Comments below:

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I think that a liquid lead-acid battery plus hydrocaps may be
about the same cost as a gel or AGM.

Doug
s/v CAllista

Perhaps true but if your charger keeps coming out of float and into
absorption when a load onboard starts up your AGMs or gels are going to be
quickly destroyed. You can't put electrolyte back into an AGM or gel that
has been over charged. Flooded batteriers (with HydroCaps) may simply need
a little water now and then. No I don't use the HydroCaps personally as my
boat is a Laser II. ;-) I do most of my sailing as crew on friend's big
boats (or borrow theirs).
--
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
Cape Breton Island, Canada
kenheaton AT ess wye dee DOT eastlink DOT ca

Len wrote in message ...
Op Thu, 6 May 2004 07:19:34 -0300, schreef "Ken Heaton"
:


Anyone familiar with such problems that (maybe) arise from using the
charger as a power supply during float-charging?


I suspect that your charger sees a lower battery voltage when you are
using
it as a power supply. As a result it comes out of float and goes back
to
either bulk or absorption voltage levels, boiling the electrolyte out
of
your "maintenance free" batteries. Many maintenance free batteries
actually
have caps that can be removed by careful prying, they come off in
groups
of
three. Check yours and see if your electrolyte level is way low.
Adding
some distilled water to refill and then charging will get some capacity
back. Next time buy flooded batteries and "Hydrocaps" for them.
http://www.solar-electric.com/hydrocaps.html

Everyone , thanks for your replies.
Ken, I think you hit it spot on.
Do you use the hydrocaps yourself ? Seems like the ultimate solution.

Thanks again, Len.