| [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: 0
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Member |
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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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| Re: [GMCnet] Fwd: battery life question [message #261773 is a reply to message #261771] |
Sat, 13 September 2014 15:02  |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Battery Minder or Battery Tender (stay with those brand names) for the small batteries; put out a maximum of about .8 Amps. I use them on Harleys and the original battery on wife's 2007 was still good when we traded it in this year. Use one on my standby generator and it's been okay for at least 5 years now. When my 1999 GMC P/U is not going to be used (especially in Winter) I use one on it, too. The trailer brake controller, clock, and slight drain from the ham radio rig mandate a float charge there.
Other vehicles get used often enough to not be a big problem, but running a "pulsed" maintenance charger on them would likely extend life there, also.
No idea about the 36V item.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
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______________
*[ ]~~~[][ ][|\
*--OO--[]---O-*
> Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 10:46:40 -0400
> From: mike@kilroywashere.com
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> Subject: [GMCnet] Fwd: battery life question
>
> 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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| Re: [GMCnet] Fwd: battery life question [message #261774 is a reply to message #261771] |
Sat, 13 September 2014 15:14 |
 |
Matt Colie
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma: 7
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Senior Member |
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Response to Mike Kilroy - its way too long and involved to quote.
Mike,
I learned all that I know that matters about lead/acid (A/L)batteries from two men much my senior that ran submarines in WWII. That had to know how to do this or they didn't get to tell anybody about the mistakes.
First - Do not try to charge L/A batteries in parallel. There are enough differences in terminal voltage, internal resistance and leakage that no two are ever the same. You will never get both to full density at the same time. If you leave them parallel, both will end up at the lower's terminal voltage.
If the situation is that you have only one source, include some resistance and do not attempt to charge them to full density.
I you are stuck putting L/A batteries, then include switching so the individual banks can be brought to full density independently.
I hope this is some answer to your questions. If no, try again.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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