Maximum charge rate question

yiannis5

Hello guys,

Just a quick question which I am sure you will find silly.

My battery bank consists of 8 T105RE Trojan batteries configured for 24v.

I am aware that Trojan recommends a 10% charging rate based on the C20 rate of the battery.

In my case is it 10% of 225 which is the rate of one battery or is it 10% of 450 which is the amps of the battery bank die to the configuration for 24v?

Thanks!

mcgivor

Theoretically the current in a parallel battery bank is equal for both strings, so you would use 10% of 450. In a simple restive circuit they would be equal, however as there are variations in batteries, the current may be slightly different, but should be close, in a healthy bank. If you have a DC clamp on ammeter you can verify this, if you don't, I would highly recommend getting one as it is an important tool to have at your disposal for maintaining your batteries.

yiannis5

Thanks for the reply. The reason I am asking is because I would like to know ideally how many amps my generator should produce in order to charge my battery bank correctly. I currently own a Honda EU26i (230v) which produces around 10amps which I think is low and not sufficient?

mcgivor

Generator output 10A at 230V, with a 24V nominal chager you could easily charge your batteries, current is inversely proportional to voltage so 10A at 230V is approximately 900A at 24V, reduced as you will be at a higher voltage, say around 29V, but that far exceeds your requirements, so your generator is up to the task. 

Estragon

Just to clarify- if you are using a separate 24vdc/230vAC charger on the 230vAV output of the generator you're fine.

If you're talking about the dc output of the generator, I believe that is 10A at 12vdc. You shouldn't try to use the dc output of the generator for battery charging.

yiannis5

Thanks for the answers - yes I am using a separate 24vdc charger.

mike95490

With generators and chargers, you HAVE to pay attention to the Power Factor of the charger, and the continuous rating of the Generator.
If you have a   XYZ-2400 genset, most often the 2400 is a surge rating, with 1900w max 15min rating and 1700w continuous .

And the battery charger, outputs 28V @ 35A is 980 Watts.   But with a PF of .5, you are asking the generator to supply 1470wats