On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 09:05:49 -0800, Jim Weir wrote:

Respectfully disagree. You take an OLD 25/35 ah aircraft battery and float it
at 13.4 for a week or so and it will burp acid. New ones will not, old ones
will. Been there, done that.

What are you disagreeing with?

As I pointed out in my message, the float voltage for a particular battery
will vary from one manufacturer to another. I was careful to state that
the numbers were for *my* batteries, but proper float voltage should be
obtainable from the various manufacturers.

And if the battery is old, it probably is partially sulfated and, if so,
should be equalized at a low current before putting it on float.

If you can't obtain the proper float voltage from the manufacturer, it can
be determined empirically by looking for bubbles in the electrolyte after
it's been charging for a while.

But the concept that Concorde says works for their gas recombinant
batteries, of repeated discharges and recharges, is not one that should be
generalized to all batteries. A steady float will likely be better for a
FLA battery.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)