BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Jason Worman on August 19, 2019, 05:15:30 PM
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Hi All,
So my coach batteries are a year old and I was reading that it is good to have them equalized once a year. I was wondering if anyone has used their Xantrex inverter/charger to do this and what was the result. I have the typical lead acid batteries. I have the Xantrex Freedom 458 20 inverter charger. Thanks much.
Jason Worman
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Jason, we have been on the road full time for 20 years with 2 Beaver MHs and never equalized our batteries. We do keep them clean , tight and full of water. Typically we replace our batteries about every 8 years. The equalization process can be a bit messy fyi.
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Bryan,
Thank you. I am kinda of the mindset if it is not broken does mess with it. Thanks
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Jason,
Are you experiencing any fall-off in performance especially if you dry-camp?. If the answer is no then leave the batteries alone. The reason for equalizing lead acid batteries is to rejuvenate them and bring back the original performance. Most quality lead acid batteries don't start to decrease in performance until they are 3 to 5 years if you take good care of them. IE: don't run them dead, run out of water, dirty terminals ect.
Equalization is a timed charging cycle that ends up at 16volts at 25 amps towards the end of the cycle. It boils the batteries to get the accumulated sulfate off the plates and back into solution raising the specific gravity.(1275-1300)
If you are going to attempt an equalization, turn off interior 12volt, pull out the battery tray, remove battery caps and throw an old towel over the batteries and follow the instructions in the manual. Fred
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Fred,
Thank you, I have not noticed any issues so I will not be using the equalization function now.
Jason