Battery Topup. (1 Viewer)

Snowbird

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I have 3 X 110 amp leisure batteries charged by 225 watts of solar panels. Although I have been on site hookup since November my battery charger has been switched off. My thoughts are that the solars are keeping the batteries charged and its better to let them work than sit idle on a float charge. The batteries are now 3 years old and I have never had to top them up with water. Is this normal.
 

scotjimland

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I have 3 X 110 amp leisure batteries charged by 225 watts of solar panels. Although I have been on site hookup since November my battery charger has been switched off. My thoughts are that the solars are keeping the batteries charged and its better to let them work than sit idle on a float charge. The batteries are now 3 years old and I have never had to top them up with water. Is this normal.

yes.. they shouldn't need topping up unless they have been gassing excessively due to overcharging or heavy discharging .,.

they may also be they type that re condense the hydrogen gas back into the cell.. some are called maintenance free .. or low maintenance.
 
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Snowbird

Snowbird

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yes.. they shouldn't need topping up unless they have been gassing excessively due to overcharging or heavy discharging .,.

they may also be they type that re condense the hydrogen gas back into the cell.. some are called maintenance free .. or low maintenance.

Hi Jim, My batteries are plain lead acid, with removable tops. They are rarely discharged below 12.4 volts and have only been down to 12.3 once. The normal discharge is around 12.45. The onboard charger is a Calira pulse charger, which is rarely switched on. Surely the batteries would have needed topping up during the last 3 years.

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cmcardle75

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Hi Jim, My batteries are plain lead acid, with removable tops. They are rarely discharged below 12.4 volts and have only been down to 12.3 once. The normal discharge is around 12.45. The onboard charger is a Calira pulse charger, which is rarely switched on. Surely the batteries would have needed topping up during the last 3 years.

Nope. The level drops due to fast charge/discharge. You have exactly the usage that does not lead to water loss.
 
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Snowbird

Snowbird

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Nope. The level drops due to fast charge/discharge. You have exactly the usage that does not lead to water loss.

Well it seems am doing something right for once :thumb:. Have read several posts recently that advocate replacing batteries every 3 years. This does not bear well with my upbringing if nothing is wrong with them. What would be a good indicator of how often batteries should be changed. Do they have a lifespan if looked after correctly.
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Well it seems am doing something right for once :thumb:. Have read several posts recently that advocate replacing batteries every 3 years. This does not bear well with my upbringing if nothing is wrong with them. What would be a good indicator of how often batteries should be changed.[STRIKE] Do they have a lifespan if looked after correctly.
[/STRIKE]

From personal experience, looked after correctly I'd say about 5 years.. I had 4 cheap 85ah Flooded Lead Acids in the RV and they were still going strong after 5 years.. 3 of these were full time so did get a lot of use.. and some abuse.

Battery life can be better expressed in cycles.. from full to flat.. Each time it is fully cycled it loses material from the plates.. this material builds up on the bottom of the cell and eventually shorts it out.. battery now only 10volts

as you can see on this chart .. the deeper the discharge the fewer cycles..

dod.gif



Their useful life will be considerable shortened by repeated discharging below 40%, ie 11.9volts

a good rule of thumb is try never to go below 12v


useful chart ..

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Terry

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That also goes with what has happened to mine --put it in van new 5.1/2 yrs ago and for the first 4 yrs never needed topping up (kept on charge 24/7 at home )last JAN had to top up a little and in jan this yr had to top up a lot as fluid was below plates- 3 weeks ago I changed Battery as I stuck heating on at 10 o'clock but it ran out of power at 4 am and shut down :Sad:(pulled quilt over my head and went back to sleep ) Didn't mess around just went and got a replacement :thumb:
terry
 
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Snowbird

Snowbird

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So by all accounts my £70 each 110amp batteries should last between 4 and 5 years if looked after correctly. I will keep an eye on them now as they are 3 years old, and if they start to need topping up, replace the lot. That will do for me gents :thumb:
 

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