Battery Equalizer Disabled

[PeteK]

I lost power from my shoreline and the battery bank went into what seemed to be protective mode and shut down. The battery bank recharged to original specifications. As I went through the display menu I saw an item "battery equalization disabled." What does that phrase mean and should it be enabled. If so how? Thank you

Peter K
2018 Winnebago Vista LX 35F

[SgtB]

Originally Posted by PeteK

I lost power from my shoreline and the battery bank went into what seemed to be protective mode and shut down. The battery bank recharged to original specifications. As I went through the display menu I saw an item "battery equalization disabled." What does that phrase mean and should it be enabled. If so how? Thank you

Peter K
2018 Winnebago Vista LX 35F

Battery electrolyte loses its acid content and turns to water and deposits sulfate on the battery plates as it is discharged during normal operation. The constant buildup of this sulfate is what causes batteries to lose their ability to recharge to full capacity, thus eventually needing replacement. To extend the life of your bank it should be equalized periodically. How often depends on how much you allow them to be deep discharged. Batteries should not be discharged less than 80% if possible. However, that's not possible depending on the type of camping you do." Equalization" is when you put high voltage into your battery bank that cleans this sulfate off the plates. Most converters and inverter/chargers have the ability to perform this process. Refer to your owner’s manuals for the exact technique used to initiate an equalizing charge with your particular charger. Equalization should not be done until the bank is fully charged and are in "Float" mode. When equalizing, the charger will output around 15.5 volts. This is too much for your coach’s electrical devices to handle so it’s important to disconnect any loads in the coach during this time. The battery disconnect solenoid switch will kill most power to the coach, but there may be a few devices that are connected directly to the batteries, and not run through the disconnect solenoid e.g., LPG Sniffer. Check for these and pull fuses or whatever else it takes to disconnect them. Note that it is not necessary to disconnect the chassis system because you will only be equalizing the coach batteries. Chassis batteries do not require equalizing because they are not deep cycle batteries or subject to those conditions. Many RV-ers do not equalize their bank thus they do not get as much life out of the batteries as they could and should. On my last rig which I drove for 15 years and equalized the bank at least once a year and those four Interstate batteries did not need replacement until they were almost 8 years old. BTW, this process only applies to flooded batteries, NOT AGMs.
Sorry for "peeling the grape" with this long winded answer to your query, but hope it helps

[cruizerEd]

Originally Posted by PeteK

... the battery bank went into what seemed to be protective mode and shut down. ...

You didn't state your battery type or specifications but "protective mode" implies a Battery Management System (BMS) and a BMS implies LiFePO4.

LiFePO4 do not need equalization generally.

I say generally because if your accept mode is setup to take your batteries to a high enough voltage to get them to 100%SOC and allow the BMS to balance and calibrate you don't need to equalize.

When I am on solar I have the solar charge controllers fill the batteries to 100% but hold the accept voltage for only a few seconds. This seems to keep every thing calibrated and balanced but spends very little time above 13.6 volts thus avoiding unnecessary current after reaching full charge.

When I am on grid I maintain the batteries at about 50% SOC and this causes significant drift in the calibration of the battery BMS and of my solar battery monitoring system. In anticipation of going off grid I will fully charge the batteries and then do an Equalize to a slightly high than normal but still well within specification voltage until all the batteries and BMS are calibrated.

I have a magnum 2800 inverter/charger and one other use for equalization is faster charge on generator. For what ever reason the current rolls off slightly if I let the charger stay in bulk mode and have about 80% SOC. To keep generator runs as short as possible I put the charger in equalize mode which brings the current back up to close to the max but I monitor the SOC closely when doing this and take it out of equalize before 100% SOC.

I can do this detailed level of management because I have LifeBlue batteries that have blue tooth and provide details about the current, voltage, and temperature of each battery and each cell in each battery. If you have one of the black box type batteries this approach my not be applicable.

[Ray,IN]

Wait! Do not turn it on.

Battery equalization mode is not for everyday use! Some Lead Acid battery mfgrs. say to never equalize their batteries, others say once a month or 6 months.
This is only necessary when battery cells get out of balance and as SgtB said, it refreshes the cell plates so they function better. An equalization charge is at 15.6 VDC, this may affect sensitive electronics, so 12V power to these sensitive electronics should be disconnected.


Do not start an equalization charge and leave, you should stay nearby to monition your batteries.
Proper use of equalization mode is described in your inverter/charger owners manual.



reference: https://www.usbattery.com/extending-...zation-charge/