Teledyne makes a constant....

Posted By: John
Date: 4/12/09 6:28a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Equalize batteries on a "small" sailboat (pic) (walt26scolorado)

....current charger. It was designed for the aviation industry, but the battery doesn't know that. You adjust the current depending on the A/H rating of the battery,(max output on mine is only 4.5 amps) set the timer for A/H rating divided by current adjusted output.....let her go. It is a "controlled" overcharge. Mixes up the electrolyte as the denser sulfuric acid tends to sink to the bottom of the cell. Can also remove some of the medium tough sulfates from the plates. The hardened sulfates are next to impossible to remove, which is what eventually kills the battery(lowers exposed plate area and can short plate out). When these touch inside a cell, that cell becomes shorted and no longer accepts a charge. As they say, batteries don't die, they are killed. I have been messing with batteries for many years and didn't really understand the science until I had to use them to power my off grid cabin. Mnay new chargers have an equalize option. Be careful equalizing a battery with electronics attached, as they may be voltage sensitive.