Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

[Brocour]

Hello,

I bought the kirkland deepcycle 685 12v battery last weekend. I used a voltmeter on it and it registered at 12.72v..which = 100% charge.

I then used it for about 2 hours with my 32lb thrust trolling motor on max speed.

I checked with a meter once again and it was registering at 12.42v...which = about 75-80% charge left.

I went out and bought the Schumacher 1500A marine battery charger from Walmart.

It has three settings for 15/10/2 amps while charging. It has a built in system to make sure it does not overcharge and turns on the maintenance mode (trickle charge) when full.

I first set it to the medium charge speed of 10amp and let it run for a good 2 hours...the battery only went up to about 12.54.

I then switched it to the 15amp setting. after 30 mins i checked my battery was not at 13.56V! and the voltage tension on the charger indicated 16voltes.

Did the charger over charge my battery? Did i use the charger properly? Is it proper to show a volt charge of 16 when set to 15amp,,,,while charging at 10amp it stated 13.1 volts. Is my charger broken and now my battery fried?

Any input will be very helpful!


Brocour

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

12v is a dead battery, You should check battery voltage an hour after the charger shuts off. Know more but this should give you an idea. Remember Golf Cars go to near 60 volts then settles to about 53volts.

 

[Brocour]

Re: Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

12v is a dead battery, You should check battery voltage an hour after the charger shuts off. Know more but this should give you an idea. Remember Golf Cars go to near 60 volts then settles to about 53volts.

What are you talking about? 12.7v means 100%...and 10.5% means 0% charge left. where did you come up with 60V?????

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

Read what I said: I know state of charge of 48v golf cart battery packs, they range from 8-6v batteries, 6-8v batteries, and yes 4- 12 volt batteries. Trojan batteries say 12.72 volts is full charge. You should never pull a battery below listed voltage ie 12v battery is 12 v dead. When you charge any battery they tend to charge over max storage due to a static surface charge, then the charge of the cells equal out dropping down. This process leads to sulification, which is what kills a battery. I rarelly check voltage on a golf cart on single battery so that is where the 60 v comes from duh.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

12v Lead acid battery has about 2.2v per cell x6 cells that's 13.2v for a full charge I think 12.72v will be safe.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

The state of charge of a lead acid battery is most accurately determined by measuring the specific gravity of the electrolyte. This is done with a hydrometer. Battery voltage also indicates the level of charge when measured in an open circuit condition. This should be done with a voltmeter. For an accurate voltage reading, the battery should also be allowed to rest for a period sufficient to let the voltage stabilize.


Equalizing should be performed when a battery is first purchased (called a freshening charge) and on a regular basis as needed. How often this might occur with your battery will vary depending on your application. You will need to monitor your battery voltage and specific gravity to determine when equalization is needed. For example, it is time to equalize if the measured specific gravity values are below manufacturer's recommended values after charging (recommended value for Trojan Deep Cycle batteries is 1.277 +/- .007 at 80o F). Equalizing is also required if the specific gravity value of any individual cell varies 30 points or more. Reduced performance can also be an indicator that equalizing is necessary. Equalization should also be performed when individual battery voltages in a battery pack range greater than 0.15 volts for 6 volt batteries or 0.30 volts for 12 volt batteries.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Charging a 12v deep cycle battery to 13.56v....is that safe?

You didn't overcharge your battery. 13.56V while charging is fine. The higher the voltage, the higher the current that flows into the battery.

Also, when measuring the voltage of the battery after charging, let it sit 30 minutes to get an accurate reading. Right after charging, you are measuring a surface charge which will give you a false reading.