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<font size="3" face="Arial">Hi Hugh,</font> </p>
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<font size="3" face="Arial">Here is the charging information for our AGMs.</font> </p>
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<font size="3" face="Arial">Please let us know if you need anything else.</font> </p>
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<u><i><a href="http://www.surrette.com/content/agm-faqs"><font face="Arial" size="3" color="#0000ff">http://www.surrette.com/content/agm-faqs</font></a></i></u><font size="3" face="Arial"></font> </p>
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<font size="3" face="Arial">Regards,,</font> </p>
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<font size="3" face="Arial">Jamie</font><br><br>>>> "Starlight Solar, Larry Crutcher" <larry@starlightsolar.com> 4/25/2011 6:04 PM >>><br>Hi Hugh,<br><br>An AGM battery is considered full when the current drops below a specified<br>amount. Lifeline, for instance, is considered full when current is less than<br>0.5 amps per 100AH. The Blue Sky Energy IPN Pro Remote<br><a href="http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/products/details/ipn_proremote/">http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/products/details/ipn_proremote/</a> will allow<br>you to program the transition into float mode based on the amount of current<br>flowing through a shunt. This can be very useful for your project that<br>involves opportunity charging. Multiple charge sources can be monitored by<br>the IPN Pro simultaneously. For us, it is the most ideal charger for VRLA<br>batteries.<br><br>Here's a link to some charging instructions for the Fullriver AGM:<br><a href="http://www.fullriver.com/products/admin/upfile/Charginginstruction.pdf">http://www.fullriver.com/products/admin/upfile/Charginginstruction.pdf</a><br><br>Larry<br><br><br>----- Original Message -----<br>From: "Hugh" <hugh@scoraigwind.co.uk><br>To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org><br>Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2011 12:11 AM<br>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] AGM battery charging, more details<br><br><br>| Thanks, Larry for the detailed response<br>| ><br>| ><br>| >Generally, the manufacturers charge recommendations should be followed.<br>|<br>| Yes but the issue I have is to know when and how to switch from<br>| absorption to float. The Tristar has its own decision process but is<br>| it correct? And if not then are the settings suitable.<br>|<br>| > If you take away the red paint, I believe the Rolls AGM is the<br>| >Fullriver DC series battery. We started selling Fullriver last year<br>| >and I was surprised to find the very high absorb voltage<br>| >recommendation. For the DC400-6 (415AH) in cycle use they recommend<br>| >charging at 29 to 29.8 volts and float at 27.6 @25C! That is the<br>| >highest AGM voltage settings I have seen from any manufacturer.<br>|<br>| That's my worry.<br>|<br>| ><br>| >My thinking about AGM's is that the float voltage and transition<br>| >current are much more important factors than absorb voltage and<br>| >current.<br>|<br>| Transition current is not in the vocabulary of the Tristar<br>| controller. I am not aware of a product that has this feature aside<br>| from maybe some inverters. I have read in an Outback manual that<br>| you should program the absorb time based on charge current<br>| measurements, but the logic of this depends on the battery being<br>| 'flat' to the same degree at the start of each charge - whereas wind<br>| and solar charging is not like that.<br>|<br>| >For most AGM's, initial charge current is almost unlimited. However,<br>| >Fullriver recommends current limiting and constant voltage for the<br>| >bulk/absorb cycle. Their current limit is .15 to .35*C20 rate. BTW,<br>| >make sure to adjust the temp. comp to 3mV/C/C for float. That is<br>| >lower than most.<br>|<br>| Tristar default is 5 mV/C/C but can be modified by RS232 lead and<br>| software intervention.<br>|<br>| ><br>| >Equipment in a 24 volt system should be fine up to 32 to 33 volts.<br>| >Check the specs.<br>|<br>| It's not me that has the problem it's the telemetry engineers. I<br>| assume they read the manual. But reduced temp comp helps.<br>|<br>| ><br>| >What I said about equalizing was that I had done it twice to my<br>| >personal AGM battery bank. After the battery is fully charged (<0.2A<br>| >per 100ah @ C20) I put each battery, not each string, on a current<br>| >controlled charger. The current setting is .05*C20.<br>|<br>| That is 5 amps for a 100Ah battery? Does this not make them gas?<br>|<br>| >I don't use voltage regulation when I do this. Once the battery<br>| >reaches 2.58 V/Cell, I charge for about 4 more hours always<br>| >monitoring battery temperature. I use this process to recover AGM<br>| >battery capacity and it has been mostly successful with all<br>| >brands. No more puzzle.<br>|<br>| Thanks - AGMs are a puzzle to me but you make it sound pretty simple.<br>| I do still have an issue with controlling the charge rate using<br>| existing technology on an opportunity charging system where the<br>| battery may be in any state of charge when the wind starts blowing,<br>| or sun starts to shine.<br>|<br>| best wishes,<br>| --<br>| Hugh Piggott<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>List sponsored by Home Power magazine<br><br>List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org<br><br>Options & settings:<br><a href="http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org">http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org</a><br><br>List-Archive: <a href="http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org">http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org</a><br><br>List rules & etiquette:<br>www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm<br><br>Check out participant bios:<br>www.members.re-wrenches.org<br><br><br><br>
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