Which charger for calcium batteries?

Yes thks Ian, since read they need 15+vlts.
Looks like the Electro brand of chargers have a calcium setting.
Will phone Supercharge Monday and see what they use.

Hmmmm,

Maybe that's why my Supercharge died... It's only been getting 14.8v from the $300- 3 stage charger I own. ;-(

Joe
It looked the goods but its recommended charge rate for calcium was 14.7V which is only open flooded wet cell rate so it would not be suitable for calciums that need 15.1V.
It has a high equalisation voltage at 16.2V but it depends on how many time you cycle between equalisations at less than efficent voltage that will determine the life of the battery.
ian

Thanks RV Powerstream
Would you suggest excluding the OzCharge from further consideration on the basis of 14.7 vs 15.1 volt discrepancy? Or is this something one could live with at the cost of spending a longer time in absorption phase?

In my vehicle with the engine running, I do not think I have ever measured a battery voltage higher than about 14.5

Am I correct in interpreting this as meaning that my battery will never get fully charged by the alternator?

Did Mr Ford set the charging voltage this low because alternators are not as clever as smart chargers and would never drop into "float" in the event of the vehicle being driven continuously (like a taxi cab on shifts)?

joe99

If I may be permitted a supplementary question...

As I read the OzCharge user manual, it appears that it will go through an equalisation process for every charging sequence in which "calcium" is selected.

Is it a good idea to do equalisation so frequently?

I gather that the operator can manualy terminate the equalisation process but would have to monitor the charger to do so.

joe99

Joe
If its used only as a cranking battery then the charger is OK as without it the alternator would not charge it full anyway but there are different specification claciums with different charge regimes and with a battery in use it may never float anyway as it is continually under load with the engine running.

That OZ charger would probably suit your needs under those circumstances and the equalisation phase would help ward off sulfation.

With any charger just make sure the battery and the charger match up and are also suitable for the purpose intended.
Ian

I've been using the 16 amp Ozcharge charger with 2 x 97 ah calcium batts for several months now with no probs.

This setup was recommended by an auto 'lec.

Course time will tell.

Just the one battery. Only running 2 lights and 1 pump.

Need the charger in case we sit camped for a week. Otherwise it's charged through the vehicles anderson plug when travelling.

Currently there's only a small projecta trickle charger hard wired.

Sorry I was asking John, the originator of this thread.

If you too have a calcium battery best not to use it in a van.

Hi Derek I'm RovingOz above.
When I replied I was logged in as RovingOz because I was editing an ad I have in the trader section.
I usually post in the forum as Phoenix Owners Group to advertise the Phoenix forum. Sorry about the confusion there.

I see, no problem then.

The calcium battery is a good cranking battery and has good storage life but should not be used as a recreational battery.

Best to get an AGM for the van and a good smart-charger like the Pro-Series chargers or Xantrex charger.

Regards

Derek

Hi again John

If you are camped for a week and only running a few lights and a pump you may think of a 80 watt solar panel.

Regards

Derek

I think I might put this Supercharge in the Troopy to replace the nearly dead 2nd starter and just buy an AGM for the van.

Which AGM off ebay did you buy?

AGM batteries that I just bought (2 off)

The price I got seems to be okay....just been googling and found these 2 sites.....

One re-seller of Neuton Power batteries

a 2nd site

So, I paid $253- each plus postage to country SA ($44- for the 1st one and $22- for the 2nd)

These other 2 sites want $400- and $375- per battery......

I dont suppose that by any chance RobAck is another name for RedArc?
Looked very much like an ad. to me, but then that may just be my suspicious mind at play.
furph

That sounds like a bit of a Furphy , furph.... ;-)

I know Rob and he has nothing to do with Redarc.
I was going to post the same info about the Redarc Charger.

furph if you think someone is advertising, then alert the moderators. You don't need to be a vigilante, that just peeves people.

