# Battery experts please answer



## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

If I have 220w solar panels connected to a 230ah battery via a regulator that charges the battery upto 14.1V then keeps the battery at 13.7V and obviously at night the battery voltage will drop, will this be good or bad for the battery long term?


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

The only problem with certain solar panel regulators is when they keep the battery above 13.8V ALL the time the sun is shining. That's bad news. If yours doesn't, fine.

Dave


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

DABurleigh said:


> The only problem with certain solar panel regulators is when they keep the battery above 13.8V ALL the time the sun is shining. That's bad news. If yours doesn't, fine.
> 
> Dave


Mine is set to charge a low battery upto 14.2V then keep it at between 13.6 to 13.9V I think.


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

Any one else?


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## pieterv (Feb 3, 2009)

That should be fine. The Schaudt block keeps it at 13.8V after the initial charge.

Pieter


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## Snelly (Aug 20, 2005)

Its fine Jez, voltage is just required to trickle charge... its if its pushing loads of amperage uncontrollably and especially if your battery is full, you'll get a pile up in the battery (think of amps as traffic on a road driving toward the battery) that will boil your battery. BUT, most modern solar regulators and chargers will sense the battery is reaching capacity and step down to a small trickle charge when the battery is at full capacity, normally only 0.5 - 1 amp, but to feed these amps into your battery, it needs to have sufficient voltage to drive the amperage along, hence the 13.something volts.

Hope you get my volts = road, amps = cars metaphor :lol:


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

Cheers Shane,

Yes it tends to trickle at under 500ma. so that seems right.


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

Good.
C.


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## Snelly (Aug 20, 2005)

Another mystery solved :lol:

Now for a scooby snack...


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

Snelly said:


> Another mystery solved :lol:
> 
> Now for a scooby snack...


So my charger is working fine, my solar is also fine. I never over discharged the battery. It just has to be a dodgy battery that failed very early.

If it wasn't for those pesky kids I would have got away with it 8O


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