| [GMCnet] Fwd: battery life question [message #261771] |
Sat, 13 September 2014 09:46  |
Mike Kilroy
Messages: 80
Registered: July 2006
Location: Farmersville, OH (near D...
Karma:
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trying again here too...
repost - not going?
Since there is a LOT of really good experts here... I would like to
pose a battery question.
Pretend I have:
- GMC with 2 batts
- 3pc 36v gold cart type machines
- 3pc antique cars with 12v batts
- 5 pc farm equipment with 12v batts
- 1pc AGM start 7kw whole house inverter generator
These need to survive over winter storage. Best way??
Of course GMC has state of the art charger system (float plus every 28
days smack plates with charge current to reduce sulphide build up) with
separate outputs.
I have for 100 years(?) used #12 romex run throughout barns from 13.50v
DC ham power supply (100amp?) - it goes to most 12v batts in parallel -
so many years ago that I do not remember which ones have series diodes
in the circuit. It normally keeps 12v car batts good for 6-7 years
before needing replacement. Poor old Sears has been replacing one of
these, my lifetime battery, since 1973. One old car for sure has series
diode, and its battery is going on 10 years old now with car driven once
every year or so. I KNOW this is too low a voltage, especially in the
cold. I believe room temp 13.5 is good float level, and at say 40F it
goes up to to around 14.1v for same effect...
I have improperly ignored the 12v "lawn and garden" small batts - and
they usually fail every year because of this - but now that I have MORE
time available near retirement, I would like to save these too.
My 24 million dollar question: HOW?
I have a spare GMC charger unit with 28 day cycle... I probably should
bare minimum replace my ham 13.5 supply with that? And just put all
batts in parallel on my #12 romex string?
I recently had to buy [don't you??] 6pc Harbor Freight $ 4.99 float
chargers (don't get me going on that - they vary from 13.1 to 14.2v
output so are NFG as is [I can change pcb VR1 component to pot and
adjust properly but am inherently lazy]...
Questions appear to be:
1) Better to just use my 13.5 ham supply [2pc 2meter radios on it] AND
PUT all batts in parallel (today, I have 3 antique cars in parallel and
the batts last 6-7yrs each)?
2) Swap ham 13.5 supply for spare GMC smart unit and put ALL batts in
parallel?
3) Adjust these Harbor Freight float chargers to output correct voltage
for batt type and use individual ones?
4) Better idea?
Thank you.
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Mike (AC8V) & Vickie Kilroy
'73 Canyon Land 26' sidebath
455/ceramic filled crossovers
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