When your batteries are lower the voltage from your solar will too.
Your batteries are a big resistor. The voltage may look like 16 volts
at the panel but at the battery you will see it at about 1 to 1.5 volts
about its charge so you don't have to worry about it. The thing that
really fries your batteries are those 3 stage balmar regulators that
push 100 or more amps into your batteries at high voltage.

You're only dealing with 5 amps per panel with solar and on a crazy
blow day maybe 15 if your lucky with your wind gen. I have had days
when 35 knots of blow and hot sun was making 25 amps and all I did was
turn on the stereo or TV and a light or two - instant regulator.

Remember back in the days of the 70's where you turned on your lights
to drive cross-county so you wouldn't over work your regulator? Maybe
your younger then I but it works the same today.

You're working so hard to make juice, the last thing you want to do
is ragulate it.

On 6 Mar 2006 19:47:05 -0800, "Da Kine"
wrote:

When your batteries are lower the voltage from your solar will too.
Your batteries are a big resistor. The voltage may look like 16 volts
at the panel but at the battery you will see it at about 1 to 1.5 volts
about its charge so you don't have to worry about it. The thing that
really fries your batteries are those 3 stage balmar regulators that
push 100 or more amps into your batteries at high voltage.

You're only dealing with 5 amps per panel with solar and on a crazy
blow day maybe 15 if your lucky with your wind gen. I have had days
when 35 knots of blow and hot sun was making 25 amps and all I did was
turn on the stereo or TV and a light or two - instant regulator.

Remember back in the days of the 70's where you turned on your lights
to drive cross-county so you wouldn't over work your regulator? Maybe
your younger then I but it works the same today.

You're working so hard to make juice, the last thing you want to do
is ragulate it.

I guess I'm not much younger, he sad with a sad expression on his
face... but hey 51 is a nice age to go cruising....

So what you're all saying is:
- the battery acts as a resistor that accepts charging current
depending on load-%.
- regulation means less efficiency
- with a full battery (this is theory), when windgen makes a lot of
amps and solar too, just add a load, like a water heater.
- frying the battery can't occur just by unregulated windgenny's
and/or unregulated solarpanels. I just need a diode to prevent current
draw at nights.
- frying is caused by 3 stage regulators that force high current/high
charge-voltages into the battery.

Fair winds, Len.

Yep, that about covers it.

I had bank after bank of batteries fry on my with my balmar 3 stages.
When I repowered 3 years ago i put a new alt on it too and a cheap reg.
I have had nothing but good luck with my new bank of batteries since. I
won't go back.

Fair winds

So...maybe y'all can answer this question. I have been charging my
batteries with my Honda 2000i, using a shorepower cable and an adaptor
plugged into the 120V output of the Honda. The batteries are then charged
by the 120V--12V multi-stage charger. I've noticed that the charger light
rarely changes from red to green to indicate the second stage of charging.
It does seem like we have to run the generator alot...though my wife and
kids like to burn power.

Would charging be faster by using the 12v leads from the Honda generator
right to the batteries? Better for the batteries?

Glenn.
s/v Seawing
www.seawing.net


"Da Kine" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yep, that about covers it.

I had bank after bank of batteries fry on my with my balmar 3 stages.
When I repowered 3 years ago i put a new alt on it too and a cheap reg.
I have had nothing but good luck with my new bank of batteries since. I
won't go back.

Fair winds

"Glenn A. Heslop" wrote in message
news:JLQPf.127152$H%4.28520@pd7tw2no...
So...maybe y'all can answer this question. I have been charging my
batteries with my Honda 2000i, using a shorepower cable and an adaptor
plugged into the 120V output of the Honda. The batteries are then charged
by the 120V--12V multi-stage charger. I've noticed that the charger
light
rarely changes from red to green to indicate the second stage of charging.
It does seem like we have to run the generator alot...though my wife and
kids like to burn power.

Would charging be faster by using the 12v leads from the Honda generator
right to the batteries? Better for the batteries?

Glenn.
s/v Seawing
www.seawing.net

I think you first need to figure out what state of charge your batteries are
at. Either use a hygrometer or disconnect the charging source and measure
the battery voltage 30 minutes later.
If they are basically fully charged I would guess that your charger is
either struggling to put in the last few amps at a float voltage or its
defective.

If the batteries are discharged it would seem your charger can't keep up
with the discharge rate. I would measure the voltage at the batteries while
the charger is operating. It should be higher than a float voltage of say
13.2 volts. If its charging at 13.8-14.3 volts it would seem to be working
OK and just not have enough output to keep up. I believe the Honda only
puts out 8 amps DC so its not likely to be an improvement over your 120vac
charger in this case.

Or you could just touch your tong between the posts:-)

------ no I am joking DON'T do that

I didn't think about bad batteries because my mind was thinking typical
power hog.

You can sort of fix crystallized batteries by over charging them to
16.8 volts and then beading off the excess charge. That melts most of
the crystallization that happens. There is also some acid that you can
buy to add to your cells that prolongs the life of batteries but I a
big believer in changing batteries about every 2 years. Call it cost of
ownership and live with it because it is better and safer for not that
much money.

"Da Kine" wrote in
oups.com:

You can sort of fix crystallized batteries by over charging them to
16.8 volts and then beading off the excess charge. That melts most of
the crystallization that happens. There is also some acid that you can
buy to add to your cells that prolongs the life of batteries but I a
big believer in changing batteries about every 2 years. Call it cost of
ownership and live with it because it is better and safer for not that
much money.



All a disaster waiting to happen. Adding acid to electrolyte to
"rejuvenate" dead cells is SUICIDE! The lead was eaten away from the
plates and crystallized into the bottom of the battery, in the space
provided for it. You come along and add acid, eating holes in already
weakened plates, possibly creating a shorting hazard so the battery
explodes. You have to see a boat whos battery has exploded to realize
what damage that does. Please don't add acid to a dead cell, please?

Going to sea with crap batteries is stupid! Batteries are cheap unless
you suck up to some idiotic gauze batteries for $600 by some slick
salesman in boat shoes. Golf cart batteries are throwaway consumables at
$89 a pop. Use them. They work great for years, and when something
doesn't start to look right, TOSS THEM to the battery recycler pile and
BUY NEW ONES from a BATTERY SHOP, not a boat store!

I like your idea of the 2-year swap, but cheap golf cart batteries will
last much longer if one takes care of them properly....

When you zap a battery with 16.8V at really high current, the good cells
boil like hell, possibly warping a plate and causing an explosion. NEVER
do this crazy crap! You are NOT going to "save" a dead cell...its acid
is used up, its plates are eaten away, its full of lead sulphate
crystals...buy a NEW ONE.

Well, your 2000 only has a 10 amp push coming from the 12V dc plug if I
remember right. Your onboard charger is probably about the same! Most
boats only have between 10 and 15 amp chargers because you'd expect to
use it at shore and never need too much more at a time. The times that
you are not aboard lets the charger catch up with your needs.

I don't think either of those ways will do you right. What you probably
need to do is get a big charger but DO NOT GET A CAR CHARGER! Car
chargers will fry your frig and a few other electronics that you might
have plugged in.

Your other choice is a high power alt. If you do that you should get
one of those things that goes between your battery and alt. I forget
the name off hand but it is a big condenser type thing that tames the
power so you don't have lots of static all over your radio and other
sensitive gear.