richard5933 Report post Posted July 9, 2019 Our battery bank is made of four Trojan L16G six volt batteries, wired in series/parallel to provide 12v output. I've got a Trojan Hydrolink watering system installed to make watering the batteries easy. In reading the manual for the batteries, there are a few different recommendations for equalizing, and they all boil down to doing it either on a fixed schedule (ever 30 days) or when certain set points are reached with regard to specific gravity. The Hydrolink watering system caps are not designed to be removed once installed, and the manual comes with a warning about possible damage if they are removed. This would make checking specific gravity difficult without risking damage to the Hydrolink. So, I called Trojan today and asked what the recommendation was, and the tech said to equalize every 30 days for two hours and not worry about the specific gravity. My regular charger doesn't have an equalize setting, but my solar charge controller can do the equalization (obviously on a sunny day) in one-hour increments. Thought I'd tap into the community knowledge base here to see what others thought about doing the equalization on a 30-day schedule like this. I have no specific reason to question the tech's advice, but it just feels odd to do this without checking the specific gravity as I go. Would appreciate any thoughts on this process. (I am aware to have the batteries fully charged and topped off with water before doing the equalization, as well as to disconnect all loads from the batteries.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted July 9, 2019 2 hours ago, richard5933 said: My regular charger doesn't have an equalize setting, but my solar charge controller can do the equalization (obviously on a sunny day) in one-hour increments. If you want to go to the trouble, you could actually put your regular charger instead of the solar panels as long as you do not overcurrent the solar charge controller, allowing equalization at any given time, even at night. FWIW! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted July 9, 2019 49 minutes ago, kaypsmith said: If you want to go to the trouble, you could actually put your regular charger instead of the solar panels as long as you do not overcurrent the solar charge controller, allowing equalization at any given time, even at night. FWIW! Not sure what you mean. My regular charger is a Progressive Dynamics 9270, and it doesn't offer an equalize setting which is high enough to meet the 16.2v level Trojan recommends. How are you suggesting that I equalize using my regular charger? My solar charge controller and my regular 120v charger are connected to the battery bank parallel to each other so that either of them can be connected. When I use the solar charge controller I turn off the 120v charger, and vice versa when using the 120v charger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted July 10, 2019 If the regular charger will not reach 16.2 volts and that is what it takes then just your regular charger will not work. What I am suggesting is that you can input from any source that will produce that amount or slightly more directly into the solar controller to take care of equalization. I have a 24 volt charger since the coach is 24 volts and that could take the place of solar panels in the absence of sunlight. You stated that your solar controller has the capability of equalization. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted July 10, 2019 Oh - now I get what you're saying. I could substitute another power source for my solar panels and let the solar charge controller work its equalizing magic. It won't care where the power comes from. My charge controller has a max voltage input of 150v, so I could use my 24v battery charger like you're saying and be able to do this anytime. Any thoughts on the 2 hours of equalization per month? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
