Re: [ihc] battery charging

[Steven Stegmann <steve.stegmann@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John,

The charger in my travel trailer will boil the water
out of the batteries over a several week period.  I've
never measured the voltage.

I no longer have the two batteries in there, I just
use one from the diesel truck, seems to work great.

Steve

--- John Hofstetter <hofs@domain.elided> wrote:
> There is a concise set of  charts for battery
> charging at
> 
> http://www.thesolar.biz/Battery_charging_article.htm
> 
> You will see that the main charging of a 12 volt wet
> cell battery is 
> supposed to be at 14.2 to 14.7 volts.
> 
> The voltage at which our unmodified Delco
> alternators charges our 
> batteries is  a voltage appropriate for a float
> charge which would be a 
> maintenance charge  for a fully charged battery.
> What this means is  
> that our batteries  never really get fully charged,
> or more properly 
> fully conditioned. Other good info at that site
> also.
> 
> True deep cycle batteries charge at a lower voltage.
> My solar panel 
> regulator on my trailer holds the voltage at  13.6
> volts.
> 
> I was telling an old RV owner about my Odyssey
> battery, and the look on 
> his face told me that he didn't believe a word I 
> said. 1700 cca out of 
> a deep cycle battery that can take at least 400
> complete discharges and 
> is designed to last 10 to 12 years? Yeah, right, his
> look told me.
> 
> Hmm, I wonder if Odyssey batteries need to be
> equalized?
> 
> While I am rambling, let me wander one more place.
> Many RV owners don't 
> know that the battery charger section of their
> "converter" is a low amp 
> battery maintainer, and if the RV isn't charged with
> a different 
> charging system (like your vehicle alternator)
> occasionially, that 
> battery life is going to be substantially shorter
> than may be expected.
> 
> OK, I've beaten battery charging into the ground, I
> think I'm over it.
> 
> John
> 
> John Hofstetter
> Ol' Saline
> www.goldrush.com/~hofs