HI Ray,
What charge parameters are you using if you are not doing an EQ.
volts absorb and volts float and absorb time?
thanks,
jay
peltz power
On Nov 7, 2009, at 12:45 PM, R Ray Walters wrote:
I think that periodic Equalization is "old school", a concept left
over from the days of C30 controllers that didn't fully charge the
batteries on a regular basis.
I now only recommend Eq charging if:
a) the batteries have sat for over a month in a deeply discharged
state, or
b) checking individual cell voltages indicates more than a 2%
difference between batteries. (over a tenth on a 6 v battery)
Eqing every 30 days just isn't necessary with today's PWM temp
compensated controllers IMHO.
Equalization charging can overheat batteries, which according to my
research is the number one factor in reduced life.
Also, even when Eqing, I recommend the generator only be used to
bring the batteries up to close to full charge, and then let the PV
array perform the Equalization, thus the MATE isn't necessary.
I still do install MATEs on projects with owners that know what
they're doing, and know when to equalize, etc.
Finally, its very inefficient to use a generator for the hours
necessary for Equalization while running at fairly low power.
Hit the genie early in the morning, shut down most loads, and Eq
with the array from 11:00am through the afternoon. If the array
can't do this, then its undersized, or you have designed a highbred
system that does require a MATE. (and an owner that understands what
he's doing)
R. Walters
r...@solarray.com
Solar Engineer
_______________________________________________
List sponsored by Home Power magazine
List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org
