GHA
Well-Known Member
Just checked mine, does the same 13.6v - 14.8v - though the 13.6v matches the battery so might be before the charger has kicked in.
Sterling 30amp charger (bought this year) anomaly
- Thread starter Caladh
- Start date
Caladh
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid that I just can't understand where this 0.9V comes from?
The OP and my post #2 don't mention it.
Richard
Sorry guys to be clear now - the 0.9amp is the Sterling showing the charge to the battery(s). My concern is the drop to 12.6v in standby/float/sleep (72hrs) mode when I believe it should be kicking in again. i.e the Sterling shouldn't be letting the batteries get below 12.8v without "restarting" the cycle again. I concur that the 0.9amp was misleading. I'd also some don't get into slanging match on this post. Thanks.
GHA
Well-Known Member
Might be worth checking what the voltage is at the charger terminals when the switch panel says 12.6v.
Caladh
Well-Known Member
Yup - will be doing that tomorrow or the w/e. Thanks for all the input everyone.
lpdsn
Well-Known Member
Because I've ruled out the 0.9A as being discharged into the charger as that would be nonsense. The only display the OP has mentioned is that on the charger, so the 0.9A must be measured there, so it must be putting out 0.9A on trickle charge. If we also take the statement at face value that 0.9A is the value with everything off (a risky assumption as we don't know the circuits or whether something is permanently connected) then the 0.9A is most likely going through the batteries. OK, a whole host of assumptions that may prove invalid, but is that not what a hunch is anyway?
Even my own batteries which I've pushed beyond a typical lifespan so can now be considered in the autumn of their lives don't fall to 12.6V very quickly when taken off charge.
Richard10002
Well-Known Member
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
OK, i get the logic there, but the fly in the ointment is that the charger shouldn't be putting a trickle charge into the batteries if it's in standby. So, i'm a bit puzzled by the 0.9a ??
Caladh
Well-Known Member
Likewise Paul - see somewhere above. I'll be checking up on it over the next day or day and will update.
Caladh
Well-Known Member
Just a quick update. I checked the problem again today. The charger was in standby/float mode. House battery bank down to 12.6v and 12.8v for the start battery - both checked at the battery bank. The default mode for this charger is something called CEC Mode - a Californian "mode" to reduce power.....I may change it to PS (power supply) mode but am currently (ha ha) awaiting a response from Sterling regarding the issue of it not restarting when the battery voltage falls below their stated 12.8v.
RichardS
N/A
Be carefully with power supply mode as I would guess that it is non-smart. This means that it will continue to pump voltage of 14V+ into your batteries which will soon start to lose water if they are open. Even sealed batteries will eventually yield to the inevitable and you may not be able to replace the loss.
Richard
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Be carefully with power supply mode as I would guess that it is non-smart. This means that it will continue to pump voltage of 14V+ into your batteries which will soon start to lose water if they are open. Even sealed batteries will eventually yield to the inevitable and you may not be able to replace the loss.
Richard
Good guess Richard. Unfortunately, no prize for you as it's totally wrong
Different between CEC at PS modes are the standby function, everything is is exactly the same. All available profiles are the same in either mode.
If the OP is unhappy with the standby mode, he should select PS mode. Turn the charger off, wait a few seconds, turn it back on. The display will show "888", after a second it will display "bc" or "ps" to indicate the current mode. Toggle modes with the Up and Down buttons, press select when you've chosen the desired mode.
RichardS
N/A
Good guess Richard. Unfortunately, no prize for you as it's totally wrong
But, unfortunately for you Paul, a wanging prize for me as it's totally right for my Ctek charger.
Richard
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
But, unfortunately for you Paul, a wanging prize for me as it's totally right for my Ctek charger.
Richard
If the OP had a Ctek charger, your guess would have been useful
RichardS
N/A
If the OP had a Ctek charger, your guess would have been useful
Just hoping to add a trifle to the sum total of human knowledge. :encouragement:
Richard
RIBW
Well-Known Member
Dear All,
I'm only following this thread out of curiosity but it reminds me of earlier threads caused because there is a distinction between 'independent' and 'isolated' charging outputs. The wording in some suppliers literature is misleading!....... A previous charger I dealt with had three separate, isolated [but not independant] outputs and failed to charge the non designated battery bank (in this case it would be the 12.6V battery) once the designated/sensed 'main' battery was charged (in this case the 12.8V battery).
I don't know the charger in question so please ignore the above if irrelevant.
Cheers
Bob
Caladh
Well-Known Member
Bob - I like your thinking ! I'll check to see how I've got the two banks wired i.e Primary and secondary etc.
pvb
Well-Known Member
As I recall, it doesn't make any difference with the Pro Charge Ultra.
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
You recall correctly Peter. :encouragement:
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Not sure how many more times i can say this, there is nothing wrong with the charger, it is doing exactly what it should be doing in CEC mode, if you don't like how CEC mode works, change to power supply mode.
GHA
Well-Known Member
If the voltage really *is* going down to 12.6v at the batteries then the charger isn't behaving as per specs, it's actually cycling the battery by maybe up to 10% .