Schaudt EBL220-2 Float or Storage Charge (1 Viewer)

[dpsuk999]

Hi, after replacing my habitation batteries to Victron Gel’s (2x90ah) and switching the battery selector switch to gel, I have noticed that when fully charged (on EHU at home) the voltage stays at 13.9v. Does this seem a little high?

I have a Schaudt EBL220 unit. On the Victron website it gives a ‘float’ voltage of between 13.5 and 13.8 and a ‘storage’ voltage of 13.2 and 13.5.

What is the difference between float and storage? Is storage just physical storage in the meaning of not on charge at all?

Dave

 

[TheCaller]

I think that most battery manufacturers have reduced their recommended float voltages by about 0.2 - 0.3V over recent years. It may be something to do with the rapid uptake of smart chargers, so that more batteries are left on semi-permanent charge these days, often for long periods with very little load applied.

I would guess that what they mean by storage is an extreme version of the above - where there is no load connected to the battery at all & a charger is left permanently connected, rather than only applying a refresh charge for say, 24hrs once a month.

I have no access to long term EHU, but I do have 200W of solar panel on the roof. I have a Victron controller & their phone app that gives full reporting & control over the charging parameters. The recommended float voltage for my Exide gel batteries is 0.2V lower than the standard Victron charge profile, so I have lowered the float figure to Exide's recommended figure.

At the other end of the scale, there are still a few new campervans being fitted with battery chargers that only ever supply a constant 13.6V, so they never will have fully charged batteries.