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opinion:frater_secessus:charging_faster

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charging faster isn't always better

There is a common misperception that charging one's battery banks faster is better or worth throwing more money at. Here are some reasons it is not always true:

Lead batteries have a maximum amount of current they will accept, typically C/3 for AGM and C/5 for flooded. So if you have 100Ah of AGM the most it will want to take is something like ~33A. Throwing more charging capacity at it can't force-feed the battery any faster.1)

Deep-cycled lead batteries have a lengthy Absorption stage that cannot be sped up. Depending on use, Absorption typically requires several hours.There is a saying that “it takes 9 months to make a baby, but two women cannot make a baby in 4.5 months”. Same with absorption - it takes what it takes and you cannot hurry it.

Lithium batteries can slurp up current wildly, but shouldn't for their own health. Lithium lasts longest in sub-C use (ie, less than 100A for a 100Ah Li bank). C/2 (50A) is a more common limit to keep from stressing them. In commercial examples the BMS will limit current to protect the cells. A small DC-DC charger can help protect bare cells from their own greediness.

exceptions

  • solar charging - sunlight is only available during a short window, as when camped in a forest canopy with a clear overhead view. Note that poor insolation calls for increased harvest / overpaneling, not faster charging necessarily
  • generator charging - for efficiency purposes the generator is shut down after Vabs is reached. Generators run most efficiently when fully loaded.
  • shore charging - if you only have a certain amount of time on the extension cord
  • alternator charging - if you will driving for short periods only
1)
it may help run loads, though
opinion/frater_secessus/charging_faster.1587231002.txt.gz · Last modified: 2020/10/11 19:48 (external edit)