6vdc Trojan T105 (225ah) Equalization

[john61ct]

Probably get alternator advice from more people by starting a new thread

[rgleason]

Ok, will do that later.
Have reprogrammed the ars-5 as in the pdf attachment with two exceptions the CL Batt temp voltage limit for Trojan T-105 of 15.9 will not go above 15.6 because the High Voltage limit is set to 15.6. So I may change AHL from 15.6 to 15.9.
Also A1c minumum absorption voltage duration was set to 59 minutes.

Summary
It has taken 6.75 hrs in bulk, with engine to reach absorbtion with 2 6v batteries starting at 6.24v.

Absorbtion -A- is still going after 4hrs with the engine. The clamping amps at the batteries is 3.5 approximately. We have put back into the batteries 22ah since charging fully to Float, then reprogramming the ACS-5 and then measuring tha ah put back in with our link10. These ah are the missing amps we never would have recharged had we charged the batts to full with our old wiring sense wires off the alt and without the regulator program changes. It is approxumately 10% of the battery so far and we have not equalized. So we were only charging to 90% at best and that was not often. We have solar 14watts but that is probably not enough to keep them topped. I wonder what we need in watts to do that if we can get the batts to 90% full after each use?

How much longer until it hits -F- Flood?

6,75 + 4 = 10.75 hrs charging. which is too much for anyone.

[a64pilot]

I’m not following half of that to be honest, but yes 10 hours assuming a decent charge source size and if absorption voltage is correct is too long.
My take is stick it out for a while longer, let them rest / Cool and then equalize, your sulphated.
There may be some additional recovery with more than one equalization.

[rgleason]

Link10 now says 24.6 amps put back into batts.

I can hear what I think is the batts bubbling when I go measure the amps at the battery with the clamp meter.
I guess I'll take it to 11hrs and then shutdown. This is a bit insane. Thanks a64pilot for your coaching. Maybe tomorrow morning I start the engine, charge it again and the and set the bulk stage of the regulator to 16.2 and run it for equalization for an hour or two.

[rgleason]

Link now says 25.4 amps and ars-5 shows -A- absorption at bv=14,6 and calculated cv= 14.6. It appears that most link10 amp readings are below 3 with some at 3.3 but more in the 2.x range. So current acceptance by battery is lessening. The measurement with the clamp meter of amperage is generally higher by 1 5 aprox amps, but the link10 reading follows the reading at the battery. It may be awhile yet, but if the link shows that the amperage being added to the batts has stalled, I will shut down even if the -F- flood has not started. The temps are ok bat 28c alt 76c

[a64pilot]

Your doing all this on engine?
If so can you get to shorepower? Equalization takes longer than an hour or two, not sure on your batteries, but I’d guess you really need shorepower and more than one equalization cycle with a rest in between and shorepower taking the load so bank can ideally be disconnected.
If you only have alternator. I guess you do what you can.

Do you have a Honda, or can one be rented?

[john61ct]

Your bank having been PSOC abused pretty badly for how long?

May no longer **ever** get down to "as new" endAmps.

Another criterion for Full once aged / worn is:

Current change over a one-hour period of less than 0.1A

[rgleason]

Yes engine.
Ended last night at 22:00 after 6.25 hours of acceptance -A-.
bat bV=14.6v, calculated Cv=14.6v, batts b1=28c, alt AL=74c, clamping amps at batterys 3.9 amps average.

Now this morning after resting, no loads (minor led lights), no engine running, 12.65v, #1batt=6.31 and #2batt=6.32
SP readings are about 1295 in all cells. Still have trouble doing this exactly.

It seems like the battery is charged to about 93% and the voltage has actually gone down from before when I had readings of 6.35v per battery.

[rgleason]

John this is the start of the 4th year. Boat is on a mooring, we never let it go below 50% and often not below 75%. We have a 14watt solar panel with a genasun controller which is intended to top of the battery when we aren't in it. Cruise for about 35 days per year, otherwise daysailing without much load.

[rgleason]

John, what do you mean Full once aged/worn is
Current change over a 1hr period of less than 0.1A.

It seems to be accepting about 3.5 - 3.9 amps / per hour.

