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You Equalize your batteries for How Long?

1 hour	22 votes - 7 %
2 hours	46 votes - 15 %
3 hours	20 votes - 6 %
4 hours	29 votes - 10 %
5 hours	12 votes - 4 %
6 hours	14 votes - 4 %
7 hours	5 votes - 1 %
8 hours	10 votes - 3 %
9 hours	3 votes - 1 %
10 hours	6 votes - 2 %
12 hours	13 votes - 4 %
15 hours	5 votes - 1 %
Longer	24 votes - 8 %
None	79 votes - 27 %

288 Total Votes

You Equalize your batteries for How Long? | 8 comments

Re: (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by wpowokal on Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 10:45:43 PM MST

I voted 4 hours but it is very dependent on time since last equalize, age of batteries and everything else I forgot, the good old hydrometer is the guide, and no I don't know how long your piece of string is.

allan down under
"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." Maria Robinson

Re: (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by ghurd on Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 11:23:22 PM MST

I voted 4 hours for the same reasons, but go more by a gut feeling and the voltage and the sound.
They don't get it often enough.

My string is the exact length to reach from one end all the way to the other.
My legs are the perfect length. They just reach the ground.
G-

[ Parent ]

Re: (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by boB on Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 12:08:00 AM MST

I said 7 hrs (or so), but only if it hasn't been done for quite a while AND watch the water level VERY carefully... Adding water during EQ if necessary.

boB

[ Parent ]

Re: (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by Volvo farmer on Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 06:56:43 AM MST

Wow. I went off one morning after setting up a 32V EQ charge on a 24V bank for 2 hrs on the MX60. Well the solar array apparently couldn't quite push the voltage up that high and I came home 7 hours later to 120F batteries and still boiling away at 31.x volts.

Rolls/Surrette recommends a 2 or 3 hour EQ, 7 hours seems much longer than everything I have read about battery maintenance and really heated up my batteries when I let it go that long.

I'm wondering when you equalize for seven hours, doesn't your battery temperature climb into the uncomfortably-hot area? Mine sure did.

Volvo Farmer

[ Parent ]

Re: (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by wpowokal on Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 05:11:11 AM MST

Volvo it very much depends on battery amp hour capacity verses charge amps, ideally the charge current is reduced to just enough to maintain equalizing voltage with temperature compensating.

My current controller is allanmatic and I am lucky to have a large bank even if aged batteries, into which I am hard pressed to feed too maintain amps.

allan down under
"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." Maria Robinson
[ Parent ]

Re:over heat (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by thirteen on Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:36:58 AM MST

As a side note I would check each battery connection because the extra heat may have expanded the terminel's which may be fine but after they have cooled they may have losened up just s touch and are fine but they might cause a place for corrosion to start or a poor connection. Just an idea.

[ Parent ]

Re: voted for 5 (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by thirteen on Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:29:54 AM MST

I equalize my batteries for 5 hrs twice a year for that is how long my gen. runs on a tank of gas. These are only a (2) battery 12v bank. 4D batteries. Free ones to years ago. I am only up there five times a year and they serve my needs just fine but they are old but don't need alot of care. I'll retire up there in 2.5 years. I just installed a small 45w solar panel kit for use will I am gone. This will work for keeping the batteries up while I am gone. I am building a power house with two banks of batteries. It will be done next year.

Re: voted for 5 (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by OuttaSight on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 04:55:42 AM MST

I'm using a Morningstar 15A MPPT controller (actually two but only one of them has EQ enabled). I programmed it to do a 3 hr EQ every month and it also does one automatically the next day if you really hammer the battery bank in a night. You can programme it to try to do as many hours as you like and there's a total elapsed timer that means if you've been trying to get your 3 hrs of EQ for the last 18 sun-hrs it will give up until next month (rather than slo-cooking the cells to death) :D

[ Parent ]

You Equalize your batteries for How Long? | 8 comments

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