Warpspeed
Solar Wizard
Ah!
The controller sees whatever external loads that are connected as battery charging current.
The battery charging current can NEVER fall to the point where the charger is satisfied that the battery is fully charged, so it never drops back to the reduced voltage float mode, and just keeps on charging at the higher voltage.
You can get away with that with flooded cells that can be topped up, but with SLA batteries, the battery life will be cut short due to the cells very gradually venting over time and slowly drying out, with a continuously applied higher charging voltage.
But still.... No type of battery charging controller should ever exceed the set 14.4v charging voltage under any circumstances.
It might be worth looking around for a more suitable solar controller.
Some provide separate external connections to the battery and to the load.
There will be separate current shunts, and current can flow directly from the charger to the load, with the battery just sitting there without any current flowing either in or out, once the battery is fully charged.
Only that way, can the charger operate correctly, and know when to drop back down to float voltage.
Others here might be able to offer some suggestions about a better more suitable charge controller ?
The controller sees whatever external loads that are connected as battery charging current.
The battery charging current can NEVER fall to the point where the charger is satisfied that the battery is fully charged, so it never drops back to the reduced voltage float mode, and just keeps on charging at the higher voltage.
You can get away with that with flooded cells that can be topped up, but with SLA batteries, the battery life will be cut short due to the cells very gradually venting over time and slowly drying out, with a continuously applied higher charging voltage.
But still.... No type of battery charging controller should ever exceed the set 14.4v charging voltage under any circumstances.
It might be worth looking around for a more suitable solar controller.
Some provide separate external connections to the battery and to the load.
There will be separate current shunts, and current can flow directly from the charger to the load, with the battery just sitting there without any current flowing either in or out, once the battery is fully charged.
Only that way, can the charger operate correctly, and know when to drop back down to float voltage.
Others here might be able to offer some suggestions about a better more suitable charge controller ?
