Bit OT - Battery chargers

Anybody know what is the difference (electrically) between the 'Standard' and 'Low Maintenance' settings on a battery charger - it's a 17A Halfords one.

MTIA

Reply to
Bob Miller
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Presumably it refers to the battery type rather than the charging per see. Low mtce batteries iirc are the ones that don't give you easy access to cells to top them up, so I would imagine the the low mtce charge is at a lower current so reducing gassing and boil off.

Andrew Mawson

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

It *should* change the voltage profile used during the charging cycle to reduce the amount of gassing, as low-maintenance batteries are less forgiving of electrolyte level variations.

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for more than you really wanted toknow about lead-acid batteries.

Reply to
QrizB

'Low maintenance' should limit the maximum voltage to prevent gassing, which is a problem for these batteries. It will give a slower charge, especially as the battery approaches fully charged. JD

Reply to
JD

whils on the subject,

i have an 11amp one for my 3.5V8 Rangie

Does the group think it is powerfull enough?? or should i get a 17amp one.?

Reply to
Mark Solesbury

IMHO that should be plenty big enough.

Reply to
QrizB

An 11A one will be plenty powerful enough, it'll just take longer to charge the battery than a 17A one. Assuming the batter is, say, 70Ah, it'll take 70/11 hours (which is 6h 20min) to charge the battery from dead to full, whereas a 17A one would take just over 4 hours.

Yes, that's a gross over simplification, I know, but it illustrates the point. In practice the current will vary, and drop off as the battery charges. Also there is some loss as you charge which also means it takes longer. You'll also rarely charge from completely dead to fully charged. You get the idea.

Paul

Reply to
Paul Everett

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