charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator

#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator how to#
#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator install#
#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator generator#
#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator full#

It then kicks out a constant voltage (usually between 13.8v and 14.4v) until the engine is switched off, even when the revs drop to less than 2000 rpm.Ī vehicle uses the generated electricity to recharge its starter battery. When a vehicle’s engine is first cranked, the alternator doesn’t generate electricity until it reaches about 2000 rpm.Īt 2000 rpm, the alternator generates a high enough voltage to strike the diode pack and start outputting DC power.

#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator generator#

It’s basically an electrical generator with a diode pack to convert its AC output to DC.

#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator how to#

How To Charge A Leisure Battery While Driving Just as keeping a sponge in water prevents it from drying out, providing a battery with a float charge prevents it from discharging.ġ.

The absorption phase continues until the battery is fully charged.įloat Charge | The stage basically maintains the battery in a fully charged state. The voltage increases with the battery’s charge, the current falls, and the charging speed declines. This means that while the battery charge increases, it does so at a slower rate than in the bulk charge stage. The more inflated it becomes, the more force is needed to pass air into it.Īs the supply voltage increases, the current falls. Therefore, to absorb more current, the supply voltage needs to increase.

#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator full#

This stage usually brings the battery up to about 80% charge.Ībsorption Stage | The battery is so full at the end of the bulk charge phase that its resistance is relatively high. The principle, though, is the same and the detailed charging profile of each battery indicates the more significant differences.īulk Charge | The battery is low and will take as much current available (up to its maximum charge rate). While all batteries have stages they go through to charge, they are slightly different between lead-acid and lithium. These different stages of charging a battery are determined by its charging profile. Unfortunately, depending on the type of battery, how long it’s been flat, and whether you have luck on your side, a flat battery may never recover. A bone-dry sponge floats on water and can take a while to soak up water.Ī flat battery behaves similarly. If the sponge is allowed to dry completely, it becomes dry and hard. Without a constant voltage supply and even without any load, a battery will slowly release its charge over time. Take a sponge out of the water over time, it begins to dry out, even without wringing it out.Īgain, a battery behaves this way too. Once it’s fully charged, even with a voltage supply, it only takes on enough current to prevent it from discharging. Left in the water, though, it never dries out either. Once a sponge is completely saturated, it doesn’t take on more water. The charging rate slows the more charged it becomes. Provide it with a voltage supply, and it draws as many amps as it can.Īs a sponge becomes more saturated, the rate at which it continues to absorb water slows.Ī battery behaves this way too. Place a slightly damp sponge on water, and it quickly soaks up a lot of water.Ī deeply discharged battery behaves this way too. To replace the used energy, we need to recharge it.īatteries draw current from an available voltage supply, replenishing the energy. Some of that electrical store is used up by your camper’s 12v appliances. Check out our article on campervan batteries if you want to learn more about battery types and how to connect them.Ī battery is an electrical store of DC power measured in amp hours. That’s all you need to know for this post. There are 4 types of leisure batteries on the market:Įach of the 4 battery types uses slightly different chemistry, so the way they work and perform is different. They’re often called house batteries, 12v batteries, or deep cycle batteries, just to keep us on our toes! This post focuses on how to charge these leisure batteries. They can discharge a lot of their energy in a longer, deeper energy drain, which would kill a starter battery quickly. Unlike starter batteries, a deep cycle battery (or leisure battery) is designed to release energy in a steady flow over a longer period. Once the engine starts up, the alternator recharges the starter battery, so it’s primed for the next time you start it up. Starter batteries are designed to provide a big burst of energy fast and use as much as 20% of their total capacity per start.

#Charging solar batteries with smart battery isolator install#

The leisure batteries we install in our campers aren’t the same as the starter battery under the hood.