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Old 07-07-2012, 08:57   #1
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new batt plan?

First of all, 46ft sailboat in Puget Sound. Use the boat as a summer home, so mostly live aboard, with maybe a few weeks of cruising. Biggest draw is a really stupid reefer system, AC dan foss compressor freezing two holding plates. So this runs off the Freedom 20 inverter while u/'w.

Right now have 6 6v golf carts that are stupid old, like 12 yrs. Yesterday I went to see John at Dyno battery. I asked about just replacing the golf carts or going up to L16's. John was suggesting that their 2v cells might be a good choice.

So the 6v's are hooked in series and parallel which spits out 12 volt at the end. Of course there are lots of cables and connections. So the system has worked well, but I have always had to add a lot of water even with the red battery saver caps. John thought that the float voltage was too high. Looking at the link 2000 right now it shows float voltage at 13.5V

So the question is, how to bring the float voltage down via the freedom20 and link 2000?

When I do buy new batts should I go ahead and spring for the 2V cells ($226) each which would be 700 a/h. Really clean installation all bolted up, and heavy duty construction. For ($277) I could bump it up to 1000 a/h

I forgot to ask about how much for the GC145's and L16's.

After spending all this cash for Batts, any thoughts on the old Freedom 20/ link 2000 set up?
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Old 07-07-2012, 16:53   #2
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Re: new batt plan?

What's wrong with going for 12 V batteries, if your system is a 12 V system?

b.
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Old 07-07-2012, 17:41   #3
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Re: new batt plan?

You have a few things going on. 6 - 6 volt batteries makes a pretty large bank of batteries and recharging them, back 100% is pretty hard. It's a case where the large bank can be not helping you out.

The fridges don't run off the inverter when plugged in they run off the charger. Under way they charge by the alternator and regulator. The Freedom 20 does that too. Nobody should own that many batteries without checking out your charging system by a pro with a good meter. Also adding a battery monitor would tell you information you can understand. Think of it like the fuel gauge in your car. You can understand Amps in and amps out. You can see it everyday and learn to see what really happens.

Your float voltage probably is not the problem but 12 years old golf carts are surely shot. When the tops of the batteries start to bulge you know they are toast. Once one battery goes bad it starts to take the rest of them too. A bad cell fakes out the regulator into over charging the battery bank. So that is why you are adding water so much. It's also a sign something its wrong.

Don't increase the amp hours in the bank unless you can prove you can charge them properly. I doubt you can. Smaller bank might be better and cheaper. Too many batteries could be worse. Two fridges don't require 1000 amp hours in the bank. You would be throwing money down a rat hole.

Using 2 volt cells or even an industrial 12 volt battery can be a good thing but it comes after you sort out all the rest. Industrial batteries have way thicker plates and can handle more duty cycles but they still need to be treated properly. You have old batteries being abused so you need to fix both sides of the problem. Don't buy new batteries until you sort out your charging and your daily energy loads. It's how you make the $$ work best.

Have the Freedom 20 checked out as the newer ones are crap. If you don't need an inverter then do not use them as they suck the life out of a battery bank far too fast.
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Old 07-07-2012, 17:57   #4
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Re: new batt plan?

As with any large bank of paralleled and series batteries. Should one battery start "going bad" it will tend to make the whole bank charge-inefficient.

With two volt cells, replacing one bad cell will be easy. Detecting it, however, as a "bad cell", may not be easy. There are many quality electronic battery testers out there (AutoMeter makes some good ones) that will test 12 and 6 volt cells. Not sure how many will test a single 2v cell.

How old your charger/inverter? If you are going to shell out $$$ for new batteries, consider a new charger that has sufficient output to charge the bank (there is some formula for this somewhere). Some of the newer chargers allow fine tuning of parameters, like float voltage.
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Old 07-07-2012, 22:24   #5
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Re: new batt plan?

I'll make you an offer.
I'll come to your boat located in Seattle Proper.
I'll give you a 1 hr survey, and recommendation...no..charge.

Conditions:
1. I leave Seattle on 8/8/2012, so it must be with in from 2 weeks today.

Unconditional:

1. You may report back, here if for any reason, you are unhappy with me, or my report!.

Lloyd


Quote:
Originally Posted by jackahearts View Post
First of all, 46ft sailboat in Puget Sound. Use the boat as a summer home, so mostly live aboard, with maybe a few weeks of cruising. Biggest draw is a really stupid reefer system, AC dan foss compressor freezing two holding plates. So this runs off the Freedom 20 inverter while u/'w.

Right now have 6 6v golf carts that are stupid old, like 12 yrs. Yesterday I went to see John at Dyno battery. I asked about just replacing the golf carts or going up to L16's. John was suggesting that their 2v cells might be a good choice.

So the 6v's are hooked in series and parallel which spits out 12 volt at the end. Of course there are lots of cables and connections. So the system has worked well, but I have always had to add a lot of water even with the red battery saver caps. John thought that the float voltage was too high. Looking at the link 2000 right now it shows float voltage at 13.5V

So the question is, how to bring the float voltage down via the freedom20 and link 2000?

When I do buy new batts should I go ahead and spring for the 2V cells ($226) each which would be 700 a/h. Really clean installation all bolted up, and heavy duty construction. For ($277) I could bump it up to 1000 a/h

I forgot to ask about how much for the GC145's and L16's.

After spending all this cash for Batts, any thoughts on the old Freedom 20/ link 2000 set up?
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Old 08-07-2012, 00:50   #6
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Re: new batt plan?

If I were getting 12 years out of my batteries, I don't think I would change anything at all, other than replacing those batts with exactly the same. You must be doing something right.
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