One for the Battery Gurus
Submitted: Thursday, Jan 19, 2012 at 20:11
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Dennis Ellery
I have a Fullriver DCG 100-12 Deep Cycle Battery and after 4 years use it still shows 100% capacity calculated by doing a 5.4 amp load
test over 16hrs down to 11.6 volt.
The markings on the side of the battery are as follows: 12volt 100ah/20Hr/Gel – Float V 13.6 to 13.8 - Cycle Charge 14.5 to 14.9 V.
I would have thought that these voltages were more characteristic of AGMs.
Some years ago Fullriver, in Australia, got hauled over the coals for incorrectly describing their AGMs as Gels.
Fullriver don’t list a Deep cycle Gel of this type – what is it?
Reply By: The Bantam - Thursday, Jan 19, 2012 at 23:55
Thursday, Jan 19, 2012 at 23:55
The waters have got a bit muddied in recent times and which technology
camp a battery sits in may not be all that clear cut.
Some "AGM" manufactures may be slightly gelling their electrolite to aid retention in their glas mat.
Some "gell" manufacturers are using glass mat between the cells.
And one long term respected manufacturer says "they use AGM technology ", but stops short of calling their batteries AGM or marketing or labeling them as such.
Lots of people seem to think, things are cut and dried and because it is suposed to be a certain technology, it should behave a certain way.
Sorry, the manufactures can manipulate the process to achive all sorts of technical goals.
So you have to look at the specifications of each induvidual battery rather than asumptions along a type cast line.
Several months ago I, was looking for a clear cut answer as to what constituted a "true AGM" battery.
I emailed quite a number of manufactures and got a few vague answers......Only one manufacturer gave me a clear and consise definition......and that was a manufacturere that makes stereotypical AGM batteries using a traditional AGM process with no funny business.
There was a big to do with an importer in the US, some years back..this guy was selling the batteries he imported as what ever was trendy at the time...when "completly sealed" was enough to sell batteries that is what was on the lable, when "GELL" was on the rise and the funky thing, that was what was on the lable, then AGM was what everybody wanted so that became the claim...the battery was the same mediocre two bob each way battery, that in truth could be niether claimed as Gell or AGM.....the electrlote may have been gelled to some extent and there may have been glass mat in the battery...but that was the end of it.
Unfortunately there where some bad experiences with these batteries and it left a bad taste that reflected on the genuine technology batteres.
If what you got is working
well, keep treating it the same.
cheers
cheers
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Follow Up By: Dennis Ellery - Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 09:53
Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 09:53
I can’t get a spec sheet on this battery and the Chinese manufactures are only giving a vague description saying “it is a Gel”. Maybe there is something lost in the translation and their interpretation of the word Paste and Gel is very similar. Who knows?
I will have another go at the Australian importer to see if he will provide a spec sheet, as I want to set up a heavier charger on the battery and need to know its limits.
Regards Dennis
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 13:06
Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 13:06
How hard are you hitting it at the moment and how hard do you want to hit it.
You should be pretty safe with charging at the 10 hour rate, and the 5 hour rate is probably a safe punt, but I'd be surprised if you could safely push it harder than that.
Remember even with a funky multi-stage charger, it will not maintain the initial charge rate for the whole charge cycle and there is a limit to how fast you can efficienly get charge to stick to lead acid batteries.
The limiting factors will be, its sealed, its deep cycle and its suposedly gell.
Remember this is a second string manufacturer, and they will not have the advanced technology that some of the first string manufacturers have that allows them to push the envelope on charge rates.
The battery its self gives you voltage limits....what every you do keep an eye on the temperature.
cheers
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Follow Up By: Dennis Ellery - Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 14:08
Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 14:08
I was thinking of a 25 to 30 amp charger to give it a quick boost off the genset, on overcast days with low solar panel output. An 100ah AGM would handle this but I would be a bit hesitant doing this to a Gel.
Because of its unknown specs I will leave it as is with the current 10amp charger on it.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 14:59
Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 14:59
No not all AGMs would handle that and certain gell batteries will eat up being charged at the 2 hour rate.
Ya simply can not generalise.
One very popular and reputable AGM deep cycle battery has an initial charge limitation or 20 amps for a 120 AH battery...less than the 5 hour rate.
cheers
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Follow Up By: Dennis Ellery - Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 15:41
Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 15:41
A pleasant girl from the Chinese office of Fullriver just got back to me with the following;
“I will send the data sheet to you after we're back to work from Chinese Spring Festival on 31st Jan”
A bit better service than from the Australian office.
So looks like, come Monday, I will have all the info I need.
Thanks for your comments.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 19:03
Friday, Jan 20, 2012 at 19:03
My thaughts are that a good 15 amp multistage charger would be the go, a bigger charger realy is not going to give you a lot more advantage on that size & type of battery........and its going to cost you quite a bit more.
remember charging batteries is not a sprint, it is an endurance race....he who finishes wins.
cheers
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