Charging Information For Lead Acid Batteries - Battery University PDF

Charging Information For Lead Acid Batteries Battery University
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Charging Lead Acid

We now study various charging methods and examine why some systems work better than others. We focus on closed-loop techniques that communicate with the battery and terminate charge when certain responses occur. Lead acid charging uses a voltage-based algorithm that is similar to lithium-ion. The charge time of a sealed lead acid battery is 1216 hours, up to 3648 hours for large stationary batteries. With higher charge currents and multi-stage charge methods, the charge time can be reduced to 10 hours or less; however, the topping charge may not be complete. Lead acid is sluggish and cannot be charged as quickly as other battery systems. Lead acid batteries should be charged in three stages, which are [1] constant-current charge, [2] topping charge and [3] float charge. The constant-current chargeapplies the bulk of the charge and takes up roughly half of the required charge time; the topping charge continues at a lower charge current and provides saturation, and the float charge compensates for the loss caused by self-discharge. Figure 4-4 illustrates these three stages.
Figure 4-4: Charge stages of a lead acid battery The battery is fully charged when the current drops to a pre-determined level or levels out in stage 2. The float voltage must be reduced at full charge. Courtesy of Cadex During the constant-current charge, the battery charges to 70 percent in 58 hours; the remaining 30 percent is filled with the slower topping charge that lasts another 710 hours. The topping charge is essential for the well-being of the battery and can be compared to a little rest after a good meal. If deprived, the battery will eventually lose the ability to accept a full charge and the performance will decrease due to sulfation. The float charge in the third stage maintains the battery at full charge. The switch from Stage 1 to 2 occurs seamlessly and happens when the battery reaches the set voltage limit. The current begins to drop as the battery starts to saturate, and full charge is reached when the current decreases to the three percent level of the rated current. A battery with high leakage may never attain this low saturation current, and a plateau timer takes over to initialize the charge termination. The correct setting of the charge voltage is critical and ranges from 2.30 to 2.45V per cell. Setting the voltage threshold is a compromise, and battery experts refer to this as dancing on the head of a needle. On one hand, the battery wants to be fully charged to get maximum capacity and avoid sulfation on the negative plate; on the other hand, an over-saturated condition causes grid corrosion on the positive plate and induces gassing. To make dancing on the head of a needle more difficult, the battery voltage shifts with temperature. Warmer surroundings require slightly lower voltage thresholds and a cold ambient prefers a higher level. Chargers exposed to temperature fluctuations should include temperature sensors to adjust the charge voltage for optimum charge efficiency. If this is not possible, it is better to choose a lower voltage for safety reasons. Table 4-5 compares the advantages and limitations of various peak voltage settings.
2.30V to 2.35V/cell
2.40V to 2.45V/cell
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Advantages
Maximum service life; battery stays Faster charge times; higher and cool; charge temperature can exceed more consistent capacity readings; 30 C (86 F). less sulfation. Slow charge time; capacity readings may be inconsistent and declining with each cycle. Sulfation may occur without equalizing charge. Subject to corrosion and gassing. Needs constant water. Not suitable for charging at high room temperatures, causing severe overcharge.
Disadvantages
Table 4-5: Effects of charge voltage on a small lead acid battery (SLA) Cylindrical lead acid cells have higher voltage settings than VRLA and starter batteries. Once fully charged through saturation, the battery should not dwell at the topping voltage for more than 48 hours and must be reduced to the float voltage level. This is especially critical for sealed systems because these systems are less able to tolerate overcharge than the flooded type. Charging beyond what the battery can take turns the redundant energy into heat and the battery begins to gas. The recommended float voltage of most low-pressure lead acid batteries is 2.25 to 2.27V/cell. (Large stationary batteries float at 2.25V at 25 C (77 F.) Manufacturers recommend lowering the float charge at ambient temperatures above 29 C (85 F). Not all chargers feature float charge. If your charger stays on topping charge and does not drop below 2.30V/cell, remove the charge after 48 hours of charge. Whereas the voltage settings in Table 4-5 apply to low-pressure lead acid batteries with a pressure relief valve of about 34kPa (5psi), cylindrical sealed lead acid, such as the Hawker Cyclon cell, requires higher voltage settings and the limits should be set according to the manufacturers specifications. Failing to apply the recommended voltage will cause a gradual decrease in capacity due to sulfation. The Hawker Cyclon cell has a pressure relief setting of 345kPa (50psi) and this allows some recombination of the gases generated during charge. Aging batteries pose a challenge when setting the optimal float charge voltage because each cell has its own age-related condition. Weak cells may go into hydrogen evolution as part of overcharge early on, while the stronger ones undergo oxygen recombination in an almost starved state. Connected in a string, all cells receive the same charge current and controlling individual cell voltages is almost impossible. A float current that is too high for the faded cell might starve the strong neighbor and cause sulfation due to undercharge. Companies have developed cell-balancing devices, which are placed on the battery and compensate the differences in cell voltages that occur as a result of cell imbalance. Ripple voltage imposed on the voltage of large stationary batteries also causes a problem. The voltage peak constitutes an overcharge, causing hydrogen evolution, while the valleys induce a brief discharge that creates a starved state that results in electrolyte depletion. Manufacturers typically limit the ripple to five percent, or 5A for a 100Ah battery. Much has been said about pulse charging of lead acid batteries. There are apparent advantages in reducing sulfation; however, manufacturers and service technicians are divided on the benefits, and the results are inconclusive. If sulfation could be measured with accuracy and the pulses applied as a corrective service, then the remedy could be beneficial. Assumptions without knowing the underlying results can be harmful. Most stationary batteries are kept on float charge. To reduce stress, the so-called hysteresis charge disconnects the float current when the battery is full. As the terminal voltage drops due to self-discharge, an occasional topping charge replenishes the lost energy. In essence, the battery is only borrowed from time to time for brief moments. This mode works well for installations that do not draw a load when on standby. Lead acid batteries must always be stored in a charged state. A topping charge should be applied every six months to prevent the voltage from dropping below 2.10V/cell. With AGM, these requirements can be somewhat relaxed. Measuring the open circuit voltage (OCV) while in storage provides a reliable indication as to the state-of-charge of the battery. A voltage of 2.10V at room temperature reveals a charge of about 90 percent. Such a battery is in good condition and needs only a brief full charge prior to use. If the voltage drops below 2.10V, the battery must be charged to prevent sulfation. Observe the storage temperature when measuring the open circuit voltage. A cool battery lowers the voltage slightly and a warm one increases it. Using OCV to estimate state-of-charge works best when the battery has rested for a few hours, because a charge or discharge agitates the battery and distorts the voltage. Some buyers do not accept shipments of new batteries if the OCV at incoming inspection is below 2.10V per cell. A low voltage suggests partial charge due to long storage or a high self-discharge induced by a possible micro-short. Battery users have indeed found that a pack arriving at a lower than specified voltage has a higher failure rate than the others. Although in-house service can often bring such batteries to full performance, the time and equipment required adds to operational costs. (Please note that the 2.10V/cell acceptance threshold does not apply to all lead acid types.)
Watering
Watering is the single most important step in maintaining a flooded lead acid battery, a requirement that is all to often neglected. The frequency of watering depends on usage, charge method and operating temperature. A new battery should be checked every few weeks to determine the watering requirement. This prevents the electrolyte from falling below the plates. Avoid exposed plates at all times, as this will sustain damage, leading to reduced capacity and lower performance. Exposed plates will sustain damage, leading to reduced capacity and lower performance. If the plates are exposed, immediately fill the battery with distilled or de-ionized water to cover the plates, and then apply a charge. Do not fill to the correct level before charging as this could cause an overflow during charging. Always top up to the desired level after charging. Never add electrolyte as this upsets the specific gravity and induces rapid corrosion. Watering systems eliminate low electrolyte levels by automatically adding the right amount of water.
Simple Guidelines for Charging Lead Acid Batteries

Charge in a well-ventilated area. Hydrogen gas generated during charging is explosive. Read more about Health Concerns with Batteries. Choose the appropriate charge program for flooded, gel and AGM batteries. Check manufacturers specifications on recommended voltage thresholds. Charge lead acid batteries after each use to prevent sulfation. Do not store on low charge. The plates of flooded batteries must always be fully submerged in electrolyte. Fill battery with distilled or de-ionized water to cover the plates if low. Tap water may be acceptable in some regions. Never add electrolyte. Fill water level to designated level after charging. Overfilling when the battery is empty can cause acid spillage.
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Formation of gas bubbles in a flooded lead acid indicates that the battery is reaching full state-of-charge (hydrogen on negative plate and oxygen on positive plate). Reduce float charge if the ambient temperature is higher than 29 C (85 F). Do not allow a lead acid to freeze. An empty battery freezes sooner than one that is fully charged. Never charge a frozen battery. Do not charge at temperatures above 49 C (120 F).
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Comments
On October 15, 2010 at 3:29am
Ted Exley wrote:

I have a 12 V AGM VRLA Sealed 28Amp Hour Battery, by Power Bat Co Inc. which I use on a golf trolley. I charge it with a charger which appears to give a charge of 14.6 volts. A couple of hours after charge, the battery gives a voltage reading of 13.5. Charger also has a Float Charge. I usually leave the battrey on Float between rounds of golf ( 2 -3 days) After using for 9 holes of golf, the power appears to go, yet the battery still shows a charge of 13.1 V across the terminals. It appears to quickly re-charge again. Any ideas of what may be wrong
On December 9, 2010 at 8:55am
ayub wrote:
nicely done, very informative. thanks a lot.
bernard anderson wrote:

please can someone tell me why my golf battery shows 12-13 v when charged but the AH is showing 5.24 i have two batteries and they are the same readings batteries are one year old. when i put the batteries on the trolley this drains the battery very fast. cable and motor are ok also what does the AH stand for. thanks for your help
On December 20, 2010 at 11:19pm
Dan Davenport wrote:

Bernard. The AH stands for Ampere Hour and is the capacity of the battery. Your batteries can supply 5.24 Amps of current for one hour duration or 1 Amp for 5.24 hours. Voltage and capacity are not the same thing. As stated above, a fully charged 6 cell battery shows about 12.65 Volts when fully charged whether it is a small car battery or a massive forklift truck battery. If your golf trolley is discharging your batteries when not being used, you must have a short circuit or partial short in the speed controller or wiring. If they discharge too quick during use only, it sounds like they are too small a capacity for the job. 5.24 AH is pretty small to run a trolley motor. Old batteries loose capacity but yours should be in good condition being only one year old. Have you left them discharged for a long period in the garage? Lead acid batteries must always be stored in a fully charged state and be periodically recharged even when not in use. Leaving them discharged is a sure fire way to ruin them. Hope this helps. Dan. Laluna Technology. www.laluna.co.uk
Hesham Mohamed Homam Al Hashemy wrote:

Dear Sir, I would like to ask you two questions regarding the process of charging sealed lead acid batteries, i would be so grateful for you for taking in consideration a simple answer as i am so far from the technology of batteries. Thanks in advance for your care and co-operation. 1)- I bought 2 new 6v 10Ah sealed lead acid batteries to use instead of the dead ones in my childs ride-on, i also bought a simple wall charger which states that it charges at 1Ah, does this mean that to charge them for the 1st time i should leave them connected to the mains for 10 hours? 2)- I also have a 12v 1.5Ah charger, can i connect those 2 new 6v 10Ah batteries in series and charge them together and how much time would they take to be fully charged. Best regards
kenet kho tan wrote:

sir, i need to charge 10 6 volts batteries all at a time. what charger will i use and how fast will the batteries gets full, cause i need to use it all day long for my motorized toy car. i have 20 batteries but it drain easily when i charge it with a normal charger. thanks
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todd anderson wrote:

