Conditioning New Batteries

[BAD ORCA]

I just bought a couple of new Trojan T-105 batteries for my house bank. I will install them this weekend but wanted to get a little feedback on this before i do.

I have read before that they (new 12 volt batteries) should be conditioned (broken-in) when new.

I had a link to a good article on this but cant seem to find it anymore. I found a couple of resources on the net.

One golf cart company/manufacturer recommends that in the first 10-20 charge/discharge cycles the batteries be drained to 75% DOD and brought back to 100% SOC immediately after. I found another article that mentioned something similar.

I am curious what some of you think about this procedure and its affect on battery life/ability to hold a charge? Does this procedure fall into the 'battery myth' category or is there science behind it?

I'm a big fan of Mainesail's website but i couldn't find any reference to this procedure. Do any of you do this? If so, has it made a noticeable difference? If you do...what procedure do you use? I'm having a difficult time determining how i would actually get my batteries to 10.5 volts if i did this? I'm not sure what 12 volt equiptment i could use to draw them down that low.

[GordMay]

Due to the potential for self-discharge, during shipping and storage, batteries should be given a full charge, prior to first use.

[Pete7]

I just charged my TMX batteries up fully and then used them. There was a big voltage drop when I first started using them even with modest demands, but this stopped after a short while of "exercising them" down to 50% or so and ensuring they were then fully charged up again. I am not overly keen on taking batteries down to 10.5v but that is a personal view.

Pete

[Stu Jackson]

I have often suggested that folks read the "Ample Power Primer" (www.amplepower.com, download from the tech tab and also find and download the wiring diagrams, too).

The Ample Power Primer http://www.amplepower.com/primer/primer.pdf
Sorry, link is gone, Ample Power unfortunately closed. They were so ahead of their time! [May 2019]
The Ample Power Primer is still available on the Wayback Machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20160323...mer/primer.pdf
It remains one of the best...
Many thanks to Bill Murdoch


One often missed little gem in the Primer is a section entitled "Breaking In New Batteries." http://www.amplepower.com/primer/break-in/index.html

Essentially it recommends deliberately discharging new wet cell batteries to etch the plates and provide more surface area for the charge.

I didn't do it when we last bought a set of house bank batteries in 2006. Those batteries lasted just five years, partially because I did them an injustice by undercharging them over the years (see the "Gotcha Algorithm" topic: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4922.0.html) and leaving them disconnected for altogether too long when I had my skiing accident in early 2009 (not plugged in, solar panel not connected - I really did plan to connect it when I returned from that ski trip, but the hospital got in the way! ).

Two weeks ago we replaced those batteries with a brand new set of three 130 AH American Battery batteries. When I first used them on an overnight anchor-out trip last weekend, these "brand spankin' new" batteries wouldn't even run our fridge overnight! Holy cow, bad new batteries? NOPE. They just hadn't been broken in.

So I spent a few days earlier this week doing just that.

The result?

The fridge worked all night last night and is still going strong, the battery voltage remains high, and things work.

So, before you think your new batteries aren't working and there's something amiss with your electrical system or your fridge, break in those new batteries. They'll work better and last longer.

Always somethin' new...

This BTW, is VERY consistent with the "Old School" method of "just use 'em a few times and they'll work better" method. It's exactly the Same Thing, only under a controlled environment.


**************


That Ample Power Primer is over 20 years old.


The text above comes from here:


Breaking in New Wet Cell Batteries: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6353.0.html

[BAD ORCA]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

I have often suggested that folks read the "Ample Power Primer" (www.amplepower.com, download from the tech tab and also find and download the wiring diagrams, too).

The Ample Power Primer http://www.amplepower.com/primer/primer.pdf
Sorry, link is gone, Ample Power unfortunately closed. They were so ahead of their time! [May 2019]
The Ample Power Primer is still available on the Wayback Machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20160323...mer/primer.pdf
It remains one of the best...
Many thanks to Bill Murdoch


One often missed little gem in the Primer is a section entitled "Breaking In New Batteries." http://www.amplepower.com/primer/break-in/index.html

Essentially it recommends deliberately discharging new wet cell batteries to etch the plates and provide more surface area for the charge.

I didn't do it when we last bought a set of house bank batteries in 2006. Those batteries lasted just five years, partially because I did them an injustice by undercharging them over the years (see the "Gotcha Algorithm" topic: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4922.0.html) and leaving them disconnected for altogether too long when I had my skiing accident in early 2009 (not plugged in, solar panel not connected - I really did plan to connect it when I returned from that ski trip, but the hospital got in the way! ).

Two weeks ago we replaced those batteries with a brand new set of three 130 AH American Battery batteries. When I first used them on an overnight anchor-out trip last weekend, these "brand spankin' new" batteries wouldn't even run our fridge overnight! Holy cow, bad new batteries? NOPE. They just hadn't been broken in.

So I spent a few days earlier this week doing just that.

The result?

The fridge worked all night last night and is still going strong, the battery voltage remains high, and things work.

So, before you think your new batteries aren't working and there's something amiss with your electrical system or your fridge, break in those new batteries. They'll work better and last longer.

Always somethin' new...

This BTW, is VERY consistent with the "Old School" method of "just use 'em a few times and they'll work better" method. It's exactly the Same Thing, only under a controlled environment.


**************


That Ample Power Primer is over 20 years old.


The text above comes from here:


Breaking in New Wet Cell Batteries: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6353.0.html

Stu your awesome..../Deep Bow. That was the lost link i was referring to. I swore i bookmarked it or printed it but could not find either.

[BAD ORCA]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Due to the potential for self-discharge, during shipping and storage, batteries should be given a full charge, prior to first use.

Thank you Gord. I just purchased a 6volt charger to bring each battery to full charge so their voltages are the same before i install them. Mainesail recommended paralleling them and charging at 6 volts to equalize them first, then connecting them in series when they are balanced and install them.

[BAD ORCA]

Originally Posted by Pete7

I just charged my TMX batteries up fully and then used them. There was a big voltage drop when I first started using them even with modest demands, but this stopped after a short while of "exercising them" down to 50% or so and ensuring they were then fully charged up again. I am not overly keen on taking batteries down to 10.5v but that is a personal view.

Pete

Yeah im a little nervous about it as well but so long as i closely moniter them and dont go beyond 80% all should go ok. Im going to shoot for 75% DoD just to play it safe.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by BAD ORCA

Stu your awesome..../Deep Bow. That was the lost link i was referring to. I swore i bookmarked it or printed it but could not find either.

Glad to help. I almost posted the link on your sbo post, but then saw you here and did it this way.


Just bookmark the ES101, they're all there:


Electrical Systems 101 http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5977.0.html

[BAD ORCA]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Glad to help. I almost posted the link on your sbo post, but then saw you here and did it this way.


Just bookmark the ES101, they're all there:


Electrical Systems 101 http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5977.0.html

Thank you.