6vdc Trojan T105 (225ah) Equalization

[john61ct]

Float does nothing useful other than offset self-discharge.

2-3 day's rest ditto, except to check voltage.

Do the commissioning cycle(s) on the new set, then use normally but gently say 50+ cycles before load testing, long as you don't go past warranty cut off.

Or if you enjoy doing it you sick OCD do one asap before commissioning then one after the 50 cycles be amazed magic gain in capacity.

wrt the old set be prepared to scrap, swapping will get old fast.

[rgleason]

"Or if you enjoy doing it you sick OCD do one asap before commissioning then one after the 50 cycles be amazed magic gain in capacity."

Ok, so being new batteries and not exercised for 50 cycles, is another reason a near 50% discharge showed only 53 amps.

Additionally, while reviewing notes taken from Trojan documentation, they regard 12.1v as 50% disharged.

So the Link10 voltage inaccuracy of 0.18, taking the amp reading at 12.2 instead of 12.1v, the heat, and the fact they are new batteries without 50 cycles completed, are the reasons I did not see -112.5 amp on my Link10.

Is it better to take the battery down to near 50% during the initial 50 cycles rather than shallow discharges and then recharge of 30-40:amps?

[john61ct]

Again overthinking.

During break in, after commissioning protocol, just use them as needed. Except try to be gentle in C rates. That's all.

And as accurate as possible means of guesstimating SoC should be primary, voltage becomes nearly irrelevant.

Load test for SoH.

[john61ct]

test rgleason you see this?

[rgleason]

Yes, john. Thanks. Your web browser search brought up the thread I was looking for on FLA and the link is invalid. That link worked two days ago. Something happened. I wrote the admin to see if it could be recovered.
Thanks.

[rgleason]

The link was
FLA 20hr Test to 10.5v - Flooded Lead Acid - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[john61ct]

Yes, as of this moment Google shows it
https://www.google.com/search?q=site...oded-lead-acid

but not present on the site

[Oceansailor]

I decided to give my 2 month old Trojan an equalization charge after 6 weeks off the grid. I did charge the bank full over 2 days in the marina. Restarting the charger 2-3 times in order to maximize absorbtion time. Then measured the gravity. And yes batteries where fully charged. No reason for equalizing as gravity and voltage in all eight batteries was O.K. But inspired of this post I wanted try the equalizing mode on the Mastervolt Combi. According to manual it should do 15.5V equalizing charge. However the voltage never went up above 14.5 V. Perhaps I was impatient. Only gave it 1 hour. Voltage 14.5V and 6A current.

I’m not sure why the equalizing mode does not work better. Perhaps there are some limitations and the battery bank is to large? (900Ah)

Would it be appropriate to increase bulk voltage to 15.5V (max) and make a controlled overcharge for 90 minutes?

[john61ct]

First misconception is to think equalization is only needed if symptoms are showing.

It is most of all a preventative protocol, monthly at a minimum, as part of even coddling with the best care routines.

To the extent PSOC is regular, frequency should increase, again as a counteracting preventative.

Yes that is a large bank. There is no such thing as "too large", you just need an appropriately proportional high current charger!

The fact it took more than overnight to get to Full is a big red flag. I would ensure shore charging feeds that bank 150A minimum, 200A would be better.

Also, charge sources should be adjusted to there is no need to restart anything, Absorb should automatically be held every cycle and endAmps achieved before the source drops to Float.

That is IMO the only reliable method of judging Full.

With a tiny current available, of course expecting an hour to be enough to get to a higher voltage is unrealistic, even overnight may not be enough.

Finally, equalizing needs to be done separately on each battery, sounds like you're trying to do it on the bank as a whole while the batts are still interconnected?

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Oceansailor

...I wanted try the equalizing mode on the Mastervolt Combi. According to manual it should do 15.5V equalizing charge. However the voltage never went up above 14.5 V. Perhaps I was impatient. Only gave it 1 hour. Voltage 14.5V and 6A current.

I’m not sure why the equalizing mode does not work better. Perhaps there are some limitations and the battery bank is to large? (900Ah)

Would it be appropriate to increase bulk voltage to 15.5V (max) and make a controlled overcharge for 90 minutes?

Oceansailor,

We also have 8- T105 Trojan batteries in the house bank [yielding a nominal 900 Ah @ 12V DC.] We equalize about monthly, or whenever we have shorepower- whichever comes first.

We have the usual charging sources. [All individually regulated; AC powered DC battery chargers, generator, alternator, solar, wind.]

