Re: Battery charging
Reply #7 –
Okay, we need to apply a little knowledge and a little logic here.
The three voltages and the names that apply o them are;
3) 14.4 VDC Bulk. This is rapid charging up to about 80% battery capacity.
2) 13.6 VDC Absorption. This goes on for another 24 hours or so and brings the battery from 80% to 100% state of charge.
1) 13.2 VDC Float. This is just enough voltage to counter the inherent self discharging of a lead acid battery without adding to
the state of charge.
If you are reading 14.2V @83A then your charger is rolling back the voltage to keep it from trying to supply more amperage than it is capable of doing. You should start timing your charge cycle from the point when the charging voltage reaches 14.4V. No more than another 4 hours at that voltage. The charging current will continue to fall.
And none of this is cast in stone. But if you need electrons it's best to start with a known quantity. If you can manage 3-days on shore power, and after 3-days of charging, Zero your Wattage totalizer. They do drift over time and to use a technical term, the gazintas don't always equal the gozoutas.
Topic: Battery charging