I have 2 8D batteries in my motorhome. I get about 10 hours use before I need to recharge. It seems to take forever (10 hours) to recharge them with the generator and 6 amp charger. After reading your article, it sounds like I shouldnt discharge them all the way. Any suggestions for use and charging them faster?
On January 8, 2011 at 12:29pm
Vlad Leho wrote:

A question. I need to charge three 7.5 AH 12-volt batteries for use in case of extended power failure to my Verizon FIOS phone system, whose battery will only work for 8 hours. Can I use one charger of 1000 mAh output to charge all 3 batteries in parallel and then keep them on a maintenance charge till neded? Or will I need to charge them one at a time. Thanks.
On January 12, 2011 at 9:23am
Carl wrote:
In a solar / wind charging system the charging circuit will manage the charging process. What I need to know is for every 100watts of solar / wind power, how many Amp-hours of battery capacity can I add to the system? An equaision, rule of thumb, or Max. Min. Optimum values would be most helpful.
Carl wrote:
My Solution: Lead-acid battery charge in 12-16 hours (10 hours with multi-stage methods, 36 hours for larger capacity batteries) Charging voltage is critical and range from 2.30-2.45 volts per cell Calculations: Ah / hours = Amps To charge a 100Ah battery in 12 hours I need 8.3Amps (recommended) To charge a 100Ah battery in 16 hours I need 6.25Amps (recommended) Charging voltage per cell x number of cells = charging voltage Charging a 6 cell 12V battery at 2.45 volts per cell is 14.7volts max Watts / charging voltage = Amps A 400 Watt wind turbine makes 27.2 Amps at 14.7 Volts Amps x hours = Ah A 27.7A turbine can charge a 272Ah capacity in 10 hours (multi-stage required) A 27.7A turbine can charge a 326Ah capacity in 12 hours (recommended) A 27.7A turbine can charge a 443Ah capacity in 16 hours (recommended) A 27.7A turbine can charge a 979Ah capacity in 36 hours (large capacity bat.) For a 24 hour period a capacity ranging between 326Ah and 653Ah is required A 27.2A wind turbine can charge a 326Ah battery capacity in 12 hours A 27.2A wind turbine can charge a 653Ah battery capacity in 24 hours All calculations are theoretical
Girish.K wrote:
how to calculate connected load of battery chargers 360V-150A with 80% efficiency
Gerrion wrote:
Is a very useful page
Steve wrote:
More of a question: Is it possible for a 6 volt charger to charge a automobile 12 volt lead acid battery to the point where it will have enough energy to start a car?
Steve wrote:
younas - Not sure that I understand your response.
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catherine wrote:
I have 8 batteries 6v of 415AH. My charge controller goes to 20aac maximum ! Is it safe to charge my batteries at 20 aac up to the absorb point 28.0V
Steve wrote:
I dont think this answers my question. Is it possible for a 6 volt charger to charge a automobile 12 volt lead acid battery to the point where it will have enough energy to start a car?
Vasuki Rao wrote:

Can i use Sealed maintenance free batteries instead of Electrolyte filled ( Distilled water recharge )lead acid batteries. My Lead acid battery is rated 75Amps, 105 minutes
cornflake wrote:
>Is it possible for a 6 volt charger to charge a automobile 12 volt lead acid battery to the >point where it will have enough energy to start a car? IF your car can turn over with 6V going in, sure. It probably cant though. Its not good for the battery if that battery is of any use at all. Lets just say no.
Gonzalo P wrote:
Hi! I have some questions I hope you can help me. For connecting the battery as a buffer I just nead to conect in parallel the battery with my device and the charger? If the current I am taking is constant is imposible to do this, because my charger will never be able to charge the battery? Is this how the lights with backup work? In my case my battery is a 12V 7.5A My device use 12V 0.2A The charger I was thinking i buying is a 4step of MASCOT - http://www.mascot.no/admin/common/getimg.asp?FileID=1350. (This because i need that the charger works with 24V as input) THANKS A LOT!! Gonzalo
Juma Ali wrote:

how many 12v 7AH sealed lead acid rechargeable batteries should i use to watch a 62 watts 240V colour TV for 10 hours
Tajammul wrote:
I have a two year old car battery which gives enough power to start my car when cold , but it refuses to crank the engine after the car runs for more than 10 kms. It immediately jump starts.It will however start again after a rest of about 1 hour without any external help
alexander wrote:
hello everyone..well i have a banner 12v 55ah battery on my 2001 vw.the battery is 8 months old and i notice that its cant hold the proper voltage.even if i travel for a couple of hours or sort trip the battery after 3 to 4 hours from 12.6v drops to 12v..sometimes 11.8 measured with multimeter.the strange thing is that the car starts ok,litle hard know because of winter with outside temperature 10 deg C.i cant understand so help me out if u can..how can i know if my battery is fully charge or needs a simple chargeor in worse,the battery goes to die and needs replacement? thanx for your time to read my issue..first time i meet a battery with her own personality..
Anatoly wrote:
Hello everyone. Be so kind to explain meaning of treatment charge for a battery.
alexander wrote:
Accept my opologize but i cant understand the meaning of treatment charge..im from greece and my english is at low level..from litle that i can imagine that you meen im charging the battery from the alternator which produse 12v 90A standard bosch car alternator..i have to tell you also that when i start the car running im seen from the multimeter 14.4v a couple of minutes after that at idle the voltage drops at 13.7v stable..all the measuses i taked was with no extra loads..A/C, headlights on, radio etc. thanx for your time!!
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i appreciate
On February 1, 2011 at 9:38pm
Vijay Moongilan wrote:

Please help me about How to calculate AH of 12V, 65AH & 12V, 7AH lead acid batteries are connected in series?
On February 2, 2011 at 11:45am
John Cocula wrote:

I have an 12V, 8AH SLA battery that I want to test. I have a battery tester from Harbor Freight that has a gauge for reading voltage under load, but the load it provides is definitely too much (100 amps) for my battery. (I also have a digital multimeter.) What ampere load should I put a fully charged 12V 8AH battery under when reading its voltage, for how long, and what are examples of 12-volt DC devices that could draw that amount of current? Extremely grateful for experienced feedback! - John
Gonzalo P wrote:
Buying the charger is starting to be really hard, because the dont sell just one. My problem is that for charging the battery of 12V and 7.5Ah i need to use a 24V as supply. I want to know what would happened if I just connect a DC/DC to the battery converting the 24 to 13.9V, Float charge voltage. Is this voltage able to charge the battery? I dont have problem if charging takes a lot of time? Thanks again!!
abhishek pandey wrote:

Dear Sir what type of battery charging
James Christian wrote:

Ive been studying this topic quite a bit recently and I would like to take a shot at answering some questions (there are lots of questions here and very few answers): > How many 12v 7AH sealed lead acid rechargeable batteries should i use to watch a 62 watts 240V colour TV for 10 hours? ANSWER: I have been interested in these kinds of calculations myself. Lets see how I do. My inverter is rated at about 90% efficiency so I will assume this here. Also, I will always round up to be more conservative: A) 62 Watts / 0.90 = 69 Watts DC (amount needed going into the inverter per hour in order to provide 62 Watts AC) B) 69 Watts x 10 hours = 690 Watts DC C) 690 / 12 Volts = 58 Amp Hours D) 58 Ah / 7Ah (per battery) = 9 batteries (at 7 Ah each)
> Please help me about How to calculate AH of 12V, 65AH & 12V, 7AH lead acid batteries are connected in series? ANSWER: If you connect two twelve volt batteries in series then you will get 24 Volts; however, everything I have read is that you should NEVER connect in parallel or series two batteries of differing capacities. It could be done once, but I think it would wear out one or both of the batteries quickly over time. > A question. I need to charge three 7.5 AH 12-volt batteries for use in case of extended power failure to my Verizon FIOS phone system, whose battery will only work for 8 hours. Can I use one charger of 1000 mAh output to charge all 3 batteries in parallel and then keep them on a maintenance charge till neded? Or will I need to charge them one at a time. ANSWER: I would hook them up in parallel and then put my charger on the negative of the battery at one end and the positive of the battery at the other end. This will distribute the charge evenly. Also I would recommend the Battery Tender Junior for most sub 100 Ah batteries (and battery banks).
Ruairi wrote:
Im Trying to determine the state of a battery.: Is this normal or do I have a fault? Its an Elecsol 220 AH battery. This is a sealed flooded cell, using carbon fibre technology, and is sold as a Full Traction design. I tested this battery, It initially read 12.76V, and I had applied a top-up charge using a 600ma smart charger intended for smaller batteries. Its magic eye was not showing Green I connected a paralell series of 3x 15 ohm, and 3x 22 Ohm, 10W resistors, with a 1 ohm 10W resister in series with the combination, to use as a current indicator. The whole circuit measured 4.0 ohms, and the 1ohm resistor measured 1.0 ohms using my multimeter. As expected on connection, the voltage dropped very quickly, and the current was below what would be expected for the voltage. this transient effect took about 30 mins to stabilize, when the current rose suddenly. I believe this effect was due to thermal changes, and a delay in the chemical reactions in the battery, mentioned elsewhare in article on battery perfomance. Until 17 hours the voltage and current tapered off very slowly, dropping from 12.29V to 12.07V (in circuit, measured across the battery terminals) in this time the current dropped from 3.29 to 3.229 amps, ,measured as a voltage across the 1 ohm resistor. over the following 10 hours to 25 hours the voltage and current fell away very quickly, though as I was not in attendance only 2 data points were obtained. at 18 hours the voltage was 11.59V and current was 3.096. at 25 hours, the Voltage was 11.04, and the current was 2.943 when viewed on a graph, the step chance in rate of fall of voltage and current is very visible, looking like a precipice. after resting for 15 hours, the open circuit voltage reads 12.26 Volts. Most guides to rested open circuit voltage suggest that with an open circuit voltage of 12.26V, the battery is about 65% cahrged. My own calculations of drain suggest that I have removed
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36% of the stated 220AH capacity. These statement would indicate that the battery is in good condition, and close to stated capicity. Is the rapid change in discharge curve normal, or does that indicate there could be a fault? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Jin wrote:
For god sake, pls dont answer any question with misleading answers. -69 Watts x 10 hours = 690 Watts DC (WTF, power x time= power dc?) -3x 7.5 ah batteries in parallel = to 1x 22.5 ah battery
Jin wrote:
to Ruairi a shorter question?
Jin wrote:
To Gonzalo P plz write clearer. I am not sure what is really you question is, but you cant change a 12v using 24v power supply.
Jin wrote:
To John Cocula again, plz clearer question. R u trying to test the current of ur battery? if so, DONT do it. It is unwise, dangerous and no need to test a batterys current.
Jin wrote:
To Vijay Moongilan it is a bad idea. DONT try it. The 7 ah will used up first, so u wont have 24 volt. It is like connecting a dead battery and a fresh battery in series. It wont work.
Jin wrote:
to alexander sry, I am unclear about ur problem. U tested the battery when it is cold? N it reads 12.6? Temperature is a big factor to battery performence. A dead battery in cold will work after it warm up, so be sure to know that Voltage reading is not accurate in winter time.
Jin wrote:
To Tajammul I am sure your battery is fine. Probabaly want somebody to check your car.
Jin wrote:
To Gonzalo P u r right. They should be in parallel. Since ur device uses only 200ma, you only need a charger with 200ma. Think about it. It is simple. No battery: a 200ma power supply will power ur 200ma device constantly. No device: a 200ma power supply will charge your battery. No power supply: ur battery powers ur device.
Jin wrote:
to cornflake it is possible. You need a dc-to-dc converter which is more expensive than replacing your 12 v battery.
Jin wrote:
To Hesham Mohamed Homam Al Hashemy 1, no, more than 10 hrs
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2, yes, 12v x 1 a = 12w 6v x 1 a = 6 w so a 12v charger is faster.
Jin wrote:
This page is a good reference about lead acid Battery charging, but few points are incorrect, but not fatal mistake. Any more question. Email me. I am not only a total expert in batteries, But in electronics 2.
Jin wrote:
Ps. You need to know wt kind of charger you have. A smart charger may need you to choose some options before it works as designed. A simple charger will easily damage your battery if misused. Worst, some cheap charger will damage your battery either way. I use a charger which was designed and built by myself. It is best if u built ur own charger, or you really want to get a more expensive smart charger.
George wrote:
Question? I am real stupid with these things. I have it that (re)/charging time is Ah of battery devided by charging amps which means a 100Ah battery recharges with a 7.5A charger in 13 Hours? If I draw 30% from a fully charged battery can I make the assumption that the recharge will take 30/7.5 thus 4 hours?
Ramya wrote:
Hi, I am a student from India. I would like to know the lead content of different types of Lead Acid Batteries.
AnRuaRi wrote:
Summary for Jin of my previous Question: Background I bought 2 2nd hand large capacity batteries. I set out to test them to determine if they are working correctly for a 2 year old battery. I set up a 50W network of resistors to create a loat to discharge them and graphed the in-circuit terminal voltage and current over a period of 25 hours. The Terminal voltage initially dropped very quickly from its resting state, then took about 30 mins to stabilise. It dropped slowly over the next 16 hours (to about 12V, then fell much more quickly over 8 hours to about 11V. The rested open circuit voltage was then about 12.2V The calculated AH removed from the battery and the open circuit voltage after the test both indicated about 40% drain re the stated 220AH capacity of the battery. Question: is it normal to have this type of shape to the discharge curve: 30 mins. stabilisation time initially. sudden rapid drop in in-circuit terminal voltage of batter at about 30% discharge (i.e 70% remaining)?
AnRuaRi wrote:
Follow Up Question: Is this normal? same set-up as in previous example. 220AH Battery, 4ohm discharge circuit. discharge test over 27 hours. The second battery presented with significant fluctuations over the first 4 - 6 hours of the test, with in-circuit terminal voltages varying from 12.1V to 12.4V, going up and down over the 4 hour period before stablizing at 12.2V for about 10 - 12 hours. Is this normal of a symptom of a problem in my battery or circuit?
Javed wrote:
Hi, I want to know if a 12v, 500mA dynamo can be used to recharge a 6V, 4AH lead acid battery with suitable circuitry???
Sandip wrote:
What is initial current in battery, I want to connect 2no. 12V 42AH batteries in parallel for better capacity. How much charging current is required for charging above batteries in parallel connection condition. I have a 10A,12V charging machine.
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Thanks
Jin wrote:
To AnRuaRi so you have discharged your battery using a 50W load with 4 Amps current? (4 Amps X12.3V=50W) Since 4 amps is your discharge rate, if you have a 220ah battery, then 220/4=55 hours. Have you charged your battery before discharged it? Did you discharge your battery for 55 hours? About your testing circuit, have you used an ampere meter to measure the current? Are your resistors rated at 50W and are not hot to touch? PS.This kind of discharging test is really not necessary and it is unwise because it will damage your battery. Answer your question; Your discharge curve is normal. Terminal Voltage will drop and fluctuate once a load is applied to it. Once you remove the load, the terminal will return to its maximum voltage. In your case, it is 12.2V which is less than 50% capacity; so if you have discharged it for about 55/2=27 hours, then your battery is in a good shape. voltage is not an accurate way for measuring the capacity of a battery when it is either charging or discharging. You probably need to get me more info about your test.
Jin wrote:
TO Javed It is easy to charge with a higher voltage to a lower voltage, in your case, a 12V to a 6V. The easiest circuit requires just 1 electronic component which is a 7807 regulator (7 volt regulator). you dont need any capacitor. It will cost you less than 2 US dollar.
Jin wrote:
TO Sandip 2X42AH=to a new 84Ah battery. You can basically using any current to charge this battery. The problem is that this is a big battery. Little current will take forever to fully charge it up, so you can safely charge it using 10A.
Jin wrote:
To George 30% = 0.3 and there is an inefficiency factor you need to consider.
javed wrote:
thanx jin, I have one more question.. i want to know if i can simultaneously draw power from a 6v 4Ah lead acid battery while it is charging???
Jin wrote:
To javed, It depends. Since you have a 500mA charging current, you cant continually use more than 500ma for 13 hours. (4 AH/ 0.3A= 13Hr) The battery will be drained, but Yes, you can simultaneously draw power from a 6v 4Ah lead acid battery while it is charging, if your device consumes less than 24wh of power which is the capacity of your battery. (4ah X 6v=24Wh) So how much is 24wh of energy? if you battery is used to power a high power LED of 3.6V at 700ma (3.6V X 0.7A=2.52W) , 24wh of energy is good for about 9.5 hours of lighting. (24wh /2.52w = 9.5 hr) You will for sure get less than 9 hours because of the inefficiency factor.
Jin wrote:
I probably make it too hard to understand. To simplify what I have said above, the answer to your question is yes, but if you continually use more power than you have provided from the charger, then the battery will eventually drained.
Robert wrote:
Please visit our website to learn more about lead acid battery charger. We make 8 steps charging, reconditioning, and testing of battery in one charge cycle. Simple and safe to use.
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syed hyder wrote:

