Getting batteries to Full Charge, how often?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

There is no way to change my battery charger settings. So I have to decide if the "problem" is worth spending money on.

We don't even have a battery charger, made it just fine on a 1 year cruise and the 5 years following. Are the batteries as healthy as they could have been? No. But who cares. They're still doing all I ask of them.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

We don't even have a battery charger, made it just fine on a 1 year cruise and the 5 years following. Are the batteries as healthy as they could have been? No. But who cares. They're still doing all I ask of them.

All that matters

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

We don't even have a battery charger, made it just fine on a 1 year cruise and the 5 years following. Are the batteries as healthy as they could have been? No. But who cares. They're still doing all I ask of them.

There is a very logical argument of is it better to spend $$$$ on batteries and the systems to keep them healthy or spend $$ on a bank and just replace it more often.
I have to admit there is a lot of logic in going the $$ route.

[Pizzazz]

This is an often discussed topic. Option A is just not to worry about getting the batteries charged above 80%. Batteries will last 3 years instead of five. Option B is to get obsessed about it, install all the extra stuff (more solar, gen, alt, charger, monitor, etc.) then upsize your bank, then end up spending massive amounts.

I would say, stay with your current setup, invest in sails and rigging or something you like.

[Kenomac]

Our battery bank would cost €2000 ($2300) to replace; it's worth some concern.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Our battery bank would cost €2000 ($2300) to replace; it's worth some concern.

Cruising it's not just the cost either, you may well be in a place where you just can't get decent deep cycle batteries if/when they give up.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Our battery bank would cost €2000 ($2300) to replace; it's worth some concern.

There is the economy of scale problem. [emoji106]

[Pizzazz]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Our battery bank would cost €2000 ($2300) to replace; it's worth some concern.

You are probably oversized. This will buy a 2,000 AHr bank which if used in bulk mode will give you (80-20) = 60% useable capacity or 1,200 AHr that you could charge through a generator at 700 amps. Way oversized...

Most likely you have less capacity of higher quality or better chemistry. It is a choice you have made.

[sailorboy1]

Maybe it's that you need a $2300 battery bank if you don't know how to take care of them.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Maybe it's that you need a $2300 battery bank if you don't know how to take care of them.

Maybe that's what a 24v 450ah Trojan battery bank costs in Italy and Croatia, which happens to be a very beautiful cruising area with unbelievable food, weather, history, nice people and sights to see.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

You are probably oversized. This will buy a 2,000 AHr bank which if used in bulk mode will give you (80-20) = 60% useable capacity or 1,200 AHr that you could charge through a generator at 700 amps. Way oversized...

Most likely you have less capacity of higher quality or better chemistry. It is a choice you have made.

More like 1000Ah of good quality AGMs such as Lifeline.
Which is what I have and I wouldn't want any less. Keeping them topped up daily with solar and rarely dropping below 75% SOC means that you should get 10 years out of them, compared to a couple of years at best on FLA between 20% and 80% SOC. (I sincerely doubt that FLA batteries run constantly between 20 and 80% SOC will get the 3 years you predict).

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by StuM

More like 1000Ah of good quality AGMs such as Lifeline.
Which is what I have and I wouldn't want any less. Keeping them topped up daily with solar and rarely dropping below 75% SOC means that you should get 10 years out of them, compared to a couple of years at best on FLA between 20% and 80% SOC. (I sincerely doubt that FLA batteries run constantly between 20 and 80% SOC will get the 3 years you predict).

Been no sun for a few days so my 440AH FLA batteries were pretty low this morning at 82%. I wonder why you feel that people with AGMs are using so much less power than FLA users that they don't get below 75% SOC, but that FLA users are doing 20-80% SOC? Is this you way of spinning a story of how AGMs will last 3 times longer than FLA by changing the conditions?

BTW - my last set of FLA lasted 6 years of abuse. They were running the frig on the mooring full time with no one on the boat except the weekends and I now realize that the solar charge voltage was too low and absorption time too short. Yet they were still at least 75% of capacity when I replaced them. And they did it all of $450.

I don't worship my batteries, I make them serve me!

[Pizzazz]

This is the point, keeping batteries at high state of charge is good, but wasteful in terms of weight and capacity. My FLA pack is four years old and for the last two years I have been running it at high discharge rates without noticeable degradation. When it fails I will replace it. Since I charge it in bulk mode it is always very quick, takes a couple of hours running the engine. Lightweight, simple and not that hard to replace golf cart size batteries.

I can see the point in keeping above 75% charged but it is a slow process to charge and any sizeable load from the inverter brings it down quickly. In general battery capacity is not that important, it is more important to match power generation to consumption.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

I can see the point in keeping above 75% charged but it is a slow process to charge and any sizeable load from the inverter brings it down quickly. In general battery capacity is not that important, it is more important to match power generation to consumption.

Almost. You need to match generation, consumption, and storage.

[senormechanico]

Lithiums, solar, LED's, Aerogel. They're full every day. It's pretty much automatic.