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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 7, 2018 0:39:16 GMT
Hello everyone. I'm new to the solar hobby and I wanted to make sure that the parameters I set for my Gel battery are correct. From what I'm reading, Gels are very easy on maintenance but are temperamental if charged incorrectly . Please check the image
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 7, 2018 0:40:41 GMT
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Post by tattoo on Sept 7, 2018 1:00:41 GMT
It would help if we knew what battery you have not just that it's a gel... They make more than one type gel battery... In all kinds of ah etc.....
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Post by bupkis on Sept 7, 2018 1:43:02 GMT
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 7, 2018 15:53:51 GMT
It's the 100AH Gel Battery from Renogy
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 7, 2018 15:55:38 GMT
so instead of -3 it should be -4? Thank you for responding
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Post by bupkis on Sept 7, 2018 16:04:49 GMT
right, that's what the linked pdf shows, I see eq time is zero? ya might consider setting boost charge time to 30 minutes during months of storage and longer than 120 mins if heavily discharged.
Your boost reconnect is ok for usage, that 14.2 means it stays in boost all the time. Set it below float, 13.2 reference or 13.0, that means it takes a load on the battery while in float to go back to 14.2 boost charging.
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 7, 2018 16:38:35 GMT
eq time is zero because my understanding is that I should not equalize Gel batteries. My plan is to have this setup in constant use day to day so is 120 mins boost adequate?
Are you saying I should set my boost reconnect to 13.2 or 13.0? Or if I use the battery constantly then 14.2 is fine, I don't completely understand how this effects the battery.
Also my SOC percentage reading seems off on the Rover MPPT, I'm assuming 12.1-12.2 is 50% charge for this battery but the % actually reads much lower, more like 13.2v = 50%. Should I completely disregard SOC % and only look at voltage?
I apologize for all of the questions, I really don't want to damage the battery so I want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. Thank you so much for the help!
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Post by tattoo on Sept 7, 2018 17:08:22 GMT
Yes the SOC means nothing, forget it's even there....
What kind of battery do you have?? I know it's Gel...
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 7, 2018 17:20:21 GMT
Yes the SOC means nothing, forget it's even there.... What kind of battery do you have?? I know it's Gel... Renogy 12v Gel 100AH
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Post by Admin on Sept 7, 2018 17:39:53 GMT
eq time is zero because my understanding is that I should not equalize Gel batteries. My plan is to have this setup in constant use day to day so is 120 mins boost adequate? Are you saying I should set my boost reconnect to 13.2 or 13.0? Or if I use the battery constantly then 14.2 is fine, I don't completely understand how this effects the battery. Also my SOC percentage reading seems off on the Rover MPPT, I'm assuming 12.1-12.2 is 50% charge for this battery but the % actually reads much lower, more like 13.2v = 50%. Should I completely disregard SOC % and only look at voltage? I apologize for all of the questions, I really don't want to damage the battery so I want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. Thank you so much for the help! You are correct, we don't equalize the Gel batteries. We would set the Boost reconnect voltage to 13.2V and also perhaps change the low-voltage disconnect to something lower than 12.2 since it might be disconnecting from your battery constantly under load. We would suggest 11.1V. In regards to SOC%: The SOC% visible on the charge controller’s screen is not a measure of the remaining capacity of the battery, but instead simply uses the voltage going into the battery to determine SOC% at that moment. The charge controller uses the voltage-method, but the reading quickly becomes distorted due to factors like discharge rate, temperature, and loads connected to the battery which “excite” the battery and change the surface charge on the battery. To get the most reliable SOC% for remaining capacity, your batteries must be at rest for 2-3 hours (sometimes longer!) with no load by which you can measure the voltage with a multi-meter. -Renogy Team
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Post by bupkis on Sept 7, 2018 17:59:15 GMT
hi Newbie 2.0, you have a BLANK for Eq, is that the same a zero minutes?
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Post by tattoo on Sept 7, 2018 18:08:55 GMT
You do realize people can't just turn off there load for 2 to 3 hours a day just to check SOC?
I say forget about it, it relates to nothing...
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 9, 2018 1:14:15 GMT
hi Newbie 2.0, you have a BLANK for Eq, is that the same a zero minutes? yes that is correct
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Post by Newbie 2.0 on Sept 9, 2018 16:56:18 GMT
eq time is zero because my understanding is that I should not equalize Gel batteries. My plan is to have this setup in constant use day to day so is 120 mins boost adequate? Are you saying I should set my boost reconnect to 13.2 or 13.0? Or if I use the battery constantly then 14.2 is fine, I don't completely understand how this effects the battery. Also my SOC percentage reading seems off on the Rover MPPT, I'm assuming 12.1-12.2 is 50% charge for this battery but the % actually reads much lower, more like 13.2v = 50%. Should I completely disregard SOC % and only look at voltage? I apologize for all of the questions, I really don't want to damage the battery so I want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. Thank you so much for the help! You are correct, we don't equalize the Gel batteries. We would set the Boost reconnect voltage to 13.2V and also perhaps change the low-voltage disconnect to something lower than 12.2 since it might be disconnecting from your battery constantly under load. We would suggest 11.1V. In regards to SOC%: The SOC% visible on the charge controller’s screen is not a measure of the remaining capacity of the battery, but instead simply uses the voltage going into the battery to determine SOC% at that moment. The charge controller uses the voltage-method, but the reading quickly becomes distorted due to factors like discharge rate, temperature, and loads connected to the battery which “excite” the battery and change the surface charge on the battery. To get the most reliable SOC% for remaining capacity, your batteries must be at rest for 2-3 hours (sometimes longer!) with no load by which you can measure the voltage with a multi-meter. -Renogy Team Thank you for recommending the boost reconnect change, I have updated that parameter. In regards to LVD, are you saying that when the battery reaches 11.1v under load (well below 50% DOD), if the load was disconnected for 2-3 hours from that point, the true voltage would return to 12.0-12.3 (50% DOD)? I am aiming for longevity in cyclic life for this battery.
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