my question , i have 150AH 12V battery, with an automaticUPS system , it is only 12 months old , but it doesnt seem to give enough power what to check
Aamir wrote:
Dear Sir I have a digital Mulitmeter and want to test 12 volt/ 24 ah batery Please guide me how i can test a battery through digital multimeter where should i apply range and what is accuracy of test
Brandon wrote:
This article has been updated as of February 25, 2011.
Jin wrote:
there are still a lot of minor mistakes in this article such as During the constant-current charge, the battery charges to 70 percent in 58 hours, if you have a 200ah battery, 200ah/8h*0.7= 17.5A, without considering the inefficiency , you have to use at least a 17.5 amps charger, and if you dont have a 17.5 amps charger, then there is no way the battery can be charged to 70% in 8 hours, so the first graph should be amps against capacity instead of time. and the charging voltage can be used from 2.3-2.5v per cell instead of 2.3-2.45V.
Raja wrote:
dear sir, Recently i joined in Battery industries. i am interested to know about charging. How there are calculating the Capacity (Ah) in Theoretical Manner and how they are applying the Practical Ah to the battery. For Example, I am charging 120 AH Battery with 7 A so i should charge up to 17.14 h. then how much they are applying the excess charge to that battery. Particularly How much they are applying the Excess percentage to the Practical Applications. When charging they are maintain the rest to control the temperature of battery while charging. What should be the Max Temperature allowed to the Lead acid Battery. Can you give your ideas to me to know about charging. i am waiting for your kind reply from you. i hope you will clear my doubts. Thanks and Regards G.Raja
Raja wrote:
Dear sir, when we charge the battery the Specific Gravity of Electrolyte increase. Is it Possible to find out the Value of S.G with Voltage before Charging what will be the Values if them corresponding to our Charging Current with duration. Can you explain with one example. Thanks & Regards G.Raja
On March 2, 2011 at 9:33am
Brandon wrote:
@Jin: The 70% SoC mention does not relate to charge currents and applies to small and large batteries.
On March 4, 2011 at 3:07pm
Brandon wrote:
We have updated this article with new information.
Noah wrote:
Ya my name is Noah and I took acid from a fourwheeler battery and put it into a smaller motorcycle battery and it bubbles while it is on ten amp what shod I do
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Morteza Nasooti wrote:

please add information about the lead acid batteries operating temprature range and what we need to do when the battery room temprature becomes below -20 deg cent. in the winter
Francesco wrote:
HI, I have a question. I charged a new battery after adding the acid at 12V with 1.5ah. Did I screw the battery or can I recover it with a smart charger that follows your above figure? Regards, Francesco
Kannan T wrote:
Dear Sir if you have data for SONY US 18650 battery (1.4Ah,4.2V) please send to me thats very useful to my work Regards Kannan T
Kevin Fletcher wrote:

I have recently received a sample rechargeable battery with the vent cap blown off one of the cells. and the back of the cell swollen. This is an 18v battery consisting of 15 cells 1.2v 1700ah Ni-Cd. Is this a weak cell in the chain, having a chemical imbalance during charging / discharge and why is the vent cap not venting. ??. Is it is a sudden build up of reactive gas. ?
ASIT INGLE wrote:

Dear sir , i am planning to take a Amco battery dealership so my kind request to you that pls provide me the information about how to charge a conventional battery ,mf battery, ups and inverters waiting for your reply thanking you
Mike wolf wrote:

I have a new but completely dead Optima battery. My two chargers wont charge it because they are smart [dumb] chargers. To fool the chargers into starting I need to add a second battery. Do I hook the two in series or in parrallel?
Bill Yacey wrote:

I have an SCR controlled charger that I built. It has separate controls to set the on threshold and the off threshold. For a wet 12 lead acid cell, should i set the on threshold at around 12.8V, and the off threshold at around 14.5? with the charging window set this small, it tends to pulse a fully charged battery occasionally. Is this an acceptable condition?
Blair wrote:
Dear sir, have you ever analyzed the amount of lead contamination in battery acid or are you aware of any data dealing with sampling/characterization of lead contamination in battery acid?
blair wrote:
I forgot to add in my previous note Notify me of follow up comments dealing with lead contamination in battery acid. thanks
On March 27, 2011 at 12:23pm
jim hamlett wrote:

why does a 12 volt lead caid battery hold 12 volts and very low on amps?
On April 2, 2011 at 1:44am
Soto Ndiaye wrote:
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I need some documentation about Trickle charging Lead-acid batteries algorithms and new Lead-acid Batteries charging algorithms witch can be applied for any type of Lead-Acid Batteries. Any document or information could be helpful for me. Please could you send me (asap) some documents/information about this subject?
On April 6, 2011 at 6:19pm
max wrote:
Hello I have a 12v 10ah sla battery. It shows 13v with a multimeter. When a 50w load is applied the voltage drops to 10v. Is this battery dead?? Thanks in advance max
John Fetter wrote:

Pulse desulfators came out at the same time battery manufacturers switched from hybrid lead-antimony positive and lead-calcium negative grids to lead-calcium-tin grid alloy. Tin is added to stop surface passivation of the positive grids, which results in batteries going ooen circuit. Tin is sensitive to concentration. Below 1.5%, the benefits of tin reverse. The problem that is being solved by so-called pulse desulfators is not as much sulfation as open circuit. The surface passivation consists of an oxide of lead and is very thin. Strong pulsing punches through, restoring battery ampere-hours dramatically. If it was sulfation, the cure would not be as dramatic.
asef wrote:
please send me charging and decharging curve of seald lead acid 2 V
On April 30, 2011 at 11:49pm
mike wrote:
I have a question..or two. If I had a 12V deep cycle battery and i depleted it to 30% or 50%, how long would it take to charge it to 90%-100% power using a typical 13.5v alternator?
On April 30, 2011 at 11:52pm
mike wrote:
and the other question is the same except with a reg, car starting battery.
On May 1, 2011 at 1:58am
asef wrote:
thanx alot
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On May 1, 2011 at 7:44pm
Art Jackson wrote:

I have some old 2vold lead calcium cells that I am trying to maintain/recover. They we used when I obtained them at least 10 years ago! The cells are C&D Type DCU 13 . lead calcium cells rated at 8HR CAP 150 AH Date of manufacture was October 1984! For many years these have been used only occasionally to power my ham radio station and were recharged by guess and by God using an older so called automatic automotive battery charger then maintained by an unregulated 1Amp solar panel. The charger went on again whenever battery voltage dropped below 12.6V (which was seldom). I later built and connected a variable voltage power supply which will supply 1 amp of pure DC at voltages continuously adjustable from 7.0V to 29.5V For the last 5 years or so this supply has been connected constantly set at 13.2V except when we leave for the winter and I drop the voltage to 12.8 as I dont want to risk losing water. Also during at least the last 5 years the battery charger used to recharge after use has been a three stage smart charger which will supply up to 40 amps. I disconnect it after it reaches the float stage, leaving the 1 Amp supply in circuit. THE PROBLEM: This year we were away for 10 months and on my return I found that 1) I had inadvertently readjusted the float voltage to 12.75 volts 2) There had been multiple power failures during the winter and the house sitter may (or may not ) have used a 12V florescent lamp in the kitchen which is connected to this battery. 3) Fluid levels were adequate on my return. Battery charger was attached, limited to 30Amps and ran its cycle. 4) After charging SG is as follows: 1.225, 1.225, 1.225, 1.200, 1.225, 1.225 I have run a short (30 minute) pulse desufation charge ( a function of the automotive charger) THEN I decided I should look for more information from more informed people and asked Mr Google for help and here I am! Am I too late? Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks Art
On May 4, 2011 at 11:51am
Darryl wrote:
I have four new 12 volt amg motorhome batteries connected in parallel. what battery tender (charger) spec should I use.
On May 4, 2011 at 11:55am
Darryl wrote:
addition to above message- the motorhome is in storage for 3 months
On May 4, 2011 at 12:10pm
Darryl wrote:
correction to above two postings- the batteries are agm (glass matt)
On May 6, 2011 at 9:19am
Art Jackson wrote:

Darryl: The battery manufacturer should have recommended charging parameters. AGMs charge differently than flooded cells as you probably know, but each manufacturer seems to have slightly different parameters. What is the charger in the rig? Converter? Inverter/charger? What make/model. My Xantrex Prosine 2 inverter/charger has settings for generic AGMs and I can also setup a specific charging algorithm. Wish I had AGMs!
On May 8, 2011 at 5:42pm
Al wrote:
I am interested in building a 260ah bank using two 6vdc deep cycle batteries in series. My question is after reading several articals suggesting charging rate of 10% AH (so 260AH deep cycle should be charged at 26A) I already own a smart charger with the maximum settiing of 12A. Will this be ok to use? will it damage the batteries? Im thinking it will just take a lot longer to reach full charge. Should I invest in a much more powerful charger or use what I have and just wait for a longer charge cycle to finish?
On May 8, 2011 at 7:53pm
Art Jackson wrote:

Most deep cycle batteries, especially the 6 volt Golf Cart batteries can take much higher charging current than than 10% of the AH Capacity. C20 is common as is C30 and even C40 in some instances, though as a rule thats pretty hard on the batteries. Charging at a lower rate will not hurt the batteries, it will just take a much longer time to reach full charge. You have to be aware that charging rate and current is not linear: A Dead battery, at 10.5 volts will accept a lot more current than one at 50% State Of Charge (roughly 12.2 volts) and one at 80% at 12.5V. Charging current will taper off as full charge approaches.
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If you can afford the time, probably 24 hours or so, then go with what you have. Remember too that the 260 AH is from fuul to dead. Dead is not good for battery life (that sounds a bit strange doesnt it?!) Best not to take them below 50%, ie 12.2 volts (no load, resting measurement) then recharge. That really means that a bank of 260AH batteries is in effect a 130AH supply. When I stopped trying to take 320 AH out of my 4 group 24s they didnt have to be replaced every 1 o r2 years! Another good site for battery charging info is www.rv.net. Go to forums, tech issues and be prepared to spend a lot of time reading!
On May 12, 2011 at 6:27pm
al wrote:
I currently own a motomaster eliminator intelligent battery charger to charge 12v lead acid batterys. It charges AGM, DEEP CYCLE or REGULAR batterys at 2/8/12A. If the battery is sulficated it will try and fix it. after the charge cycle compleates it float charges them and monitors them. I am looking to purchace a more powerful charger. Maybe-40 to 60A. I Does anybody know of a decent charger that does all of the above and maybe more!! I would like to reserch products before buying so brand names /manufactures of such device would be very helpful. Thankyou
On May 12, 2011 at 7:27pm
Art Jackson wrote:

I have the motomaster eliminator 40A version and have been fairly happy with it. It did recover 2 group 24 batteries that each had one low cell. If you keep your eyes open Canadian Tire often have them on sale at 99 in stead of 149.
On May 27, 2011 at 10:32am
Smarties wrote:
Is there any implication apart from an extended charge time of charging a 12V lead acid with a charger whos constant current rate is well below the 10% of AH rating. Example - 10AH and 300mA charger. Thanks
On May 27, 2011 at 3:41pm
John Fetter wrote:

Lead-acid responds very well to slow charging. If possible, aim for a 3 to 4 day charge and battery life might well double. The faster L-A is charged, the greater the risk of positive grid corrosion. The only reason batteries are charged in hours rather than days is because most people simply cannot wait.
On May 31, 2011 at 3:41am
dapo wrote:
I have a question: I have a battery bank of 4 pieces of 150AH lead acid batteries used for a 3.5kva inverter system. I am yet to achieve a full charge as I charge for about 5hrs daily at 170vwith 16A charging. What is the max time to get full charging. Also if I double the battery to 8 batteries, will the charging time double?
On June 6, 2011 at 3:06am
dylan wrote:
I need some help with the estimation of state of charge of a 48V lead acid battery. I need to measure the state of charge of the battery in a continuous manner like a battery monitor. What method should I employ? I guess the voltage method wouldnt work, because I need to measure the battery SOC when it is discharging so that I can charge it when it is below a certain SOC and stop charging it when it is above a certain SOC. Please help me. Thank you.
dylan wrote:
I have no other info on the battery. I can measure the battery voltage and also have a current sensor.
On June 6, 2011 at 10:30am
Art Jackson wrote:

DAPO: A couple of questions: What voltage are your batteries and are they in series, parallel or series/parallel. ie what is the output voltage: 6, 12, 24, 48 etc. 4 150AH batteries in Parallel will have a total capacity of 600AH, at the same voltage. 4 150AH batteries in Parallel will have a total capacity of 150AH but at 4 times the voltage. It also depends on what type of battery: flooded wet cel;, gel cell, AGMall charge slightly differently. I charge at at the 20C rate, that is, 20% of the total AH capacity of the batteries. Some manufacturers say more, some less. It is usually safe to charge at 30C and some AGMs can accept an even higher charge. SO if you batteries are all in parallel, ie 600AH total, at 20% the initial charge current could be as high as 160 amps. At 150AH (all batteries in series) 20% is 30 amps.
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It would appear that you are charging at somewhere between 2 and 10 percent of Amp/Hour capacity. 5 hours wont be nearly enough. To borrow a phrase from a friend, think of charging time as a frog jumping along a long. Each jump takes as much time as the previous but for only half the distance. In theory he will never get to the end. From 50% charged (12.2V in a 12 volt battery) to 80% (12.4) will go relatively quickly but the last 20% will take much longer as charge current becomes limited buy the batteries. There is nothing wrong with charging slowly (Unless of course you are in a hurry!) There is lots to learn about battery charging. Another good source of information can be found at www.rv.net forums in the tech issue forum. Art How are you measuring SOC? I am assuming SG.
Ronald Beal wrote:

Thanks sooooooooooooo much. Your help is right on time
On June 25, 2011 at 4:01pm
Anthony Gomez-C wrote:

5 months ago I bought a brand new Lead - Acid Battery, 12v., 73Ah. 1.250g/ cubic cm., 11 Plates (Placas) 20C for my Land Rover, which was installed but disconnected. 2 months later I connected the Battery, pressed the starter button and away we went I only used the car twice for two hours at a time, all was fine, disconnected the Battery and went away for 6 weeks, came back connected the battery and ............. nothing happened, apparently this New Battery is now completely discharged, although the water level is OK. and was left at an average temperature of 12C. I Tried to charge it with my 15 amp. charger, but no luck, the voltage is OK, but the discharge is a mere 5 miliamps which is nothing. Can this battery ever be charged again. Do I need to empty the liquid (Acid) clean the plates with something liquid then fill the cells up with new Acid, or is there some other method to save this New Battery? Will appreciate any advice. Thank you. Anthony
On June 27, 2011 at 4:57pm
Art Jackson wrote:

You have probably lost the battery due to it being stored in a discharged state. Do not change the electrolyte. If the specific gravity is low it is because of the sulfate being deposited on the plates instead of being in solution. Changing the electrolyte, or adding more acid wont help because of the sulfate already built up on the plates. There is no way to clean the plates except possibly by using a battery desulfater. Some battery chargers have a desulfate mode, sometimes called a reconditioning mode. There is a very small chance that you can recover the battery but is it unlikely. Sometime a low current charger (just an amp or 2) left on for days or even weeks can help. If you didnt charge the battery before installing it and leaving it disconnected it may well not not been fully charged. Frequently so called charged and ready to go new batteries are not at full charge. Leaving them for another two months would have allowed them to discharge further and continue to d\sulfate. A couple of hours charging from the vehicle alternator may not have been enough to fully recharge, and then there was another 6 week of sulfating. A couple of question: What is the battery voltage now? Do you know the specefic gravity? Both these should be checked and recorded. Check the voltage as it is now, connect your charger and let it run until it shows charged or at least 6 hours which ever comes first. Next check voltage and specific gravity again. Note that the voltage will be artificially high due to surface charge. Let the battery sit for 24 hours and check the voltage again. A new fully charged battery should have a SG of 1.265 or better. 1.200 is poor (1.000 is pure water!) A fully charged 12 volt battery will be at about 12.6V The charger may well take it up to 14.4 or so while charging. About 12.2 volts is 50% and 11.8 is approaching dead. (these voltages at no load, the battery at rest) Anything under 11.0 may indicate a dead cell. This also could be your problem. One other question, how did you measure the discharge current? Was the starter engaged at the time, lighs on? Please let me know here. I will try to remember to check back here over the next few days for your replies. One last thought. Did the battery come with a warranty or guarantee? Many companies offer full one year replacement warranty. Let us know what you find.
On June 28, 2011 at 4:01pm
Anthony Gomez-C wrote:

Hello Art Jackson. You have been extremely helpful. This is what I can tell you so far: All six compartments (Water top-up holes) are still at their correct level. I have a specific gravity measurer, the one with the 5 colored balls inside a glass tube. 0 balls rising = discharged, 1 ball rising = 25% charged, 2 balls = 50% charged, 3 balls = 75% charged, 4 balls = 100% charged and 5 balls = very charged. Amazingly all six battery compartments read 75% charged!? I have a charger on at the moment, at full charge, but it is only charging at 0.75 milliamps. The voltage from the battery (with charger disconnected) is 11.5 volts, but when connecting a small dash board bulb, it lights up, the bulb being 12v and draws 150 miliamps, any higher rating bulb will not light up. I measured the discharge currents with the battery completely disconnected as with all my readings, and put my ammeter across the battery terminals.
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I think the battery came with a warranty or guarantee, but as I have never come across the existing trouble over a 50 year driving experience, did not keep the Receipt! There is always a first time, even if it took 50 years! From what I deduct, the battery is 75% charged, but can not discharge large amounts of current? Cheers, Anthony.
On July 9, 2011 at 2:34pm
Kenneth Cary wrote:

?? Do I have to disconnect one battery from to other or can I leave them hooked up together to charge. They are 12 volt batterys but I have them hooked 24 volts for my trolling motor
On July 10, 2011 at 4:07pm
Anthony Gomez -C wrote:

Hello Art Jackson. My case seems to be rather strange! Before charging the battery the voltage is 11. After charging the battery the voltage is 12. The SG before and after charging is still 75% charged? and this is how the battery was found before doing anything to it ?!! First the starter would not operate, tried the head lights, no go either, all it can light up is a dash board small 12v bulb, bit with an intermittent glow,it glows then goes off, then it glows, then goes off at 2 second intervals! The discharge between glow and no glow varies between 40 miliamps to 90 miliamps. If I short circuit the battery via my ammeter the discharge is the same. It seems that the battery can not discharge its 3/4 capacity (SG 75% charged)! Perhaps it needs to be on a continuous discharge, although as mentioned, the discharge would be only between 40 and 90 miliamps. Not sure whether my battery came with a warranty or guarantee, can not find the receipt.
On July 17, 2011 at 3:15pm
Anthony Gomez_c wrote:

Hello Art Jackson. My case seems to be rather strange! Before charging the battery the voltage is 11. After charging the battery the voltage is 12. The SG before and after charging is still 75% charged? and this is how the battery was found before doing anything to it ?!! First the starter would not operate, tried the head lights, no go either, all it can light up is a dash board small 12v bulb, bit with an intermittent glow,it glows then goes off, then it glows, then goes off at 2 second intervals! The discharge between glow and no glow varies between 40 miliamps to 90 miliamps. If I short circuit the battery via my ammeter the discharge is the same. It seems that the battery can not discharge its 3/4 capacity (SG 75% charged)! Perhaps it needs to be on a continuous discharge, although as mentioned, the discharge would be only between 40 and 90 miliamps. Not sure whether my battery came with a warranty or guarantee, can not find the receipt. Thank you, Anthony. P.S. This is my third attempt to publish this information!
On July 24, 2011 at 10:30am
mike wrote:
so lets say i drained my battery supply to 70% and i wanted to recharge it to 90-100%, what would the estimated time be to recharge it? the battery has 115 amp hours.
On July 29, 2011 at 12:30pm
Daniel T. Le wrote:
I have two 12v 4.5Ah (20hr rate) connected in series for a toy and I also have an addapter with 2 outputs: 32v-375mA or 16v-500mA want to use as charger for the above batteries, can ?? Which voltage should I use and how long should I recharge for or what should I do with what I have for what I need.
On August 11, 2011 at 9:04am
Kanagasabapathy wrote:
Is it possible to recharge a 100 Ah - 12 volt Lead acid battery using a self designed charger with 1A -14 volt? Kindly en light this.
On August 11, 2011 at 7:22pm
M Kanagasabapathy wrote:
Is it possible to recharge a lead acid battery 12V - 80 Ah - C20 by using a charger of specification 14 V -1A. Kindly explain.
Kanagasabapathy wrote:
Is it possible to recharge a lead acid battery 12V - 80 Ah - C20 by using a charger of specification 14 V -1A? Kindly explain.
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Jacko wrote:
New question , battery charging with solarpower.. Ive got 2 Hawker energy SBS60 12 V 50,8Ah batteries. Float voltage of 2,27v. So each battery give me 12v x50,8ah x30% = 183Watt x2 = 366w with 2 batteries. so when i put these in a camper and want to charge them with solarpower How do i have to calculate the charge value coming from the solarcells for those 2 batteries ? when in the same time a charge is taken from the batteries by Frigo, laptop,waterpump,led lights etc..about 300watt a day .. What i want to know = what has to be the value of the solarcells to keep this system good working ...50 watts70 watts? or more Batteries connected parallel i guess or seperated and working with a divider who charge each battery when other is full and then change again ? ..what would be the best solution.. any idee about a good solution is welcome.. greetings jacko (Belgium)
On September 16, 2011 at 9:48pm
jin wrote:
Totally right.
yi yew wrote:
Sir, How to calculate the minimum amp to charge two 6V sealed lead acid battery connected in parallel?
Victor Barbarick wrote:

I have 4 Trojan 6 volt T-145 (145 minutes @ 75amps) golf cart batteries connected in series/parallel in my RV. After storing the RV for several months the batteries hold a charge but drop to about 12vdc. My question is that when I charge them with the RV inverter/charger they will continue charging in the bulk range up to 14.5 for a period time with the battery temperature at 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the batteries with the batteries gassing to the point that I need to add water to cover the plates. Is this normal??
Moti Mazor wrote:

1. If you connect 2 or 4 lead acid twelve volt batteries in parallel only for charging . Please let me know if tis is ok and acepted? 2. Can I charg batery with power supplay ( 14.5 V ) with out any serial resistance for limiting the curent , and not with special charger for batterys?
Tommy lee Singh wrote:

hi, i charge a car battery for a friend every day,(the battery is used for lights and cooking and other daily activities etc), it charges on low. i tried to charge it on high but it begins to bubble. i would like to know how much is this going to cost me per month if a have the prepaid system and charge this battery everyday on low. the charge per a kwh is 65.06c in south africa. will appreciate a response.
Tommy Lee Singh wrote:

hi i charge a car battery for a friend everyday,(the battery is sed for lights, cooking and other daily activities) i charge ut on low. i tried to charge on high but it begins to bubble. i would likje to know how much it is going to cost me if i charge it everyay on low for a month. the charge per a kwh is 65.05c in south africa, please help.
mohammed habiibullah wrote:

i have a brand new set of 12volts lead acid battery, i should install the battery and start using it what is the quantity of acid and distilled water in ratio to be added and put for charge , and should i added acid or distalled water , kind of charge low ampere or trikle charge
Niketan wrote:
How many cells are there in APC RBC 17 battery? It is a 12v, 7AH battery.
tommy lee wrote:
17 of 31
17-03-2013 20:41
i asked a question about a week ago and still no reply. disappoionting!
Marwa wrote:
Hi, I read many battery charger specs that are used with hybrid wind-solar LED street light systems, some of them mentioned the following: 1-The charger is protected from over voltage when there is no battery or when the voltage at the input exceeds certain limit. 2- When we may need the open circuit protection when there is no battery? Kindly elaborate on the above two points Thanks & Regards
On November 7, 2011 at 9:57am
Rajaganesan wrote:
dear sir, In Lead acid battery at formation, they are calculating the 3 wt % SO4 from positive and 3.45 wt % from the negative paste, or 72 g. This is equivalent to 73.5 g of H2SO4. The concentration of H2SO4 in a 3 wt % solution is 31 g/l. In which PbSO4 = 112.53 kg with the wet paste weight = 1182.8 kg. I want to know how they are calculating 72 g and 31 g/l. I am waiting your favorable reply
Thanks and Regards G.Raja
On November 11, 2011 at 10:17pm
Don Rose wrote:

Hi, Is it true that lead acid batteries should be cycled from time to time by at least a 5% discharge? Or is this an old wives tale?
pushpa T S wrote:
hi, i want to measure the battery capacity ?????? i need to charge the battery accordingly by measuring the battery capacity
eliseo viray wrote:

sir, i need to know what charger will i use to charge 15 to 20 units of 12v 100ah batteries in one charging
P.K.Jain wrote:
I have discovered that I have 100 Nos 12V-26AH SMF LA UNUSED Batteries lying on shelf unattended for 4 years. The batteries show OCV of 2-3 VDC. How in this world can I revive them. Slow charging or Pulse Charging? Kindly refer resources where I can study the methods of reviving dead batteries.
Ken wrote:
Sorry I come into this late but I would like some thoughts on some backup system I am setting up. My Charger is limited to 10Amp 200AH vrla gel 12v batteries 48vdc system with 4 strings (4x4 = 16 batteries ) What is the estimated time my charger will need to bulk charge the batteries ?
mattymays wrote:
hi batteryuniversity.com-ers all the best to every one - matt
Bob K. wrote:
Art, Did your DCU 13 cells restore or di you happen to open them to see what was inside?
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I have started playing with some Rolls S-460 (350AHr) batteries and I need to select a scheme to minimize water loss yet prevent acid separation and sulfate build up. Any ideas out there? Bob K. indexdesigns.com
John A Bean wrote:

I have 3, 12v 14amp (almost new) AGM deep cycle batteries that were use on a 36v scooter. I plan to add one more for a 48v scooter. When I charged them individually to top them off before I chained them, one battery gets to 13.1 volts but quickly drops to under 12 volts in a day or so when taken off charge. The other two get to 13.2v and stay at about 12.8 volts for several days. My question is; does this drop in the third battery indicate a bad cel and should I replace it before I install four batteries for this 48 volt system? How would it affect the system by using it?
Jay Atkinson wrote:

You all are a great resource, thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide. We got my 5 year old a little ride on electric car with a weight capacity of 88 lbs this week. It has a 12V 7ah battery. The manufacturer recommended a 15 hour initial charge, which we did. It worked for a couple hours after that charge, which seems about right. Subsequently, we charged it for 8 hours, also based on recommendations. After the charge, it sat overnight, and then only ran for about 20 minutes when used the next morning. I dont know if the battery isnt charging, or it isnt holding a charge. The charger does not have an indicator light so thats no help. Any assistance or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Anand wrote:
Very useful information for me. I am using a 35Ah flooded lead acid battery(labelled maintainenc3 free) to receive charge from my 100W solar panels, using a charge controller. The battery appears to charge quite quickly using 3-6A for a period of 4 hours. The battery reaches 14V mark, where in the charge controller seems to send reduced pulses of current. I thought the battery was fully charged and the charge controller was wrongly sending current. Needless to say, the battery displayed very less capacity while being used with an inverter. Now I knwo it is due to the absense of the stage 2 of lead acid battery charging this is happening. So, thanks for the info.
David wrote:
I have an equipment which uses two batteries HITACHI HP38-12 (12V, 38AH) in series. It functions for 3 hours. Can I replace them with two CSB 12V-34AH compromising only the operation time? Can it overheat?
Tommy Mak wrote:

If a 12V battery can support 160W for 20 minutes and I connect 2 of these batteries in series, can the assembly support 320W for 20 minutes? If so, is it because the discharge current has been halved?
Badr wrote:
I have a kende 20A charger and 150ah battery. The charger is single phase. when I charge the battery the voltage goes up to 19.5v. once I disconnect the charger the voltage drops to somewhere in 13v. what this high voltage indicates. do I need to replace the charge. by the way. when the voltage is 19.5 the current charging current is 7amps. Thanks, Badr
Ralph Wanka North Bay ON wrote:

Dear Sir, My 2004 Cayenne has killed 3 Motormaster MOT-49 batterys. all with in 20 -30 days. SUV will not start remove battery bring to CT ...they put battery on Charger / Tester Tester Goes thru cycle and TEST come out Battery HOT ? Cell bad or what? They give me a NEW BATTERY. .. this is 3rd time !!! ? Can my vehicle cause this malfunction to a battery?
Mike wrote:
Hi, great site. I was hoping someone could help answer the following question. I have a 12v 80amh leisure battery that I will be using on a small boat to power a few small items like a cd player and a small dvd player. The battery will also be used to start an outboard
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engine. When running, the outboard will charge the battery, but only when it is running. I am looking to fit a solar charger to the battery to keep it topped up when the engine is not running Can I do this? Will the battery be OK when the engine is running as there will be the power from the solar charger and the engine going into the battery? Any help will be great, Cheers...
Elango wrote:
We are planning to install a low voltage (approximately 0 to 5-10v) battery tester/cycler with a minimum of 8 channels to test and determine the charge/discharge characteristics on Li-ion, Li-polymer, Ni-cad, Ni-MH, Lead-acid, and ultra-capacitors. Specifically, we wish to test the maximum safe charge and discharge rates of button cell type samples of the above batteries. We need to be able to remotely control and receive data from your device through our own proprietary software. The user should be able to program and control each channel independently to determine the charge & discharge curves and other characteristics on the above mentioned batteries. Temperature monitoring on each channel should also be included. so need to how fast a battery charges & discharges and how to calculate the charging,discharging rates
Bob Kondner wrote:

Elango, I do this for some of my products using a USB based data acqu unit like the LabJack or USB-1208LS units for about $100 to $200. I write coe in Delphi though you can write this code in anything you wish. Add a couple of relays for switching loads and sources and you have a pretty complete system. You want a DC clamp on ammeter that reads down to maybe 10ma (depanding on your battery size). If i can help ia am: bob at kondner dot com sent me an email. If you really have a VERY GOOD idea of all your test perameters then maybe you can buy something. But a few relays, wires and 500 lines of code is no big deal for me and I end up with a very flexiable tool. The key is your ability to write code effectivly, you really need to know how to use an existing code tool or you can spend a hunk of time learning. Bob K.
Devaraj wrote:
dear sir, we r doing project in hybrid bike using RT 12220 12v,22ah battery in that, can we check battery charge level using multimeter
miraj wrote:
hi, its great and useful information. i was also planning to charge my motorcycle battery but i m confused with this words written on my 12v motorcycle battery recharge at 0.3A 5~10 hours what does it mean and while charging what amount of volt and amp should be given to charge it.
John E wrote:
Hello,we need some Battery equipment to buy,i will like to know if you can supply us with any of this.example below:
Sealed Lead Acid Battery 12v,80 to 200ahfor solar backup Sealed lead Batteries 100 to 250Ahms, 12 to 24vots Please reply back soon,to let us know if you have any of it in stock,if yes,please advise unit cost for each. And will like to know if you accept credit card payment. johnmyerick@yahoo.com Regards John Erick
Rajnikant wrote:
Hello,we need some Battery equipment to buy,i will like to know if you can supply us with any of this.example below:
Sealed Lead Acid Battery 2v,1500 to 2000ahfor tetecom backup Sealed lead Batteries 1000 to 2500Ah, 2 to 12vots Please reply back soon,to
Regard
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Rajnikant Jaipuriya
Guillaume wrote:
If you are looking to buy batteries, I am pretty sure you are not at the right place. a) Cadex does not sell batteries, according to their web site. b) It is not the place to buy any Cadexs product. Go on their web site to see what product they offer. www.cadex.com
abhi prasad wrote:

can i charge my 12 v(7 amps) rechargeable battery using a battery eliminator (1-2 amps) but kept at a higher voltage???
Allexsiss wrote:
hey! i need some help , please! i have 4 Maintenance-free Lead acid batteries (6 V 4.0 AH/20 HR ) . each two are connected in series to form a unit that gives an output of 12 volts. then the 2 units are connected in parallel ... im charging them with a 12-0-12 V / 3 amp inverter ((an AC transformer)) is it ok to use a 16-0-16 V / 5 amp to charge them instead? because the one im using is barely charging them and its getting very hot after a short time ... and yes , im using them to keep my router running during power failure
CYRIL wrote:
Sir, I have two (100Ah 12V lead acid flooded) batteries which is in 24V connection using for inverter use. Daily power failure is half hour. Daily recharging time is 2 hours. Room tempetatrure 25degreeC. My desired charging time is 16 hours. I have a digital charger which I can set ampere & voltage. Which also enabled by over charge protection. And I wish to get the MAX BATTERY LIFE. So, How much is the CHARGING AMPERE & VOLTAGE ? The charger is a single stage charger.
Engr Omawole E.Itshoritshelaju Alexander wrote:

I found this page interesting because i having problems with charging batteries to full capacity.
Chris Pollard wrote:

Hello.I have a burglar alarm and the control panel has two 6V rechargeable batteries in it that I replaced recently.The original adapter that was supplied with the alarm that plugs in to the 240v wall socket is a 16 VDC 600 Ma but it is is broken.I have replaced it with a 13.5VDC 1000 Ma and I am using it at the moment but I am not sure if it will be safe, now or in the long term..Could you advise please.....kindest regardsChris Pollard
On March 11, 2012 at 11:01am
humayun wrote:
dear allim from a country where electricity is becoming rare day by dayfrequent period of power failures of long durationsin such situation can some body guide me how to get my ups charged as quickly as possiblemy system specs are as follows: one 12 volt, 2kva, pure sinewave generator/charger, 400 ah gel type sealed batterycan use an other charger in parallel with the one i have to increase the charge rate.. while keeping same voltage????any answer pse.
On March 15, 2012 at 11:31pm
seyi +2348130567222 wrote:

to allexis: the maximum voltage u cud use to charge a 12v lead battery is 14.5 -14.7v,moreover the current passed on the batteries matters a lot.using a 16v charger cud caused the internal resistance of the battery to rise.
On March 18, 2012 at 10:31am
vikram wrote:
Hi, I am planning to install inverter and battery in my village, Here is my requirement : - 4 CFL + 2 Fan
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In my village electricity is for around 4-8 hours daily. I tried to find most suitable battery and inverter for this, but some how could not find right configuration. It would be really helpful if you guys can give some advice on this. Thanks a lot for your help.
Herbert Norris wrote:

Dear Sir Please can you tell me if it is possible to charge my 12v sealed battery up with two 6v chargers -how to wire them up etc .
Ankit wrote:
Hi, What are the effects if i can charge 6v batter with an 5v supply. As basically my application works on 3V to 5V supply but i also have to give facility to connect 6v battery (Rechargeable). so i converted 6v output to 5V for my application. but while recharging of 6V battery i gt 5V supply. So it has any effect on battery Life? battery is charge till 5 V than also my application is working because my application can work on till 3V so voltage is not an issue.
Frants wrote:
Hi there.
Very informative. What if the first phase of the charging, the constant current charge, is interrupted before phase two can begin? And then, when charging can continue again (some discharging has now occurred) phase 1 charging resumes? My understanding is, the state of the battery will determine which state of charge needs to commence. However, since the topping charge, as you say, is sort-off a rest period, what if this rest period cannot be applied, or the constant current charge cannot be completed? Thank you.
Robert Kondner wrote:

Hi, Good observation. The Interruption you describe can fall into two situations. 1. The battery has been disconnected during the interruption and replacement with a different battery is possible. 2. The battery has not been interrupted.and the controller is one that monitors battery discharge. If you have a controller that monitors all charging and discharge currents, and it operates with a VERY low battery drain (10s of ua is reasonable), then as long as the battery has not bee disconnected you retain the battery state. You can pick up a charging profile at a later time. When battery is disconnected all bets are off. You need to assume a new battery has been connected and you need to charge and/or condition it to a known state. I believe all battery current should pass through a smart controller. This gives you the chance to prevent over charge or over discharge with a series switch. It is not that expensive with a PIC, some circuits and a couple of FETs. I have some small chargers at www.indexdesigns.com and I would be happy to describe what I did in the Battery Boss software. bob at kondner dot com Bob Kondner
ra'ed wrote:
i went to put a specifications to buy a power system for telecommunications stations, the battery will be a 12 v 200ah four battery connected to gather in series to give the -48 vdc and a charger of the same voltage: Q1: HOW MUCH CURRENT WILL DRAIN FROM THE CHARGER TO CHARGE THE BATTERIES IN THE FIRST BOOT? Q2:WHAT IS THE SUITABLE CHARGER SIZE? PUT IN MIND THAT THE LOAD CURRENT WILL BE 25 A,AND THE SET OF BATTERY WILL CARRY THE LOAD FOR 24 HOUR, THE BATTERIES LIFE TIME NOT LESS THAN 15 YEARS WHAT IS THE SUITABLE KIND OF THIS SITUATION? GEL OR LEAD ACID? VRLA OR OTHER KIND?
Bikash kumar sahu wrote:

Plz help me, regarding for charging of a 12V dc battery, i have to design a dc dc voltage converter for 12V to 16V ? but at load condition i am getting only 200-300mA current? I it possible for charging of a battery
acc wrote:
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Hi, Can a battery be charged (eg. thru solar panels) and discharged (used for some appliance) at the same time ? acc
On April 14, 2012 at 12:32pm
Vic Tkachuk wrote:

I have a motorhome set up for 2 regular lead acid 12 volt deep cycle batteries, I have the chance to buy up to 4 gel cell 12volt deep cycle batteries. Can I safely rerig and install 4 using the same charging set up ? These are batteries which were used for solar storage (Power PSG-12105)
Robert Kondner wrote:

Vic, You did not say if your existing batteries are flooded plate or what.I assume your existing charge was purchased for whatever type battery you have. The problem you need to watch out for is a 3 Stage Charger often looks for the battery voltage to peak when the battery is charged. If you apply such a peak voltage to a sealed lead acid battery, and depending on the charging rate, you might generate more gas than can be internally recombined. I looked into this PSG-12105 quickly and did not see any charging profiles, the peak voltage mentioned was about 14.1. A Three state might be looking for 14.6 or higher. Bob K.
On April 17, 2012 at 11:07pm
Gilberto Prida wrote:

I need a replacement (lead acid) battery for a Quipp jump starter which printed information is the following: Prostar bat. 6PS0070H - 12 V. Cycle use 14.615.0 V. Standby use 13.6-13.8 V. Initial current 1.75 Amp. Max. -This bat. has terminals.with holes for bolt and nut. I appreciate your answer and the price for this jump startert if is convenient for this 4 year old apparatus. Thanks in advance.Gilberto
On April 19, 2012 at 11:23am
Phil Murray wrote:

Is it safe to charge a 6v 10aH with a basic 7v 2amp charger?
Thank you
Phil
tareti kireua wrote:

Dear Sir/Madam I use a 100N sealed batterry (12V) in my home powering three light blbs of 7watts each but I only use soler charging only and an electric charger as a backup when sunshine is not surfficient. The charger gives 14.5 max voltage but I just want to know how many hours should I chrge my sealed battery in case solar charging is not availale de to overcast or caherging is really lower than 12V. Should I use electric charger full day or any advice from you on how to use the electric charger to avoid damage to my sealed batterry. Hear from you tareti
On April 23, 2012 at 10:21pm
joe wrote:
Sir,i would like to build a charger for lead acid batterys. the one i have is a commercial one and inside theres just a transformer a retifier and an ammater.the only protection it has is a thermal switch on the tranformer.Personally i find this a bit dangerous as it does not cut the chaging when the battery emf is reached,(13.8-14.5V).I already ve wired a couple of test circuits one of which used two thyrsistors,one for monitoring the battery votage andthe other is the switch.the problem im find with most of the circuits is that as that when i apply the charging, the voltage goes up cos the battery acts like the capacitor and this goes above the sensing voltage set ie 13.8v.would current limit solve this problem?thank you,
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costas wrote:
Hi, If you had to charge a 6V 6Ah battery, what maximum current float charger would you recommend? Would the current output value of the charger be different if I were to use a 4-steo charger? Thanks!
Joe wrote:
Table 4-5 talks about severe overcharge, yet maintenance free car batteries are charged by the alternator at around 14.5V in a hot engine bay all the time. Can you explain?
On May 3, 2012 at 8:54pm
Ross Wi wrote:
Can Negative Pulse and Burp charging be postpone battery service life and improving battery performance & desulfation?
On May 14, 2012 at 9:40am
Raymond wrote:
I have to make a solar battery charger for a 12v,13AH lead acid battery how do I calculate the charging current required to charger the battery from a flat state in 13hours?
On May 14, 2012 at 10:08pm
HASEEB wrote:
i have two 6v 4.5ah battries. i want to charge them in series. is it ok to charge them with 12v 1250ma adapter. how long it will take to charge them fully
On May 19, 2012 at 9:05am
Tim Hellsten wrote:

Hello. I have a question. I have an electric scooter using a 48v 30AH SLVR lead Acid battery. running a 500watt brushless motor. I currently charge it with a 48v converter @ 3 A charger plugged into house power over night to charge the scooter. I want to increase the range so I have had a thought to put a 1000 watt honda generator on my scooter and run the generator while I am driving.
the issue I see right now is that I am probably drawing more power from the battery then my 3A charger is able to put back. I was contemplating purchasing a 48v 30A charger and charging my batteries as I am driving. I need some assistance from the folks here. can anyone offer some information. will this work? will I blow up my batteries? are there issues charging batteries at the same time you are draining them? thanks
On May 20, 2012 at 9:45pm
Ian Warner wrote:

I bought a new lead acid batterry for my golf buggy, a Panasonic model LC-XC1228AP after x anount of hours the charger indicates it is fully charged, but I cannot get 18 holes of golf out of it, I contacted the supplier who sent me another one, it is the same. It has been suggested that this type of battery initially needs to be run down completely and then recharged before use. Can you please advise me. Regards, Ian Warner.
On May 21, 2012 at 6:13pm
Bob Kondner wrote:

That is only a 28Hr battery. I know nothing about golf cart loads but 28Hr does sound like a lot. What does the golf cart motor require? I checked, it is an AGM battery. Do you know for how many hours it took how much charge? No, You do not want to run it down all the way, very bad idea. Just be sure you charge it all the way. To do that you need a volt meter and the specs from the manufacturer. Bob K.
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On May 21, 2012 at 11:53pm
Ian Warner wrote:

Thanks for that info Bob K. It took approximately 3 to 4 hours to show fully charged on the charger. I put a voltmeter across it and it read 13.45volts. The info off the buggy motor is 12 volt 180w. This size battery was supplied with the buggy when bought new. I have used the battry four times now and each time it seems to be getting stronger. I can now get 18 hole out of it, although still quite weak at the end. Once again, thanks for your help. Ian Warner.
On May 22, 2012 at 12:55pm
Bob Kondner wrote:

Ian, If the charger only took the battery to 13.4 V then the battery was not fully charged. I would guess you are using a Float Charger which uses a very low vlotage as to not overcharge. You want to see the voltage head closer to 14.4 if the battery is < 70F or to 14.2 if > 70F. At 100F only 14.0V. AGM are not like floated plate, you dont see the voltage rise up as much at the end of charge. You need a charger with some smarts. Bob K.
On May 27, 2012 at 7:34am
ryan wrote:
what will happen if electrolite was added to lead acid battery
On May 31, 2012 at 2:56pm
Kiel Durmaj wrote:

@Ryan, All lead acid batteries have electrolyte (hence the term acid). You may be referring to AGM batteries which are also referred to as acid starved batteries due to the limited amount of electrolyte. If this is the case, it is never recommended to add more sulfuric acid to the battery since the concentration/level from the original fill is great enough. Since it would seem have a SEALED lead acid battery and it would only damage that seal to open it enough to add any form of liquid. That being said, dont open your battery. Kiel
On June 2, 2012 at 12:11am
mathan wrote:
sir, flooded battery revival works not suitable why?
maulana wrote:
how long does a 75 watt solar pannel charge a 120 ah Raylite maintainance free battery, that is 50% full.
On June 21, 2012 at 12:03pm
Sunil wrote:
How to set up a Float voltage on a charger ? Do I need to isolate Battery set or I can set up with Battery set connected ??
On June 23, 2012 at 3:52pm
Clive Pearson wrote:

Hi I have 3 batteries 12v @ 220Ah wired in Paralell what charger and at what amps would I need to recharge these ,these are for a camper van system Also a 24v system = 2x12v @220Ah in series same question as above One other question I know with ohms law if you increase the voltage of a supply you drop the amperage and visa versa if you drop voltage you increase amperage. What happens in a battery in series as regards the Ah as in for example 2x12v@220Ah in series = 24v as there is a voltage increase does this drop the output amperage regards clive
On July 9, 2012 at 10:38am
Ron Gardner wrote:

I have a vehicle with 225 amp alternator charging a 150 AH battery. When battery level is low (11.8 volts with no load) & I start engine & measure the current from alternator charging battery I get around 45 amps? If I add a 45 amp load the alternator output goes to 90 amps, why does the battery charging by itself only charge at 45 amps? Is there a limit on charge rate that lead acid batteries will charge at? Any insight would be appreciated.
On July 9, 2012 at 11:13am
Bob Kondner wrote:

Hi, There are a LOT of reasons that you dont get more than 45 amps. The alternator is not a Zero Ohm Impendence Output. If you short out the alternator you might get 225 Amps but
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that must be one heck of an alternator. The alternator output is not like a regulated DC supply. Plus you have resistance in wires and the battery. You might want to check voltages at various spots and see where you are dropping any voltage due to wire resistance. Yes, there are limits to charging rates but that depends on the type of battery. AGM batteries spec very high charging rates but I have never experiments at 100 amps or more. Flooded plate batteries exhibit a sharp increase in voltage as they are charged. The only way to get 100% capacity, or at least a high level of charge, is to allow the battery to charge up slowly. Getting that last level of charge takes a long time. Bob K.
On July 20, 2012 at 10:04am
john Bean wrote:

What is the best battery charger to charge a 48v (4-12v 14amp) system? Is a 48v 3.0amp charger sufficient to fully charge them?
Danilo wrote:
Hello, i have at home Pb battery 100Ah 12V. Im charging these battery with 5,0 A and i have setup charger with 2,25V/cell. Is these good? Link for these battery M83CHP12V27 http://www.tpscrail.com/products/gnb/PDF/Element Bloks.pdf
Kein wrote:
Dear sir, How do I calculate a battery recharge time so as to ensure it is less or equal to 8 hours for my design below? I designing a PV system for a 4w transmitter to operate 24 hours per day, 5 days of autonomy, battery losses of 0.85, Depth of Discharge of 75%, nominal battery voltage of 12V DC. I have calculated my battery capacity (Ah) as follows: (4x 24 x 5)/(0.85 x 0.75 x 12) = 63Ah. I have also calculated my PV size as below: Peak power Wp = (1.25 x Transmitter Load x Daily duty cycle)/(Peak Sun Hour) Wp = (1.25x4x24)/4.2 = 29W ~ will peak 30W 12V mono crystalline panel Isc =18.3A, Voc =20.7V
Lawrence Coomber wrote:

Can anybody help me with this one. I have 25 x 12 V 150 Ah Gel Cell Batteries connected in series showing about 320 V output. I have the series battery bank connected in parallel to a solar array with a constant daily Voltage output of about 330 - 350 V. The circuit includes a blocking diode between the battery bank and the solar array to prevent reverse current from the battery bank to the solar array. The circuit is connected to a varying domestic home load. Obviously at night the battery bank is the sole source but in the day the solar supports both the load and also the battery re-charging. Am I correct in my analysis of this circuit? I have tried to create a simple balanced circuit here with minimum of complexity of seperate cahtgers which would not be available because of the series circuit anyway. Thank you for any commects you can offer.
sureshkumar wrote:
Iwand install 24 volt ,1kw,dc power in offshore crane72 houre battery back up.crane enginhave 24 volt 30amer battery charging altrenaterr.can you give an idea?
Baruah wrote:
Is it dangerous to connect a small UPS with a big 150 Ah tubular battery? The ups transformer gets very hot within 15-20 min of charging, but with some improvised cooling aid I keep it going. And how the internal resistance of LA btr changes with charge or discharge?
F J Husein wrote:
I was wondering if anyone could help me. I have 4 12V Lead acid batteries connected in series to my IPS (Instant Power Supply) unit. The connection between 2 batteries got snapped. Now I have 2 questions. 1. I disconnected the wiring to the positive terminal of the 1st battery so is there any current flowing through the other connections? 2. How do I rewire the whole system so that it is up and running again?
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venom wrote:
@ F J Husein so you have a 48V system (12V battery X 4 in series) 1. this is a chain of battery, an open in this chain means no current flows through any of the battery. 2. wiring + 48v to IPS positive + - indicates one battery - c + c + c + 0v to IPS negative -
c indicates a connection between - and + of adjacent batteries
Deepthikumar wrote:
how to calculate the amount of active material for a lead acid battery based on Ah? how to calculate the SOC using OCV? what is the relation between SOC and specific gravity of acid in lead acid battery?
On September 1, 2012 at 4:44am
Muhammad Farooq wrote:

How much current per hour required for 150 Amp Lead Acid Batteries
On September 16, 2012 at 5:23am
Alex wrote:
Hy, I have a car battery rated 12 V, how do I know the level of how charged is ? From the voltage ?
Roy McSheffrey wrote:

Is it possible to have my battery charger running at the same time that Im running an ac adapter to power my computer,
ling michael wrote:

How many % or cc water loss of maintenance free battery during service life, please give me data or water loss curve. thank you.
Shan Mehmood wrote:

How much charging time can we take a 12 volts, 190 Amp Lead Acid Battery to charge properly using 26 Amp and 12.80 volts charger? And after charging completion, how much should the battery voltages?
James Japp wrote:

Some time ago generator died on my old diesel truck, so I have to recharge the two SLI batteries manually (Ill install an alternator and scrap the stupid generator). The charger that I have is a simple 12V 20A unregulated unit, so I put a digital volt meter across battery terminals and monitor voltage and here I noticed something strange. After some 30 minutes or an hour voltage reaches certain point between 13.85V and 14.10V and stays there for an hour or longer. Current is also stable at about 5A or more (I got two 66Ah batteries in parallel). Batteries dont get warm during charging. When I disconnect the charger and continue charging after 10 hours or so it immediately goes over 14.4V or so, no matter whether I left it sit for more than an hour at the same voltage or whether I disconnected it much earlier. What is going on here? It looks like batteries are just dissipating power somehow, but hows that possible? How can batteries absorb 2-3A each and keep the same voltage that indicates that they are not yet full and then after some rest period become full? They are not too close to the engine, so while the truck is running they get to about 25-30 C (77-86F) and overnight they cool to about 15-20C, so I dont think that the temperature is important factor here.
James Japp wrote:

@Shan Mehmood You cant charge 12V battery with 12.8V charger, that voltage is nowhere near enough to charge a battery. But I dont think that you have a 12.8V charger, Im guessing that you used a digital multimeter and measured voltage across charger terminals when it wasnt connected to a battery. Digital multimeters (DMM) get confused with pulsed DC and most battery chargers of that size dont have filtering capacitors (because they dont need them). DMM tries to read an RMS value of full wave (or half-wave if you charger is very old) and fails. Anyway, RMS voltage is not important value for a battery charger, you want to know its peak voltage and to measure that you need an electrolytic capacitor with voltage rating of at least 25V. You need to connect it in parallel with your DMM and charger (dont mix the polarities) and then read the voltage. For example, when I measure my charger with DMM it has 12.00-12.20V (it depends on mains voltage which fluctuates in my area), but actual peak voltage is 18.20V. You dont actually need to do all this, but you can if youre interested. Now to answer you question - no one can tell you how long you need to charge a battery because that depends on many factors - how much have you discharged it, not all batteries
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charge at the same rate, some take longer and charge current and voltage depend on your mains voltage. So, connect the charger and monitor voltages, for a full charge at room temperature voltage should be 14.2-14.4V, you got more details in this article.
Wilfred Kube wrote:

