Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: drew86 on October 05, 2006, 10:24:05 am
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Hi I have a 110amp 12v heavy duty leisure marine battery that performs realy well so far, the problem I have is the battery has one of those green glow eyes to indicate when the battery is fully charged but I have never managed to get this to glow again.
When I am chargeing the battery I check its progress useing a volt meter and stop chargeing when it reaches just over 12volts, is this the correct thing to do or can I continue chargeing untill light illuminates.
The reason for my caution is iI have read posts about people over cooking the battery when leaving it on charge for to long.
I dont have an intelligent charger at the mo so this is why I check progress with volt meter.
Drew
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NO NO NO , what you are doing with the volt meter is wrong , if your battery is almost dead it will give a reading of 12 volts anyway , the way i do it is to check the amps , thats where your power is .
Do you have a amp needle on your battery charger ?
Rich
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Ive also got a 110 amp leisure battery and I started with a split charger in my van which is a complete waste of time because I dont travel far enough and doubt there are many WCers who do
But I bought an itelligent charger from Halfords for approx £30 which is a lot cheaper than a new battery.
Regards
Alistair
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My advice is buy a very good Battery charger. I had a lot of trouble with my first three lesiure batterys, all because I was useing a cheap battery charger that was geared more to a car battery then a lesiure battery.
I now have the best charger on the market which cost me £78.00. A lot of money but Its something I use 4 nights a week and I know my batterys will be more effecient and last longer then charging with any other charger.
Start, The current is restricted to 3A. It ends when the voltage is above 10.5v. This is a safety measure so you dont cause any damage to the battery.
BULK, main part of the charge cycle when 80% of the charge is returned. The main charge is carried out at maximun charge untill full voltage is achieved.
ABSORPTION, Final part of the charge. the voltage is kept constant untill the current has dropped to a very low level.
PULSE MAINTENANCE CHARGE, A pulse at 5amps is sent out if the voltage drops.this gives minimun water loss and maximum life.the charger measures the voltage every 10mins to decide whether a new pulse should come. You could leave the charger connected for years and your battery would be ok.
You can set the charger to do every thing automaticly normally on 14.4v, or set it for 14.7 volts( 12.9V).
It also has a boost setting for batteries that have been deep discharged. It gives a constant current at 1.5 A, maximisied at 16 V for 4 hours.
The charger as an Error mode which will tell you if their is a problem with the battery.
You cannot wfp without a battery. So buy the best charger for it. The charger as won many awards, My local Callender Carvan shop said it was the best charger they have ever used and it knocks everything else for six.
Nel.
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Rich I never let it drain I recharge every other day, battery normaly reads about 11>11.5 volts when I test across the terminals, I stop charging when it reaches 12.4 volts but the green charge indicator on the battery never glows.
I think I will invest in a charger as sugested by Nel.
Drew.
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Perhaps its just the magic eye on the battery that is naff .
I have an 85 amp leisure which i charge every night , i work 10 to 5 most days so after lunch and travel i suppose its going non stop for around 5 hours at least , this means that it could run my 7 amp pump for 2 days .
I dont like to do this though as i have heard that running the battery too low all the time will damage its ability to store power .
But on the other hand i dont know what the effect of over charging has !
Any body know ?
Rich P @ F
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I use 110 amp leisure batteries and after going down the expensive charger route I now use a cheap £4.99 charger bought from a garage and leave them on for 3 days. this way the green cell comes back. I've done this for 2 years with no problems.
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Hi All.
Instead of carring a battery in the back of your van, and having to recharge every day. Why don`t you wire your pump to your cig lighter, making sure you earth to the van. Have a switch in the back on / off when you need it. Power all day every day. I have this and never have any problems.
Michael D
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I would have thought it would drain your battery if you are not doing long runs.
Drew.
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Hi Drew,
If you leave the pump on that will drain the battery, I have a toggle switch in the back no problems. The battery is charging every time you go between jobs. Michael D
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When your battery reading is 12.05 volts it is half charged. This is the ideal time to charge it. It will go well over 13 volts when fully charged.
To get the longest life out of your battery, don't charge it untill it is half discharged.
This is where the 12.05 is a handy guide. Obviously if you have a reading of say 12.07 and you have a full day next day you would charge it. Let it trickle charge overnight.
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Rich,
Overcharging bends the plates in the battery their by shortening the batteries lifespan and reducing its effecinecy.
It can accelarate water loss and sulpation of the plates.
Nel.