Battery Equalisation

[patprice]

Can anyone let me know if these things are worth using please.

[smac999]

Do you have a 24v bank made out of 12v batteries?

[markcouz]

Originally Posted by patprice

Can anyone let me know if these things are worth using please.
Attachment 227277

Yes they work well, I have installed HA-02 (4 terminal) on many 48v home backup systems that use 4x series lead acid batteries and have seen significant improvement in failure rate.

From memory they "switch on" at about 4v and then balance continuously- so can be used on 6v and 12v batteries.

Note that a 12v battery is 6x 2v cells in series, so while it can keep the batteries in balance it can do anything about keeping individual cells within the batteries in balance so failure can (and does) still occur.

I no longer install lead acid (lithium only) because I would prefer no client over an unhappy client, but if I did I would always include the balancers.

[patprice]

Originally Posted by smac999

Do you have a 24v bank made out of 12v batteries?

No. A yacht (actually 2 yachts) each with a single start battery and two batteries in parallel for domestic, all 12 V.

[patprice]

Thanks Mark. You have a good older yacht!

[markcouz]

Originally Posted by patprice

No. A yacht (actually 2 yachts) each with a single start battery and two batteries in parallel for domestic, all 12 V.

Note that these units are intended to balance series connected batteries, not sure that they will be on any use in your situation with parallel batteries.

[markcouz]

Originally Posted by patprice

Thanks Mark. You have a good older yacht!

Thanks, I like it!

The plan is to escape over the horizon from this crazy hell hole that we call home in a year or 2, probably to somewhere equally crazy but with warmer water.

I must say that after recently becoming a yacht owner, you are a brave man owning two!

[patprice]

Originally Posted by markcouz

Thanks, I like it!

The plan is to escape over the horizon from this crazy hell hole that we call home in a year or 2, probably to somewhere equally crazy but with warmer water.

I must say that after recently becoming a yacht owner, you are a brave man owning two!

Two yachts, lots of batteries! One here in Tasmania which we have had for 20+ years. Done lots of distant cruising. Our Bavaria 42 is in Greece. She is our southern winter home for 5 months. Bl**** virus!

[smac999]

Originally Posted by patprice

No. A yacht (actually 2 yachts) each with a single start battery and two batteries in parallel for domestic, all 12 V.

Then this product is of no use to you.

[patprice]

Originally Posted by smac999

Then this product is of no use to you.

I cannot even use it on the single start battery?

[a64pilot]

what do you think this thing will do that your Solar controller can’t?
I’d tell you that you cannot equalize on Solar, many will argue of course

[patprice]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

what do you think this thing will do that your Solar controller can’t?
I’d tell you that you cannot equalize on Solar, many will argue of course

I do not think my fairly basic solar controller is designed to equalise. However I do sometimes see 15V when fully charged.
My understanding is that an equiliser charge is about 15.2V at a very low amps?
I am hopefully on a learning curve.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by patprice

I cannot even use it on the single start battery?

It is a cell balancer to balance 2 batteries in series.

If one is 12.7 volt and one is 12.6v. And the bank is at 25.3v. It will balance both batteries to 13.65v.

It has nothing to do with solar or equalizing.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by patprice

I do not think my fairly basic solar controller is designed to equalise. However I do sometimes see 15V when fully charged.
My understanding is that an equiliser charge is about 15.2V at a very low amps?
I am hopefully on a learning curve.

You cannot reduce amperage and keep voltage high. The battery controls the amps it will accept. You must supply enough amperage to raise the voltage though, if fully charged that’s not much amperage.
All you need to do to equalize a battery is supply it with equalization voltage and have enough amps to maintain that voltage. ANY charge source large enough that can supply equalization voltage can be used to equalize a battery.

But here’s the problem. first you have to start with a fully, completely charged battery. many times that’s not even possible with Solar. But after the battery is completely charged, you need to hold it at equalization voltage for hours, and that’s not possible with Solar, unless your where there is 20 hours of sunlight or something highly unusual like that.

Best way to equalize is to wake up at 4 AM and start a Honda or similar that can charge the bank hard, so that it’s fully 100% charged by 10 AM or so, because it takes on average about 6 hours to fully charge a battery, then you can use Solar to equalize, because as you stated it only takes a small amperage to equalize.
You just need a controller that can be programmed to equalization voltage is all.

[patprice]

Thanks A64P That is reassuring.