I have a Toyota Coaster bus which is fitted out as a motor-home. The vehicle was manufactured with a 24 volt electrical system, which uses two batteries in series, of 12 volts each. I have outlined a description of the auxiliary electrical system below, but my basic question is, how can I know how depleted my auxiliary batteries are at the end of a day in which the refrigerator has been working for a long time? I think the basic rule is that the batteries should not be discharged below 50% of their capacity, but what reliable method can I use to determine when they have reached this point? There are two auxiliary 12 volt batteries in series, each 120 amp-hour, to provide power for the house system namely refrigerator, lights, water-pump, and various 12 volt power outlets. The refrigerator is the major user of battery power, because it is a compressor fridge which uses the equivalent of 12 volts 8amps (i.e.96 watts) while it is running, and it runs for approximately 8 to 12 hours in each 24 hour period depending on how hot the weather is. The auxiliary batteries are charged by two solar panels of 80 watts each, and receive additional charging from the vehicle alternator when the engine is running. There is a battery isolator which automatically disconnects the auxiliary batteries from the vehicle electrical system when the engine is not running. The voltage regulator for the solar panel charging system provides a constant display for the auxiliary system, including the auxiliary battery voltage. I have been in the habit of checking the voltage last thing at night, and first thing in the morning, to find how much power the fridge has taken from the batteries. If the night time voltage is below 24.8volts, then the morning reading is below 24.0 volts. The problem is that if we have not done much driving on a particular day, and the solar panels have not done much charging because of cloudy weather, the night-time voltage may only be 24.2 volts, and the morning voltage not much above 23 volts. If the battery is at 24.2 volts when the fridge is not running, then when the fridge starts running the voltage reading drops down to about 23.5 volts. And so my question remains, what is the lowest acceptable voltage for my auxiliary battery system, so that the batteries are not damaged by being discharged too much. Thank you for reading through a long and detailed letter, but I wanted to provide sufficient background information.
Graham Budd wrote:

I have 6x2v full traction batteries linked to give 12v and 860 amps at c20 my question is how long should I set my charger to run for at bulk, should I set the absorption charge at 14.8. Or leave it at 14.4 volts? My charger is a victron Phoenix multi 2500/12/12v Thanking you in anticipation
Kiani wrote:
I have a 12v lead-acid battery that charges to 16.65v when fully charged. why does that happen?
Patrick wrote:
What do you mean by Cycle use voltage = 14.4-15 Vdc and Stand by use voltage = 13.6-13.8 Vdc located at the battery specification.. When the UPS is running may know what is the standard voltage charge of each batteries.
MR TOWNSEND wrote:
I HAVE A MOBILTY SCOOTER WITH LEAD ACID BATTERIES IN I WAS TOLD YOU SHOULD NOT LET THEM FREEZE. THE SCOOTER HAS TO STAY OUTSIDE WHAT CAN I DOO TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING?
David wrote:
I have been using a charger to charge a SLA Battery 12v 21ah,i have put the charger through a charger tester to show the v and ah of the charging cycle,should the voltage have peaks /spikes during charging?
Lutz wrote:
I have 2x 12v 90Ah gel batteries in series to give me 24V. My load is drawing 0.7A. I am using 2x 130Watt 12V solar panels in series to keep batteries charged. The charge current from the solar panels at midday ojn a full sunshine day is 2.5 A. It seems my batteries are runnig flat in about 12 days. I dont seem to find the problem, please help me to solve this problem.
Jorge Viana wrote:

Please help me: Were building a small solar plant to serve an isolated community within the Amazon jungle. We are using VRLA batteries. How much thermal energy is generated in the charge cycle? Total energy stored 60kW. Thanks,
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Merle Frey wrote:

I have a 12 volt Schuyler battery charger if I connect it to a discharged 12 volt battery, I get on the meter a green light then it goes to 15 amp charge then back and forth from green light to charge. What is causing this to happen These are both marine batteries. but it doesnt matter if I put the switch on Normal or Marine. Thanks
Ron Kushnier wrote:

I need a Float Charger for my 12 volt car battery. What I have is a fairly sophisticated Craftsman Ni-Cd battery charger (Mod # 974062-001) for an old electric drill. The 1 hr charger says it works for 12.0, 13.2, and 14.4 volt batteries. I measured an open circuit voltage of 30 VDC coming from the charger. When I attach my car battery to the charger, I see 12 V across the terminals with a constant 60 mA being pumped into battery. My question is whether 60mA represents enough current for a trickle charge, or am I just powering the clock and other electronics of the car with the car power off. Thanks in advance.
Fred Robson wrote:

deer sir , what means it to charge a battery?
Hugh Leekie wrote:

Some help, please? I ave a 6V 1.2Ah sealed lead acid battery which is part of our house alarm and which is charged via solar panel. What with the poor summer and now very short light days it is requiring a top up. I have removed the battery from the appliance and am charging it with a charger 6V dc 500mA 3VA. The battery was showing 4.6V with my digimeter before charging started and now after about 40 hours of charging it is showing 5.75V. Is this a normal situationshould it take as long as that? I would welcome some guidance please as the source of the house alarm kit suggests charging at 7.5V 500mA whereas the shop selling me the charger says charge at 6V and that is what the charger is doing (hopefully). Thank you.
Ron wrote:
I would check the open circuit voltage of your charger with your meter. Hopefully, it would be somewhat higher than 6 VDC. Otherwise when it is under load from the battery, it will not be able to pump enough energy into the cells. Also, you may want to change your digimeter to read amps, put it in series with your charger and battery and check the current being drawn during charging.
James Japp wrote:

@Hugh Cheaper digital multimeters cant read the voltage accurately on pulsed DC, which is what most chargers produce. Usually DMM will show lower voltage. Its best to connect the ammeter in series and to see if the charger is charing the battery. For your application charging current should be at least about 50 mA, ideally around 300 mA, but not higher than 360 mA. OCV of a charged battery should be 6.3V and the voltage on while charging should be 7.2V. 5.75V is a lot lower than it should be. If charging current with that charger of yours is several hundred mA you most likely have dead battery, if charging current is low then your charger is inadequate. For this kind of battery you could use any cell phone charger, if you could find a way to connect it.
Hugh Leckie wrote:

Thank you Ron and James for your words of advice. Whilst connected to the charger and charging I put the digimeter terminals across the battery and the reading was 6.5V. The bare battery still only is showing 5.7V so it looks like the battery is on the way out. Time for a replacement. (Incidentally putting the DMM terminals across the charger unconnected leads whilst switched on and set to Dc voltage 20, there is no reading-the red charging light does not illuminate. It does however light when the leads are connected across the battery terminals.
Denton wrote:
Hi I have a problem with battery . I use a 6 cell 12 v lead acid battery with an inverter for uninterrupted power supply. I didnt do any maintainance on the battery for a long time and recently I found that plates in all the six cell were exposed .I have since filled the cells with water .Battery seems to be working but find that its temperature while charging goes beyond 40 degree centigrade.I am wondering if this is normal .I remember reading in the article that normal is around 30 degree .I can say ambient temperature is about 25.
Bob K. wrote:
Denton, First I hope you used distilled water, right? Some info required: AHr rating of the battery, obviously a flooded plate
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Nature of charger. Smart? Number and description of charging cycles. What level of charging current do you see and at what voltage? If the plates were only slightly exposed I would not expect a lot of damage. If we are tolking 50% of plate exposure well that would be bad. I worry that if you had a lot of exposed plate perhaps you effective battery capacity has been sriously reduced. So now your charger is effectivly charging a much smaller battery. Once a battery warms up its terminal voltages tend to drop. If you charger is in a bulk phase and the battery voltage stays low the charger could stay in bulk mode. If the charging current is high you could end up in a thermal run away situation. You need to watch the battery termina voltage. If it is not hitting about 14.4V when it should be reacing full charge *23C) then you have a serious battery problems. Bob K.
Jerry Marnie wrote:

I have a dozen 6-volt golf car batteries that charge up to about 6 volts each, and drop only about 0.3 volts when tested with a load tester. However they each continue to draw maximum charge current when connected to a variety of chargers, and do NOT charge to at least 6.3 volts, as my other batteries do. Some have normal specific gravity, and some are low. Is there anything I can do to recondition these batteries??
abrar wrote:
hello every one i am student of 10th class i have no source to study continue please let me how i made a battery of 4v 0.5Ah thanks in advance.
Hasnat Jamil wrote:

i have a 12V lead acid battery. It is used for a inverter used for uninterrupted power supply. -after one year use it is now unused for almost one year(no charging and watering). -it has voltage 6.28V(measured by DMM) and plates are exposed about one inch. *what should i do to recover it???
Hasnat Jamil wrote:

can i put Distilled water in it and charge it with a trickle charger??? ......pls anyone
Mithu wrote:
Hello every one i am charging 12V ,4.5AH lead acid battery ,and charging up 13.8Volts and recharge the battery if below 12.9Volts , but after fully charged to 13.8v it well recharge again i.e floating charge fully complete charged and charging
MANAS KHANDA wrote:

plese send my Email 12 volts dc to 220 AC output, without transformer circuit diagram
Batte Ryman wrote:

On January 13, 2013 at 10:54am Hasnat Jamil wrote I think that battery is sulfatised. So in my opinion you better buy a new one. Not much choice.
Batte Ryman wrote:

Hugh Leekie On December 14, 2012 at 7:03am On December 15, 2012 at 6:27am You talk about sealed lead acid, part of house alarm, equipped with solar panel. House alarm means: there is almost always grid power available and I assume the alarm actually is connected to the gird, with the solar panel purely as backup power source. My understanding is that this battery will (or at least should) be in float charging modus for almost 100% of the time. And that with proper float charging (at always the correct voltage with respect to its temperature) such a battery could last for 10 years. If the system is much less than 10 years old, then either the float charger should be inspected and repaired/replaced/improved, or my assumption about the grid connection is false. In
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either case the battery should be replaced, because as you can read here: http://www.progressivedyn.com/battery_basics.html the voltage should not have gone below 5.25 V in order to have prevented serious damage.
aswin kumar wrote:

hi, we are planning to use 54Ah battery, so i would like to go with constant voltage charging, i have a source of 14V @ 7A but it is the source to all other circuit also. so is it recommended to charge a battery with the same source and more over what will be the intial currnet to charge the battery whether is it calculated by 2C. if it is 2C then main source is loaded and will there be a drop across the volatge.
Rich wrote:
I am wondering what happens if one accidentally charges an LSI battery with a deep cycle charge?
I was using a 10 amp 12v charger on automatic setting but set on deep cycle instead of LSI. would this ruin my battery or make it otherwise unable to receive a charge?
thanks!
muhammad arshad wrote:

hi ,,,here is some dangrous with me last few months i bought a new 200 ah battery for my ups ,,,first two month i did not felt the put down water in the battery that was full and cool that i saw my battery started to dry water suddenly and some heating .... i put the water after two weeks i felt the back is just 30 minutes on 100 watts usage .. i checked the battery that was tooooooo hot and there was no water inside ..... i put the water in it............... and googled there i found that my battery was sulfated i desulfated it ,,,first of all i drained all acid inside , and then washed with water ,,then i put baking soda for many hours in it then drained baking soda water ...then put epsum salt in it with water and put it at slow charge after 15 hours charging battery was cool then i put the 50 watts load on it ...back up was just for 20 minutes .....now i am charging it again at slow current just 10 volts and 7to 8 amp but the backup is till now just 20 minutes ... now i am worry what should i do now can i put sulfuric acid and water mixture in it what should i do pls help me thnx email is alpha_19_20@hotmail.com
sc00by2 wrote:
Very informative page, thank you! I have a question for you. Using a dc to ac converter connected to a 1700mah lead-acid battery, will I be able to charge a laptop battery that draws 120-watts, and how many of these could I charge? Thanks!
James Japp wrote:

First of all capacity in amp-hours does not give you the total amount of energy stored in that battery, you need to multiply that with (nominal) voltage. For example 12V, 1.7 Ah battery has theoretical capacity of 12*1.7 = 20.4 Wh (Watt-hours). Label on your laptop charger says 120W which is the maximum power it can draw, it doesnt draw that much all the time. Laptop batteries typically have capacities between 40 and 60 Wh, so its two to three times more than 12V 1700 mAh battery, so you probably wont be able to charge the laptop battery. You could be able to run the laptop (with its battery removed) from your lead acid battery and if your LA battery is 12V one you could use car adapter for your laptop which is probably more efficient than DC-AC inverter. Youll probably need a lot bigger battery though
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Charging Lead Acid