Sorry for the lengthy first post but there is a lot of knowledge on this forum and I have a several specific questions.
Some background…
44 ft sailboat with a house bank of two Lifeline 8D AGM’s. They are toast and log indicates they have been replaced each 2 -3 years.
In preparation for a 2 - 3 year cruise south I am also upgrading some charging systems. I will have 500 watts of solar on the bimini, 120A alternator with external regulator and hope to minimize engine or genset use.
Replacing the two 8D’s with six 8GGC2 from Deka this spring as I had great luck with them on my last boat. The Deka guys tell me to set the charging parameters on each charging source at 14.4 volt absorb and then 13.5v float (same as their AGM). I previously read a reply here where someone, I think Mainesail, said 14.1v absorb and float at 13.8v as maximum figures. I have a note with that on it but can’t find it here again.
Can anyone confirm this?
I can set alternator, solar and 110v charger as required.
What is the optimum setting for battery life?
Will a couple decimal points higher charge appreciably faster or shorten life by much?
All charging sources have temperature compensation. The batteries are located at the back of the engine compartment, about 2 feet behind the transmission. I am leaving ¾ inch space between each series pair for ventilation.
Is creating this space a waste of time?
Can I stack 3 temperature sensors on the one neg battery terminal (the one nearest the engine) I cant think of any reason not to ?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Some background…
44 ft sailboat with a house bank of two Lifeline 8D AGM’s. They are toast and log indicates they have been replaced each 2 -3 years.
In preparation for a 2 - 3 year cruise south I am also upgrading some charging systems. I will have 500 watts of solar on the bimini, 120A alternator with external regulator and hope to minimize engine or genset use.
Replacing the two 8D’s with six 8GGC2 from Deka this spring as I had great luck with them on my last boat. The Deka guys tell me to set the charging parameters on each charging source at 14.4 volt absorb and then 13.5v float (same as their AGM). I previously read a reply here where someone, I think Mainesail, said 14.1v absorb and float at 13.8v as maximum figures. I have a note with that on it but can’t find it here again.
Can anyone confirm this?
I can set alternator, solar and 110v charger as required.
What is the optimum setting for battery life?
Will a couple decimal points higher charge appreciably faster or shorten life by much?
All charging sources have temperature compensation. The batteries are located at the back of the engine compartment, about 2 feet behind the transmission. I am leaving ¾ inch space between each series pair for ventilation.
Is creating this space a waste of time?
Can I stack 3 temperature sensors on the one neg battery terminal (the one nearest the engine) I cant think of any reason not to ?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