RobA
Saw the Redarc and thought it looked good but saw it was only 5amps so discounted it. Why is the amps not relevant to a calcium charger?
John

John a very good question. The RV Electrical comments are a very good summary and like my post point to a need for some improved information on the charging and maintenance of batteries. This is a quite complex issue so I will try and explain it simply and hopefully clearly and not chuck in a lot of numbers which can confuse the issue and me.

A calcium battery has a lot of benefits including being able to handle charging and discharging at much higher frequency and demand than any other battery. To achieve this its cell structures are quite different.

A SLA (lead acid combination of any sort and there are lots) does not need manny volts to bring it back as the cell strucure (lead) is soft and can easily absorb the charge, but it also doesn't retain it well either.

Whereas a calcium battery has very rigid and hard cells which handle heat and vibration much better and can retain a charge longer. But to "break through" the resistance of these stronger cells requires a very high "imprint voltage". So amps don't count for much in this situation. It is the chargers ability to do three things; charge at over 15.1 volts, equalise the charge across the cells in the battery then float charge it to maintain battery condition. This is a very sophisticated process and a cheap charger will not hack it. As per the other comments.

What is also important to appreciate is that putting a caclium battery into a vehicle who's charging system cannot deliver the voltages required to keep it charged is not a good idea. But can be done is you use an appropriate charger and condition that battery(s) on a regular basis, say monthly. Hence the great advantage in choosing a charger that does all three stages and can be left on if required.

I note one comment where it was said they had a calcium battery in and it didn't last long. This is typical of my comments immediately above.

I hope that explains it well enough? It is an area of myth and technology that certainly is not well understood and a lot due to the increasing complexity and variations of vehicle electrical systems.

RobA

Hey Rob thats a really informative and interesting reply. Thanx for the information

Thanks RobA

Excellent summary - very helpful

So with the right charger, calcium would seem to be the new choice for deep cycle applications over the popular AGM's of recent years. Yes? More suited to vibraton and the daily cycling requirements of a caravan. What's the catch, price?

Also I'm still wondering why redarc don't do a bigger amp charger, wouldn't the 5amp take forever to re-charge my battery.

Also it's strange how a lot of new vehicles seem to be coming with calcium batteries espec if they can't provide the 15+vlts.

Phoenix the calcium's certainly offer a better solution but yes I understand they are more expensive but not having had to replace one for the last four years I don't really know. However I am about to find out as one of my long term evaluation batteries has collapsed so this week I need to replace it. The price will always be a trade-off between need, that is the demand the battery has to support, your expectations, the charging source(s) eg solar, generator, vehicle, combination etc and finally the price.

The amps issue is not relevant to charging time. Battery type and condition is. The heavier the sulphation on the plates the more VOLTS are required to remove it, Not amps and as per explanation previously. If it is a caclium battery then the more volts the better up to 16.2. For a SLA battery the same applies in so much as volts are more important than amps. BUT and a big one is the charger must be a three stage one which is where the expense comes in

Any three stage battery charger and CITEK is another brand we have some experience with, will bring a battery in good conditon to fully charged within 24 hours. Any longer and there is generally some form of problem with the internals of the battery. A good battery charger will actually detect a fault and shutdown rather than continuing to charge. There was an incident in Adelaide earlier this year when a boat was burnt to the ground in the owners garage, very messy. The cause was a battery charger combined with a faulty battery. Charger kept going until the battery overheated and blew up with spectacular and quite expensive results. Caravan fires have occurred for similiar reasons

I don't thing I explained myself clearly enough regarding vehicle charging systems and calcium batteries. Pretty much all new 4WD such as 120 Prado have a charging system capable of supporting calcium batteries. In fact they come standard with one. Anything earlier than 2003 though is suspect and needs to be checked by an auto elec to determine suitabliity. Then again I can get surprised and that generally happens when my better half agrees with my opinion so stranger things are possible.

I hope that helps clarify it>

Regards

RobA