Float level: 13.6v for my 6v series?

demonboy

demonboy

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Now that I have my 4x 225aH 6v batteries, I need to set my Mastervolt BCM1 battery monitor. The default float level is 13.6v and I read here between 2.25v to 2.75v per cell, which would make sense to leave it if I assume 2.25v. Am I right to leave it at 13.6v with my type of battery?
 
demonboy said:
Now that I have my 4x 225aH 6v batteries, I need to set my Mastervolt BCM1 battery monitor. The default float level is 13.6v and I read here between 2.25v to 2.75v per cell, which would make sense to leave it if I assume 2.25v. Am I right to leave it at 13.6v with my type of battery?
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if connected in parallel then no
i would assume they are in series to give 12v so 13.6 > 14.2v would be the setting
 
Hi sailorman, thanks for getting back to me. Yes, they are x2 and x2 (two sets of two batteries in series, then paralleled, to give 12v). Could you talk through your thinking, please? Why up to 14.2v? I should add that I can't add a range, just an absolute figure.
 
You now have a 12 battery ! OK its made up from a number of 6 volt ones but the end result is a 12 volt battery.

I believe you have said elsewhere that they are ordinary wet cells

13.6V is therefore about the right figure for the float charge

14.2V (or even 14.4) is the correct volts for what is "Stage 2" in the diagram in your link
 
13.6V should be OK, if anything it's a touch high rather than low. Bear in mind too that's at 20-25 deg C. Your charger should drop it a bit as temperature rises.
Also do you know the fully charged specific gravity in the Exides you bought? As they turned out to be industrial tubular plate they may well be about 1.250 instead of the common 1.280. If so you should drop the float voltage by about 0.2V.
Min float voltage to maintain full charge = (sp.gr. + .85 + .1)volts per cell.
(Min to recharge - slowly - is + another 0.1V per cell)
 
I have the same setup as you (6 x 225ah Trojans, with a Sterling Pro Digital), and my setup also floats at 13.6v.

If you disconnect the charger and let the batteries settle, mine settle at 12.8v.
 
Sorry if this is teaching you to suck eggs but make sure that all your linking cables are the same size and length. We had new 6v batteries last year and had a problem with one going down. After testing by Trojan in Athens the fault was put down to cable lengths. Changing to all equal cables has improved the situation and all our batteries are now performing as expected.
 
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