Best battery for Scamp 13.

[zack sc]

I’ll have the charge wizard here within a couple days. In the meantime I wonder if I should avoid plugging into shore power so as to avoid overcharging? I’ve been measuring about 13.1 V, so even a bit more than 2.15 Volts per cell. Is that bad? Should I avoid plugged into shore power?

(I did add some distilled water to the battery, the Trojan deep cycle, and it seem like it needed about almost maybe a quarter cup per cell.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by zack sc

I’ll have the charge wizard here within a couple days. In the meantime I wonder if I should avoid plugging into shore power so as to avoid overcharging? I’ve been measuring about 13.1 V, so even a bit more than 2.15 Volts per cell. Is that bad? Should I avoid plugged into shore power?

(I did add some distilled water to the battery, the Trojan deep cycle, and it seem like it needed about almost maybe a quarter cup per cell.

13.1 should not be a problem. Mine run 13.6 - 13.8 with out trouble. My RVs have all stayed under 14 VDC float. (14.4 equalizing)

Here is a charge chart that some of us use.

[zack sc]

Thanks. To be more clear I should’ve said 13.1 V when nothing is plugged in and the battery is not charging. When I do hook up to shore power, then I would measure at least 13.7 volts, Which I guess comes from the progressive dynamics converter and just holds the battery at that higher voltage. Is that really OK to do for a few days even though the battery is already fully charged?

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by zack sc

Thanks. To be more clear I should’ve said 13.1 V when nothing is plugged in and the battery is not charging. When I do hook up to shore power, then I would measure at least 13.7 volts, Which I guess comes from the progressive dynamics converter and just holds the battery at that higher voltage. Is that really OK to do for a few days even though the battery is already fully charged?

We will see what others say. This link has a lot of information, Charging info starts on page 18. Your car battery (not deep cycle) may be at 13-6 or .7 normally.
https://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/Tr...UsersGuide.pdf

[zack sc]

Thanks. Because if it did not hurt the battery I would just plug in and switch the fridge over to 110 V and save a little propane. For the next couple days. But if that would be bad for the battery to have that for progressive dynamics Charger keeping it at 13.7 the whole time, then I would rather just use the propane for the fridge

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by zack sc

Thanks. Because if it did not hurt the battery I would just plug in and switch the fridge over to 110 V and save a little propane. For the next couple days. But if that would be bad for the battery to have that for progressive dynamics Charger keeping it at 13.7 the whole time, then I would rather just use the propane for the fridge

There are a couple of ways to do it, run on 12 vdc if it will (mine will not and I have tried to run on AC with an inverter, it is very inefficient.) If the battery were overcharging when plugged in, turn the converter breaker off or unplug it. I turn mine off any time I use ham radio equipment. I always have a solar panel on my battery without a regulator but also have a small load on. It holds about 12.6 all winter.

[zack sc]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

There are a couple of ways to do it, run on 12 vdc if it will (mine will not and I have tried to run on AC with an inverter, it is very inefficient.) If the battery were overcharging when plugged in, turn the converter breaker off or unplug it. I turn mine off any time I use ham radio equipment. I always have a solar panel on my battery without a regulator but also have a small load on. It holds about 12.6 all winter.

Thanks a lot. That sounds pretty easy. I will just turn the converter breaker off when the battery is fully charged and I want to use the fridge on shore power, 110 volts. That makes a lot of sense to me.

[zack sc]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

In one way I agree with Byron - If you purchase cheap batteries & replace them when needed, they will meet the needs of most.

On the other hand, if you want to get the most life from a lead acid battery, you must get them to a full charge as often as possible. One of the enemies of lead acid batteries is sulfation. To prevent this, you need to hit the battery hard enough to "beat" the sulfate deposits off the plates of the battery. This is best done by fully charging the battery, and periodically over voltaging it for short times (the equalization stage of a multi stage charger or converter).

Continually running between 50% & 80% without often going to 100% will definitely shorten the life of your battery, but this is what most do.

One of my favorite sites for battery information is Battery University.
Here is the page on Sulfation.

Thanks a lot Jon and Uncle Larry and everybody. Now that I have learned a little bit, I started measuring TV batteries as well and I found that my wife's Highlander was at about 12.45 volts and my 4Runner was about 12.6 volts, neither one of which is 100%. So in the interest of diminishing sulfation, I hooked up a smart charger (15 amp) and spent some time pushing through an actual absorption cycle. So I was wondering: is there anything wrong with using a charger to fully charge your TV batteries once every month or two? Water level seems okay on the 4Runner and I the Highlander I didn't check it because the strap pinned down the caps.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Note that 12.6-12.7V is temperature dependent. if the battery is significantly colder than the nominal 68F they measure these things at, the numbers may well be several 10ths of a volt lower.

[zack sc]

Thanks John. I’m in California, like you. It’s about 60° when I’m measuring the battery voltage.
So I am thinking that when I measure 12.4 or 12.5 V, I am like a 75% or less and probably subject to sulfation if it stays there for very long, I for a few days

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by zack sc

Thanks John. I’m in California, like you. It’s about 60° when I’m measuring the battery voltage.
So I am thinking that when I measure 12.4 or 12.5 V, I am like a 75% or less and probably subject to sulfation if it stays there for very long, I for a few days

how long had the Highlander been parked when it read 12.45V ?

Next time you drive it, when you get back, leave it running, and measure the voltage, it should be like 13.8V or so at idle with accessories (a/c, headlight, stereo) off. then shut it off and read it the next day before starting.

[Fritz]

I put 2 group 24s on my 16’. I’d put 4 on if I wasn’t concerned about bending the tongue.