Battery equalisation

Porthandbuoy

Porthandbuoy

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A question regarding battery equalisation. As far as I know it involves charging your battery well above it's normal float voltage. This will mean excessive gassing, production of hydrogen and reduction of electrolyte. With 'normal' lead acid batteries you can top up the electrolyte with deionised water, but with sealed batteries this cannot be done. So, how often should you equalise your battery, or batteries?
 
I have the Victon MPPT charger powered by the solar panels to do it monthly, but then I have FLA batteries.

Pete
 
Google is your friend.
In a nutshell, when you equalise your battery you apply a voltage in excess of the normal charging voltage. This causes a lot of gassing and blasts the top layer of spent, crystalised, lead off the plates. It also stirs up the electrolyte and, in theory, equalises the sg across all the cells.

Do it too often and you wear away the lead plates and/or dump cruddy stuff at the bottom of your battery which can short it out. Seems to me to be a double edged sword. So how often should it be done? Not many manufacturers say.
 
Porthandbuoy said:
Google is your friend.
In a nutshell, when you equalise your battery you apply a voltage in excess of the normal charging voltage. This causes a lot of gassing and blasts the top layer of spent, crystalised, lead off the plates. It also stirs up the electrolyte and, in theory, equalises the sg across all the cells.

Do it too often and you wear away the lead plates and/or dump cruddy stuff at the bottom of your battery which can short it out. Seems to me to be a double edged sword. So how often should it be done? Not many manufacturers say.
Click to expand...

Trojan and Rolls are not frightened of telling us how to look after our batteries.

I'm currently charging my Rolls S140 at 15.6V for a few hours of equalisation FWIW Normal charging rate is 15V.

It tells me this on the battery label.

With my previous Trojans their is info on their web site regarding charging regime.

If you have sealed lead acid, you cant replace lost water, so shouldn't equalise, and shouldnt charge at a voltage where gassing would occur. i think sealed lead acid batteries have more electrolyte than unsealed, in order to allow for a bit of gassing over their lifetime.
 
Richard10002 said:
Trojan and Rolls are not frightened of telling us how to look after our batteries.

I'm currently charging my Rolls S140 at 15.6V for a few hours of equalisation FWIW Normal charging rate is 15V.

It tells me this on the battery label.

With my previous Trojans their is info on their web site regarding charging regime.
Click to expand...


Do you check the sg cell by cell?
 
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