suffered the inevitable effects of planned
obsolescence characteristic of an evolving technology.
But even then, don't get sucked into complacent
apathy because it's the newest and best we know
how to do. If you're going to depend on this battery
for support of a minimum list of equipment during
alternator-out conditions, it needs to be treated
like a house plant. Keep an eye on it's CAPACITY
and replace it when design goals for alternator-out
endurance are no longer met.
It's exceedingly unlikely that you'll keep the
battery on board for more than 3-4 years under the
best of circumstances . . . and it will still be
cranking the engine just fine when you take it out.
Batteries that fail to crank an engine have been
useless as sources of back-up power for some period
of time.
Bob . . .
---------------------------------------
( . . . a long habit of not thinking )
( a thing wrong, gives it a superficial )
( appearance of being right . . . )
( )
( -Thomas Paine 1776- )
---------------------------------------
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:16 pm Post subject: Battery charge voltage |
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At 08:06 PM 9/3/2009, you wrote:
| Quote: |
Bevan,
My own personal findings are that a "maintainer" set to about 13.1
to 13.2 is about right to handle new and old flooded batteries. If
you push it higher, the older batt's with a little bit of sulphation
and other cranky aging, may gas too much when taking in more than
13.2. A new batt. with no internal deteration handles tad bit more
voltage without gassing.
In the normal use airplane world, we use our birds too little. This
is hard on lead/acid batts. Usual life is about 2-3 years. I have
have had as much as 7 years life when keeping on a tuned up
maintainer. Even after 7 years I replace the batt. just to keep the
worry factor at bay.
|
Worry factor? Did you have any protocols in
place for verifying the battery's capacity?
If one is depending on a battery for KNOWN
levels of performance in alternator-out
situations, then the prudent aviator will
usually replace the battery long before it
quits cranking the engine.
| Quote: | What I mean by a "tuned up" unit. I have found that more than 50%
of the maintainers are not set correctly during manuf. To many are
set to higher voltage. Most of them have 1 or 2 pots inside the
case that can be tuned to the best float voltage. Many are a pain
to take apart in their potted cases.
|
Keep in mind that there are a lot of folks selling
"battery maintenance products." We've evaluated
a number of devices here in our shop. While
the widely acclaimed devices from Battery Minder,
Battery Tender and Schumacher do deliver true
"maintainer like" performance, some do not
(including a few devices from Harbor Freight).
| Quote: | Be sure to check the float voltage on any maintainer about 24 hrs.
after connection to the batt. with an accurate digital DVM or
similar. Again, my personal high setting is 13.2 v.
|
That's a good target value for any maintainer
for lead-acid batteries. This is determined by
the chemistry's open circuit voltage at rest.
All of our batteries here in the shop read 12.9
to 13.0 volts after being off the charger for
a few days. The goal of a maintainer is to simply
support those loads INTERNAL to the battery that
tend to discharge it over time. Hence the maintenence
voltage need not be much if any higher than that.
Bob . . .
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