Balmar ARS lll Regulator Issues...

[Rick D]

I have been messing around with an ARS lll regulator that is powering two house banks of paired 6 volt golf cart batteries and an isolated starting battery through a 100 amp Balmar alt. Anyhow, the first issue was that the sense wire was hooked to the starting battery. Obvious fix. After that, when tested, on the initial charge, the output was about 14 volts without loading. It then went to about 13.5. Recently, with a 60% discharged bank (11.0 volts) it went into float at somewhere between 12.5 and 13.0 volts. Seems well shy of 13.8. These things are supposed to be pre-set for gel, so I would expect something greater. Anyone care to share their experience? Also, from a 11.5 to a 12.5 charge, it takes about 45 minutes of run time at 1500 RPM with 10 amps drawing from the refrig & freezer. Sound about right? (FYI: Yanmar guy recommended 2000 RPM for battery charging as much as they don't like the practice to start with.) Rick D.

 

[John Nantz]

Ballmar Web Site

Unless you wanted to get some opinions before talking to the Manufacturer, the Ballmar web site is http://www.balmar.net/I installed a Ballmar 70 amp alternator in '93 with the ARS II regulator to charge 4 golf carts and a group 28 start battery and it was one of the best things I ever did. All wiring is 2/0, almost everything to code, and the refrigeration, forced air heater, starter, water pump, etc. really like it too. The battery voltages after a day are still in the high 12 v range (12.6 to 12.8? based on memory) as measured with a Fluke 77 didgital miltitester after the batteries have stabilized for a day. I keep a log of the individual battery voltages in the ships maintenance log.The advantage of a 70-amp alternator is it runs easily with one V-belt. When the alternator is cold its measured output was in the 125 to 135 amp range, much higher than the hot rating. I like it!!All my batteries are acid.

 

[Paul Bednarzyk]

Charging

Rick, The voltaged you are seeing seem low. As I recall, for lead/acid batteries, bulk charging should get you to a voltage of about 14.4V with the acceptance phase holding 14.4V until output approximatley 10% of battery capacity, then float voltage of 13.8V(or thereabouts). Do you have a battery isolator installed? Is the sense wire connected to the house battery side? I have a house bank of 4 6V batteries plus a group 27 starting battery. I have a 100 amp Balmar and a MC-612 regulator which works like a champ. I don't know if this helps, but the Balmar folks were helpful when I was researching this upgrade.Paul BednarzykS/V Knot Again