Chargers Float Voltage.

[Tunafish]

So the detail is i have two lead flooded deep cycle 29DC batteries in parallel to power a 1500w convertor only when we have power outages which happens only a handful times a year. The majority of the time these will be floated.

Now i cant seem to find a charger and a maintainer that keeps the voltage at ~13.5v or whatever the the correct float is at a 70f room. I tried the nexpeak nc201 and nc201 pro and both float at 14.2v. I currently have a Schumacher SC1282 hooked up which floats at 12.8v. I contacted Schumacher thinking the charger was defective and they said it is programed to float at 12.8 to 13.2v depending on battety type. From what i read this is way too low but being a name brand charger maybe they know something i dont?

Anyways thoughts on this or recommendations for a wall charger that charges and floats the proper voltage? Thanks.

 

[pollenface]

Victron.

They have a huge range of chargers which can be programmed to do just about anything. I'm looking at getting a Victron Phoenix smart charger myself.

You can download the Victron Connect app and view the Demo library to experiment or get an idea of what your options are.

Otherwise I would consider purchasing a 13.5v power supply, it can be left connected indefinitely while other chargers are performing equalization/absorption.

 

[JRH]

So the detail is i have two lead flooded deep cycle 29DC batteries in parallel to power a 1500w convertor only when we have power outages which happens only a handful times a year. The majority of the time these will be floated.

Now i cant seem to find a charger and a maintainer that keeps the voltage at ~13.5v or whatever the the correct float is at a 70f room. I tried the nexpeak nc201 and nc201 pro and both float at 14.2v. I currently have a Schumacher SC1282 hooked up which floats at 12.8v. I contacted Schumacher thinking the charger was defective and they said it is programed to float at 12.8 to 13.2v depending on battety type. From what i read this is way too low but being a name brand charger maybe they know something i dont?

Anyways thoughts on this or recommendations for a wall charger that charges and floats the proper voltage? Thanks.

I’m pretty sure , that my 4 amp “BatteryTender” maintainers keep FLA batts at about 13.3 to 13.5 float…I have been using them for years for fla and several 12v lifepo4 bats…I don’t remember what the lithium voltage at float was ,as I don’t think I ever floated them. I still use them for all the fla I use in the shop.
google it…I think they are great .. mine are about 65 dollars and are very well made.

 

[Tunafish]

Thanks for the responses. I will look into battery tender.

 

[Minimoose]

So the detail is i have two lead flooded deep cycle 29DC batteries in parallel to power a 1500w convertor only when we have power outages which happens only a handful times a year. The majority of the time these will be floated.

Now i cant seem to find a charger and a maintainer that keeps the voltage at ~13.5v or whatever the the correct float is at a 70f room. I tried the nexpeak nc201 and nc201 pro and both float at 14.2v. I currently have a Schumacher SC1282 hooked up which floats at 12.8v. I contacted Schumacher thinking the charger was defective and they said it is programed to float at 12.8 to 13.2v depending on battety type. From what i read this is way too low but being a name brand charger maybe they know something i dont?

Anyways thoughts on this or recommendations for a wall charger that charges and floats the proper voltage? Thanks.

Schumacher chargers generally do "float monitoring" If the charge drops below 12.8 volts they run through a cycle.

 

[JRH]

Schumacher chargers generally do "float monitoring" If the charge drops below 12.8 volts they run through a cycle.

I have two Schumachers… they are both higher output and more a bit more capable of different needs than my 4 amp Battery Tenders …one is 18 years old , the other is a 5 years old … both have worked perfectly in all scenarios…
but the best I have ever had are the Victron IP 22 smart chargers ?? ( IIRC ) , 12v- 30 amp and the 24v - 16 amp…they do about everything it seems ….got em this spring.
a bit pricey but damn good…
J.

 

[Minimoose]

I have two Schumachers… they are both higher output and more a bit more capable of different needs than my 4 amp Battery Tenders …one is 18 years old , the other is a 5 years old … both have worked perfectly in all scenarios…
but the best I have ever had are the Victron IP 22 smart chargers ?? ( IIRC ) , 12v- 30 amp and the 24v - 16 amp…they do about everything it seems ….got em this spring.
a bit pricey but damn good…
J.

I have 2 15 amp Schumacher chargers and they work great as long as you don't go over the gel setting. Gel charges at 14.6-14.8 volts on both. AGM up to 15.3 volts and Standard will go about 16 volts. I never go above gel setting. I only use them for a quick charge once in a while.
I have 5 different noco genius chargers that I use on my mowers,motorcycle, and cars. I use them year round to keep all my batteries topped off. I don't have to worry about anything with the noco chargers. I just plug them in and walk away. They work great.
Of course for my battery banks I just use solar.

 

[mikefitz]

Lead acid may have reduced service life if held at a high float voltage continually.

The Victron Blue Smart range IP 22, perhaps have the best charging strategy. You can use the default values or user selection.
You have the following charge stages, bulk, absorbtion, float , storage (at a lower float voltage) , refresh every 7 days (or as programmed).
The default normal setting is, 12v LA battery,
Absorbtion 14.4 v, absorbtion period, adaptive 30 minutes to 8 hours, float 13.8 v, adaptive period 4 to 8 hours, storage 13.2 v, refresh periods every 7 days.

The Victron Connect app shows charging and battery status, charge history, and allows easy user programing .

 

[JRH]

Lead acid may have reduced service life if held at a high float voltage continually.

The Victron Blue Smart range IP 22, perhaps have the best charging strategy. You can use the default values or user selection.
You have the following charge stages, bulk, absorbtion, float , storage (at a lower float voltage) , refresh every 7 days (or as programmed).
The default normal setting is, 12v LA battery,
Absorbtion 14.4 v, absorbtion period, adaptive 30 minutes to 8 hours, float 13.8 v, adaptive period 4 to 8 hours, storage 13.2 v, refresh periods every 7 days.

The Victron Connect app shows charging and battery status, charge history, and allows easy user programing .

You are correct .. they are a pleasure to use and mess around with…the blue tooth makes it even better as you can keep an eye on things…..and how it’s progressing

 

[JRH]

I have 2 15 amp Schumacher chargers and they work great as long as you don't go over the gel setting. Gel charges at 14.6-14.8 volts on both. AGM up to 15.3 volts and Standard will go about 16 volts. I never go above gel setting. I only use them for a quick charge once in a while.
I have 5 different noco genius chargers that I use on my mowers,motorcycle, and cars. I use them year round to keep all my batteries topped off. I don't have to worry about anything with the noco chargers. I just plug them in and walk away. They work great.
Of course for my battery banks I just use solar.

I have seen a lot of the Noco stuff around… it appears to be well thought of charger but I have never bought one…..
I like their adds though.. but I think I have enough for the near future…

“Said in jest….”
one can never have too many good toys…
J.

 

[Substrate]

I'm partial to Tecmate/Optimate if you are going to do lead-acid float / maintain - mainly because I feel that they understand float right - that is, they use a 50% duty cycle of floating (30 min on / 30 min off) voltage.

Really handy especially in hot temps for those without precise temperature-compensation on the charger.