[rgleason]

Yes, engine.
Last night ended at 22:00 hrs after 6.25 hrs of absorption -A- with clamping amps at batts of about 3.9amps engine running, added 28.1ah total to batts over the 6.25 hrs according to link10.

This morning no loads on batts except some light led use, 12.65v at batteries, #1 6.31c #2 6.32v SG was about 1275 all cells, estimate battery is at 93% SOC.

[rgleason]

John, also we try to leave the boat on the mooring at the end of a cruise, topped off at 95% at least. Additionally last year we did way too much powering to get to destinations, so the batts were being charged but not like they are now.

[john61ct]

So the bank is four years old, and has consistently been PSOC undercharged.

Therefore no surprise it takes much longer to get to the mfg sped endAmps.

It is normal for such banks to **never** get there, very likely have reached a SoH lower than 80% industry standard for replacement as per a 20-hour load test.

But if such a bank is not replaced, the owner must set their own new endAmps spec.

Either a higher fixed current level, or something like this, which is the standard for Deka's GCs

Originally Posted by rgleason

Current change over a 1hr period of less than 0.1A

[rgleason]

So the bank is four years old, and has consistently been PSOC undercharged.

John, saw the battery label, the bank is E15 (April 2015), so it has been used 3 seasons, and during the winter was in the basement on wood, and charged with Guest 3-step charger. During the summer I would charge it up to 95% or more and would generally not let it get below 75%, plus I have a 14 watt solar panel with a Genasun controler, which puts out 1 amp during the day. We would come back last year and see many amps added.

I am trying to understand this statement, what do you mean? Is this while charging?
"Current change over a 1hr period of less than 0.1A"

NOW I GET IT...
"It is normal for such banks to **never** get there, very likely have reached a SOC lower than 80% industry standard for replacement as per a 20-hour load test."
"But if such a bank is not replaced, the owner must set their own new endAmps spec."
"Either a higher fixed current level, or something like this, which is the standard for Deka's GCs"
"Current change over a 1hr period of less than 0.1A"
=====
Don't know how I set that in the Balmar ACS-5. I could sort of watch it manually.

=====
It seemed to be accepting about 3.5 - 3.9 amps / per hour at the time you wrote this, now since I charged it for hours it seems to be accepting a little less.
=====
This morning I tried charging with the engine again at 1600 rpm, and the Balmar Regulator stayed at -b- Bulk at about 14.8 amps and the amp-hours that the Link 10 recorded being added to the battery were about 7.2 ah, but in the 3 hours of charging the Regulator never went into -A- Absorption. I turned off the engine totally puzzled, I expected it go go into -A- mode within 18 minutes or perhaps 30 minutes at the most.

Something isn't right, that's for sure, but I'll write it up in the morning.


======
I think they are at 93% SOG, but I don't know for sure. Need to do a load test.

Maybe I should just limp along this summer and get all the wiring sorted out completely. Right now the Alt power wire goes to the Starter which goes to the "C" on the 12Both. I need a new wire from Alt + power to the #1 House Bank and I need to take that jumper from the starter to the alt off. I want the Starter and the House Panel to be powered from Bank #1 or #2, turning the 12Both into a Battery use selector.

Then get new batteries, and hope that we do better next time?


But I just don't see how we can do the kind of charging we have done in the last two days, throughout the summer. It will be impossible.

Is a bigger solar panel needed?

[rgleason]

rgleason:

This morning I tried charging with the engine again at 1600 rpm, and the Balmar Regulator stayed at -b- Bulk at about 14.8 amps and the amp-hours that the Link 10 recorded being added to the battery were about 7.2 ah, but in the 3 hours of charging the Regulator never went into -A- Absorption. I turned off the engine totally puzzled, I expected it go go into -A- mode within 18 minutes or perhaps 30 minutes at the most.

Something isn't right, that's for sure, but I'll write it up in the morning.

It has just occurred to me that the 14 watt PV panel (through a Genasun controller), was connected and was quite likely adding 1amp, while I was charging.

Is it possible that this would mess up the Regulator so that it would not move out of -b- bulk and into -A- absorption?