Ok all, newby electrical qn. So you know how they sell battery boxes right? And I've got an extra deep cycle sitting in such a box neatly tucked into my toolbox in the tub at the back. All controlled by a proper box and hooked up to the charger battery in the engine bay. I've heard and read about hydrogen gas trickle. Is that a significant concern? I figure, they make the boxes for a reason so surely they're ok to use right? I regularly open the toolbox to let it air. Only thing I probably don't do enough is check the levels, easy to forget when you check the others in the front. Constructive comments please.
Deep cycle battery care
- Thread starter PeteV
- Start date
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bods
Member
Agm is fine as they are sealed. Where you have a problem is with standard flooded cell lead acid acid batteries. When charging they give off hydrogen gas which will build up if in a sealed container. The battery boxes don't have a sealed lid, they have gaps between the lid and box so air can circulate through. It depends how well sealed the toolbox is that the battery is in. Opening it every now and then will help air it out anyway...
I think it'll be fine. That far from the cranker it won't get much of a voltage anyway, so it won't charge that well. Expect (on "40A" cable) to see around 12.5V at the rear while the engine is running (cranker at 14.1V).
If you up the cables to 8G or better you'll improve things dramatically there, and then might have an issue with gas only if it's a standard flooded cell battery (removable caps). If it has no removable caps it's either Gel or AGM. Either is ok, AGM is stronger and more reliable, neither will emit much hydrogen unless they're punished heavily by incoming current at a decent voltage (14.7V+ for the AGM, 14.3V+ for the Gel). Mind you, 14.3V on a Gel battery is killing it (permanently) - it should never exceed 14.1V at the terminals.
If you up the cables to 8G or better you'll improve things dramatically there, and then might have an issue with gas only if it's a standard flooded cell battery (removable caps). If it has no removable caps it's either Gel or AGM. Either is ok, AGM is stronger and more reliable, neither will emit much hydrogen unless they're punished heavily by incoming current at a decent voltage (14.7V+ for the AGM, 14.3V+ for the Gel). Mind you, 14.3V on a Gel battery is killing it (permanently) - it should never exceed 14.1V at the terminals.
bloke48
Member
Stealing your post
Sorry to steal your post.... well, not really! What is the proper way to look after deep cycle batteries that are in storage for long periods of time (like the one in my camper which sees the light of day about twice a year recently). It is charged through a system off the Navara alternator and fat cables (Anderson Plug) to the camper.
I have heard tell of keeping the camper plugged in to 240v and the switch set to "Both" for the electricity control in the camper. What say you???
Sorry to steal your post.... well, not really! What is the proper way to look after deep cycle batteries that are in storage for long periods of time (like the one in my camper which sees the light of day about twice a year recently). It is charged through a system off the Navara alternator and fat cables (Anderson Plug) to the camper.
I have heard tell of keeping the camper plugged in to 240v and the switch set to "Both" for the electricity control in the camper. What say you???
happy john
Member
I would look at the quality of the charger and does it back off once the battery is charged.I actually have 3 AGM's, I charge them to 14.5 then disconnect. Your charger may have various settings perhaps float?, that will keep it it at around 13.8. The more you discharge without putting it back shortens the life very fast.
It's safe to charge up once a month, it's even better to keep the battery on a float charge which trickles power in to stop the charge level from dropping too low.
The problem is that a battery that isn't fully charged will create crystals in the battery acid that drop to the bottom of the cells - the process is called 'sulphation'. Eventually the crystals can reach the bottom of the plates, creating an electrical bridge and destroying the cell.
It's not obvious that it's happened until you need to draw decent amounts of power from the battery. On the surface it can appear charged, but the battery will look like it's going flat very quickly. And usually you don't see that until you're actually out in the bush.
The problem is that a battery that isn't fully charged will create crystals in the battery acid that drop to the bottom of the cells - the process is called 'sulphation'. Eventually the crystals can reach the bottom of the plates, creating an electrical bridge and destroying the cell.
It's not obvious that it's happened until you need to draw decent amounts of power from the battery. On the surface it can appear charged, but the battery will look like it's going flat very quickly. And usually you don't see that until you're actually out in the bush.
