Charge Question

[JIM Midway usa]

Hmmmm, guess this 73 year old mechanic has been charging his batteries the wrong way for almost 60 years. The same way Byron mentions.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

I don't think that anyone is questioning your experience, education, training, longevity, accolades, etc, etc, etc.
It's just the smug know-it-all cutting way you present your point, (and yourself,) that is most irritating. Obviously, no one knows as much as you do.

Greg, what you see as being smug is really frustration. I too am an EE. Most of the electrical topics discussed on this forum are first year, first semester; pretty basic fundamental stuff. After a while you get tired of arguing with internet experts that know all they know from reading " The 12 volt Side of Life" and " Handy Bob's Blog". I've pretty much given up. I applaud Byron for still trying to help out. Good engineers are very matter of fact and to the point. They tell you what they think. They make lousy politicians. Raz

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

Good engineers are very matter of fact and to the point. They tell you what they think. They make lousy politicians. Raz

Good point Raz. My wife tells me I tend to be cryptic, giving short answers that can come across a little crass. Engineers tend to give short and concise answers.

One of the disadvantages of the Internet is the tendency towards short answers, a lacking of a human touch. We need to be very careful not to attack each other, be careful not to let anger overcome our good sense, and to look for the good in each other.

In life it is all to easy to remember the small negatives to the extent that the overwhelm the positive nature of life.

In this case the OP could charge both batteries in parallel from a single source and in relatively short order see the results for himself.

[Borrego Dave]

Good reply Norm, this was starting to go sideways

[Joe Romas]

This thread reminds me of the thread about adding OMW's shock kits.

[EcoHeliGuy]

You can only charge multiple batteries together that are exactly the same, right down to service cycle. If these two batteries weren't used together in the same bank from day one, You'll not get 100% capacity no matter what charger or trick you try. Charge one for a week, Clean the top case until you can't measure any voltage from each post to the area of plastic near the other post, and place on shelf at a cool room temperature. Charge the second one for a week, and do the same. In spring time measure each battery. If they drop anywhere near 12v throw them away.

[MCDenny]

Not my opinion but Trojan Battery's: their wet cell battery's self discharge 1% per week at 42 degrees F, 2% per week at 75 degrees and 5% per week at 86 degrees F. Cleaning off the top is probably a good idea but they self discharge anyway.

You know your storage temp and can do the math.

If it were me I'd forget about the very low power (for its cost) battery tender and just recharge the batteries when they are layed up for winter, in January and when they are put back into service in the spring. Storage in an unheated garage would be perfect in most climates. Even a 50% discharged battery won't freeze above zero F. 15% discharged battery is good to 60 below.

It's really important to disconnect the battery from any possible load, unhook them from anything in the trailer. Tiny loads, like a battery meter or propane alarm, even a powered off battery charger can draw enough current to kill the battery over a long winter.

Trojan info here http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/WP_...orage_0512.pdf

Denny Wolfe
Wanderingourway.wordpress.com