Good questions Lee. Answers below:

REPLY: 232 AH each, arranged in series/parallel to achieve 12 V @ 464 AH

REPLY: The date code is the same and they were 4 months old. They were
purchased directly from Interstate. Specific gravity measurements suggested
they were very new.

REPLY: The batteries were pre-filled and charged. I NEVER use anything but
distilled water in batteries.

REPLY: Yes - all the same. Bubbling like crazy when equalizing.

REPLY: Amps are about 11.5 and voltage during equalizing has been fairly
steady at 15.3.

REPLY: They are Extra Heavy Duty (their words) deep cycle batteries with 65
month warranty.

REPLY: They have been through about 20 cycles and not discharged to less than
50%. Never thought about how many cycles to expect, just a LOT more than 20.

REPLY: No. I am in mid-cruise and a controlled discharge isn't practical. But,
I don't expect voltage to drop from 12.7 to 12.2 overnight with only an anchor
light and a Norcold running.

REPLY: When I bought the batteries I told them exactly what they were to be
used for and they said they sold many for the same purpose.

John Wix
Monk 36 #225
Safe Return

John,

And Arild, correct me if I am wrong...

In my experiences equalizing batteries on nuclear submarines, + a 810
amp-hr Rolls battery bank on my last boat, I knew equalization was
complete when all the cells appears to be gassing and amps going in
was below 5.

But I only equalized my last boat dockside, with the battery
disconnected from ALL loads, and the Admiral off for most of the day.

When at rest, I measured specific gravity of each cell, watered them,
and commenced the equalization, watching the temps of the batteries.

I do not remember but I think I started with them "fully charged."

I then went and piddled around the boat, but checking frequently to
make sure all was going as expected.

Somewhere at around 15.5 volts, amps dropped really really low, low
single digits, and then I knew to stop. Rested 1/2 hour, and then took
specific gravity reading again and topped up the cells.

Took hours...

Lee

On Feb 21, 2011, at 0:54 , John Wix wrote:

charge

REPLY: Amps are about 11.5 and voltage during equalizing has been
fairly steady at 15.3...

[demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pkcs7-signature which had a name of smime.p7s]

Lee, you are correct. This is the procedure to follow.
The  batteries  must first be  fully charged before starting the
equalization procedure.
In particular the bit about having NO LOAD connected is important. A well
designed  charger  will limit charging current to 5 amps  during
equalization because any more is likely to cause damage.  The equalization
charge  should be stopped  approximately  15 minutes after  you notice  no
further increases in S.G.  readings.
If the batteries fail to reach the  expected S.G.but has stopped increasing;
you should still stop because any further over charging is  simply boiling
off  electrolyte and raising the internal heat.

John  you might want to  check each individual cells  to see if one of them
is dropping voltage  or S. G. more quickly than the rest. This would
indicate  one  bad cell and the cause of the symptoms  you have observed.

Arild

----- Original Message -----
From: "LAL" lazilicata@gmail.com
To: "John Wix" johnwix@hotmail.com
Cc: "T&T List" trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 3:17 AM
Subject: Re: T&T: Battery Problem

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Wix" johnwix@hotmail.com

REPLY
John  unless you disconnect the loads from the battery during the
equalization process you are  defeating  the process.  Much of the charge
current will be going to the connected loads such as your refrigerator.

I realize you will likely think this is difficult if not  impossible to
achieve.
It has to be done dockside. You need  long tern AC power available. make
sure  all  appliances are running from AC not DC  then disconnect the
battery  completely from the vessel system.

The battery bank should first be brought  up to full charge  as indicated by
the S.G. and the fact your 3 stage charger  is  in float mode.
Follow Lee's procedure.
If some things  must have  DC  while this is going on  use a second charger
that is connected downstream of you battery disconnect switch  to power
these. this can be a borrowed  unit or a permanent  addition.

Arild

Hi John,

Your situation was very similar to mine. I delayed responding to your email
until I had the opportunity to obtain my notes keep at my boat.

In May/08 I purchased eight 2200 series Interstate batteries (owned by US
Battery which has three plants in the US). The manufacture dates indicated
their age were 2 months or less. I maintain them through a 3 step 120 amp
inverter charger and keep them on float 24/7 at 13.2 volts. They are monitored
through a amp meter and I occasionally check the SG. Every two months I would
equalize the batteries for 2 to 3 hours at 15.5 volts.

During the first summer I noticed that under load at anchor the voltage would
drop off quicker than the predecessor batteries. I contacted the Corona plant
in CA and received the following comments:

• The charging regime for EVERY charge should be at voltage of 15.5 volts.
• The SG should be at 1.266 at 70 F.
• The float should be at 13.1 volts.
• Equalization should be at 16.0 volts for 1 to 2 hours every 6 to 8 weeks or
  when the SG varies.
• There is less antimony in the batteries than Trojan and accordingly require
  a higher charge and equalization regime.
• You can fully discharge 10.5 volts to confirm capacity.
• Approximately 100 to 150 discharges are necessary to obtain full capacity.

I was very surprised that a NORMAL charge would require a 15.5 volts level
which I, along with everyone else, would consider an equalization charge.
This fact is on the website of both US Battery and Interstate.

I contacted the Augusta, GA plant and spoke with a member of management who
oversaw production. He basically reiterated the foregoing. I contacted several
marine manufactures of chargers and inverters who stated that their equipment
was not designed to accommodate these charging parameters.
I then contacted the Corona plant again indicating that I could not locate a
marine charger that met their requirements. They gave me a name of a company
near my location in Vancouver, BC. When I made contact with the local company
they said that they only manufacture for a 24 volt land based system. I went
back to the vendor that sold me the batteries. He had no comment and was
unaware of the 15.5 volt requirement.

In the 2nd and 3rd year I used the genset frequently to keep them usable.
Eight batteries should equal a theoretical capacity of 928 amps. I estimate
they are at approximately  400 amps.

My impression is that these batteries are not suitable for the marine market.

I will be replacing them in the next 2 months with Trojans.

Larry Ross
Out of the Blue
34 US Built Camano Pilothouse
Victoria, BC

On 2011-02-20, at 8:18 AM, John Wix wrote:

but

skyrocketed

(3-stage),

or

1.215

had

to

at

to

appear

email address, etc) go to:
http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/options/trawlers-and-trawlering