Solar Battery charger help

Thread Starter

muanpuia

Joined Jul 1, 2013
9
Hello friends, some thief stole the PVarray of my SolarSystem :) and i charge it with automotive battery charger for a month now already. But as the charge current is very low i dont think i can really use this charger for normal use because its voltage increase only by .2VDC(from 11.4 to 11.6) after a month of charging. Id be so glad if you give me a simple charger schematic or at least point me towards the formula on how many Amps do i need? Here is my battery specs. Type:Lead Acid Flooded Electrolyte Tubular Plate, Single Battery Voltage:2VDC, Total Battery Bank Capacity:1050Ah@C120/700Ah@C10, No of Battery in Series:6, Total Battery Bank Voltage (Nominal):12VDC
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Two point zero volts per cell seems wrong. Can you say why this battery is different from a sulphuric acid and lead car battery?
 

Thread Starter

muanpuia

Joined Jul 1, 2013
9
Spinnaker, thank you so much for the link. Ronv, the battery bank is made up of six piece and it seems to be made of wood, i mean the housing. Brand name Tata BP Solar. And the ebay link, funny that its clearly written Does not ship to India. that includes me...hehe. #12, i dont know can i trust the manual, but its written 2v per cell.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Please measure each cell, one at a time, to see if there is more than a few tenths of a volt difference between any 2 cells. If you have standard lead acid batteries, the 11.6V could indicate a bad cell.
 
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Thread Starter

muanpuia

Joined Jul 1, 2013
9
I measure voltage of all the 6 cells, 5 of them are 2.15v and one is 2.18v. Now i think maybe the cable drop is too much, its about 18feet from the battery bank to the 1500Watt power inverter, is it ok? With this 12v/3Amp charger, can i charge my battery to its full capacity anyway, let alone the duration?
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
The cell measurements seem correct. That means you have already charged the cells properly. You have been measuring at the wrong end of the cable. Eleven percent drop in 18 feet tells me your wire is too small or you have a dirty connection.
 
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