Costco Marine deep cycle Charge voltage & MPPT

SolarT
SolarT Solar Expert Posts: 49 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
The spec on the battery charging scheme is listed below:

Voltage of the battery system 12
Charging Current C / 10 (C=105Ah)
Bulk Charge Voltage 14.4
Absorption Voltage 15.5
Absorption Time in Hours 2 to 4
Float Voltage 13.2
Equalization Voltage 15.6
Equalization Time in hours 2

My TS MPPT 60 has Absorption, Float and Equalize. The Absorption V on the MPPT settings matches the Bulk Charge V of the battery unless I customize it. Am I missing something?
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Costco Marine deep cycle Charge voltage & MPPT

    Sounds like these are made by Interstate Battery. we had a discussion not long ago about their odd Voltage settings, and the lack of an intelligent response from the company when inquiries were made.

    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=10710&highlight=Interstate

    Keep in mind these are Marine/RV batteries too; not actually intended for RE use.

    I think I'm going to start recommending people ignore manufacturer's settings. :roll:

    Try a Bulk/Absorb threshold of 14.4 Volts, and a Float of 13.8. Keep the hydrometer handy and check the Specific Gravity. See how they perform ... and start saving up for a set of Trojans! :p
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  • SolarT
    SolarT Solar Expert Posts: 49 ✭
    #3
    Re: Costco Marine deep cycle Charge voltage & MPPT

    I don't know if the Costco battery is an Interstate battery but I matched all the spec and dimensions to the Insterstate site. Kirkland do not have any spec at all. This was going to be my Aux Battery for my trolling kayak. Thank goodness for this site, I bought a hydrometer.

    My solar bank is a pair of Power Solar - marketing speak - VRLA, AGM + GEL. The spec matches TS MPPT 60 - #2 Sealed option exactly. No equalization needed. 91Ah @20hr. I bought them from the previous owner who let sit unused for about 1 yr or more.

    Too bad hydrometer won't work on these. They are in process of getting to 90% charged with my Triton RC charger and it shows the mAH. Seem to improve as I cycle them the 3 rd time. I discharged them down to about 12.0V that took about 24hr. Then recharge.
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  • SolarT
    SolarT Solar Expert Posts: 49 ✭
    #4
    Re: Costco Marine deep cycle Charge voltage & MPPT

    Ok, back to the Costco Kirkland battery. I charged it based on 14.4V absorp for about six hours according to the log and the SG were 1.255 on 4 cells and 1.245 on the other 2 cells. The data matches Tumbleweeds information in his thread.

    This is a brand new battery bought 2 weeks ago and the date on it is 2/11.

    I am going with L16 setup per interstate's recommendation absorption 15.4V setting on the TSMPPT60. The DIP switch is a pain to get to but not as bad as pci card.

    I am rereading WindSun's Battery FAQ about Bulk, Absorption and Float stages. I update this thread if we get good sunshine tomorrow.
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