On average since they were new, it takes our bank of 4+ year old batteries about 6- 8 hours to complete an equalization cycle. [Per measured SG]

We use our Magnum inverter/charger for this task. But it won't let us set any voltages higher than 16V DC- including equalization. Trojan specifies 16.2V DC as the equalization voltage (@ 77°F...)

For reference from our bank: the amperage during the equalization cycle starts at 10 - 12A and slowly ramps down, while the voltage begins at ~15.8 and slowly ramps up. The battery temp today is 59°F.

Our house bank is close to the hull below the waterline, so it stays cooler than many [mid 40s in winter to mid 60s in summer; °F] Therefore our batteries require slightly higher voltage [e.g., +1.x volts on average] for everything [increase voltage for temps below 77°F]— which we never achieve during the equalization cycle. [16.0 limited by charger vs. 17.2 temperature adjusted equalization voltage per manufacturer.]

I mention this to share that our [combined] batteries seem to achieve equalization [measuring SG] over that period even though voltage is slightly lower than specified.

Perhaps it would take a bit less time if the proper voltage could be applied...? [Just guessing...]

Just comparing notes in case any of it is useful for you...

Cheers! Bill

[a64pilot]

Mine is an AGM bank, but when fully charged, it doesn’t take long at all to get to equalization voltages, and only a very little current once there, something like 2 amps or less on a 660AH bank.
Yes, I equalize the whole bank, maybe independent would be better, but I’m not going to do that every month.

I’d suspect that if it’s taking significant time to reach equalization voltages, either your current output is limited, or your bank really needs it, or more likely the bank wasn’t fully charged and there is still charging going on.

[john61ct]

So Lifeline, the only AGM that still recommends high volt equalizing

[Oceansailor]

Originally Posted by john61ct

First misconception is to think equalization is only needed if symptoms are showing.

It is most of all a preventative protocol, monthly at a minimum, as part of even coddling with the best care routines.

To the extent PSOC is regular, frequency should increase, again as a counteracting preventative.

Yes that is a large bank. There is no such thing as "too large", you just need an appropriately proportional high current charger!

The fact it took more than overnight to get to Full is a big red flag. I would ensure shore charging feeds that bank 150A minimum, 200A would be better.

Also, charge sources should be adjusted to there is no need to restart anything, Absorb should automatically be held every cycle and endAmps achieved before the source drops to Float.

That is IMO the only reliable method of judging Full.

With a tiny current available, of course expecting an hour to be enough to get to a higher voltage is unrealistic, even overnight may not be enough.

Finally, equalizing needs to be done separately on each battery, sounds like you're trying to do it on the bank as a whole while the batts are still interconnected?

Mastervolt chargers comes with a standard setting of 4 hours Absorb.
That is not enough if the batteries have been used i PSOC for an extended period. I can extend that time to 8 hours. But I prefer to restart the charger as 8 hours can be to long in case the batteries are full or almost full.

I’m sure equalizing each battery would be better. But that is not going to happen. I do not want to become a slave to my batteries. I’m not looking for perfection.

[Oceansailor]

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

Oceansailor,



We also have 8- T105 Trojan batteries in the house bank [yielding a nominal 900 Ah @ 12V DC.] We equalize about monthly, or whenever we have shorepower- whichever comes first.



We have the usual charging sources. [All individually regulated; AC powered DC battery chargers, generator, alternator, solar, wind.]



On average since they were new, it takes our bank of 4+ year old batteries about 6- 8 hours to complete an equalization cycle. [Per measured SG]



We use our Magnum inverter/charger for this task. But it won't let us set any voltages higher than 16V DC- including equalization. Trojan specifies 16.2V DC as the equalization voltage (@ 77°F...)



For reference from our bank: the amperage during the equalization cycle starts at 10 - 12A and slowly ramps down, while the voltage begins at ~15.8 and slowly ramps up. The battery temp today is 59°F.



Our house bank is close to the hull below the waterline, so it stays cooler than many [mid 40s in winter to mid 60s in summer; °F] Therefore our batteries require slightly higher voltage [e.g., +1.x volts on average] for everything [increase voltage for temps below 77°F]— which we never achieve during the equalization cycle. [16.0 limited by charger vs. 17.2 temperature adjusted equalization voltage per manufacturer.]



I mention this to share that our [combined] batteries seem to achieve equalization [measuring SG] over that period even though voltage is slightly lower than specified.



Perhaps it would take a bit less time if the proper voltage could be applied...? [Just guessing...]



Just comparing notes in case any of it is useful for you...



Cheers! Bill

Thanks Bill, Very useful information.