No Subject

["Smith, Kirby A" <kirby.a.smith@lmco.com>]

FBFISH@aol.com wrote:

Folks- I am about to reinstall a 200 amp alternator on my boat. The custom
made bracketry was rusted, and needed sand blasting and new paint. While I
had
the alt out, I set the voltage on the bench to 14.4 volts. I have a 3600
watt
inverter on board which I use to power a microwave oven, and water heater.
To
prevent running down the battery, I adjusted the inverter to cut off when
the
dc drops below 14. volts. Now I am concerned that under no-load conditions,
the battery will be over charged. Is 14.4 volts too high??
----------------------------
I believe our "12V" batteries should be charged at 13.6V plus the battery
series resistance times the charging current (voltage measured at the
battery).  Once the battery becomes fully charged, 13.6V should be enough to
keep it topped off.  Given the variations in load, and the regulator not
measuring the battery directly, higher values at the regulator are probably
specified to cover most contingencies, with only slight battery abuse.  I
don't have a Bentley handy to see what is recommended, assuming the subject
is treated at all.

                .... Kirby   (Kirby A. Smith)
                              2 x 1988 90q
                          New Hampshire USA