Force Balance Required? How To?

[LibertyPro]

The converter in my RV, which was supposed to have been Lithium compatible, turned out not to be. So while I charged my 2 new 12v 100Ah LiFePo batteries individually up to "full" through this converter - the max voltage the converter was sending to the batteries was 13.6v.

I have procured a new, lithium specific, converter and have confirmed that it can supply the full 14.6v to the batteries. I can set it to either just run at 14.6v all the time, or to a 3 stage where 14.6v is for the bulk charge only.

Anyway, since these are new batteries I'm wondering if I should/need to let them charge at 14.6v for a while to get the cells to properly balance still? And if so, I have a couple questions:

1) Do I need to discharge them first before charging them back up at 14.6v, or can I just charge them at 14.6v at whatever current state of charge they're at now?
2) How long should I let them charge at a constant 14.6v before switching the converter back to the 3 stage mode in order to ensure the cells are all properly balanced?

(fyi - these are WattCycle batteries and when I balance the cells in them, I'll be doing so individually whereas for normal use, they'll be connected in parallel.)

Thanks for the info!

 

[aliarifat794]

1) No need to discharge.
2)If you have a battery monitor or a smart BMS, look for the charge current dropping to a low level (typically below 0.05C, or around 5A for a 100Ah battery). If your charger doesn’t show current, charge for at least a few hours after hitting 14.6V to allow balancing.

 

[LibertyPro]

Thank you!!