How to charge sealed lead acid batteries

Over time, they spend their charge, and it must be periodically restored. Aspects of this process will be discussed in the article.

What is called charging

This is the name of the process, which is the reverse of discharge. During charging, sealed lead-acid batteries are stored with energy, while being powered by an external current source. The end result is an accumulation of charge, which is equal to the capacitance. What do chargers for sealed lead acid batteries look like? They are an energy converter and two outputs, each of which is connected to a sealed, maintenance-free lead-acid battery, when connected to the network, it will begin the process of recovery and conversion of electrical energy (supplied from the network) into chemical energy. So that in the future, as soon as the need arises, he could carry out the reverse process and provide power to various devices and devices.

Charging simply and safely

To do this, you need to use the "current-voltage" method. What is it? Initially, the battery is charged with direct current. When the required indicators are achieved, the constant voltage support begins to go. To find out the initial charging current, it is usually enough to carefully examine the case - this parameter is indicated there. Usually this value is up to 0.3 To make it more clear, let's imagine that we have a device with a parameter of 100 A / h. Then the charge current should not exceed 30A. But this is a safe maximum, many manufacturers use the ten percent rule in their chargers. This allows you to charge batteries without the least fear of doing something wrong and damaging it. How much do you need to charge? If the initial current is 20% capacity, then the battery reserve will be restored to 90% in about 5-6 hours. The remaining 10% will take about a day. These are the features of its functioning that the charger for sealed lead-acid batteries has. Is there any way to speed up this process? Yes, and we will now look at how.

Rapid charging of sealed lead-acid batteries

The norm is charging with direct current at a voltage of 13.8. This is no longer recommended due to possible negative effects. But if they do not scare you, then you can increase the voltage to 14.5 V (this is for 12 V batteries). As a result, the battery at a 20% rate will be charged in 6 hours. This method is used exclusively when working in a cyclic mode.

Temperature effect

Everything that was written above applies only to the case when the temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. For other indicators, it is necessary to introduce compensation for the charging voltage. Lead-acid batteries can be charged in the range from -15 to 40 degrees. The higher the temperature, the lower the voltage must be to avoid overcharging. Otherwise, this figure, on the contrary, should be increased to avoid undercharging. Because of this, it is advisable to charge a sealed, maintenance-free lead-acid battery precisely in conditions of 20 degrees Celsius, plus or minus a few. Of course, you can calculate every time, but this is not always convenient. Their homes are often chosen as the ideal place for the temperature parameter, but then it is necessary to take care of the high-quality ventilation of the charging place both during this process and a few hours after it ends.

Consequences of non-observance of safety precautions

The methods described above are aimed at fast and safe charging. At the same time, the task is to maximize the life of a lead-acid battery by minimizing its aging factors. Now let's look at deviations. What happens if you use a current greater than the maximum allowable? Initially, it should be noted that sealed lead-acid batteries will not be able to fully charge. Also, due to the decrease in the efficiency of the gas recombination mechanism, the electrolyte will lose water. Therefore, even a single charge is enough to reduce the resource of work.

But what happens if you reduce the current to 0.5 percent of the capacity? Sealed lead-acid batteries will charge even in this case, but this process will continue for several weeks. In addition, the device will be in a state that is equivalent to being discharged. And this leads to sulfation and accelerated aging. Of course, one charge with a small current is not enough for serious damage, but it is better not to use them. It is also necessary to monitor the final voltage so that there is no undercharging of the device and a decrease in its resource.

And why do lead-acid batteries have such a temperature range for charging? The fact is that when leaving them, the operation of the gas recombination mechanism stops, and the electrolyte loses its water.

Was everything well done

To get a good result, it is necessary to comply with the required parameters within the necessary limits. The main place in this matter should be occupied by current and voltage (consider temperature). Then sealed lead-acid batteries will be charged successfully and will be able to last a long time. If there is an electrolyte around, white deposits or bubbles, then the restoration of the characteristics of the device was done incorrectly. You can use a tester to determine the status. The restoration of sealed lead-acid batteries is carried out using special chargers (which may take several days) or additional mechanical actions (somehow add electrolyte).

Conclusion

As you can see, the process of charging lead-acid batteries is not difficult. If safety precautions are observed, it will not be easy to get something wrong. But in the end, I would like to recommend charging them in separate rooms, and if the devices are restored in a residential building, then you need to take care of high-quality ventilation during the process, as well as several hours after it. These security measures are necessary due to the fact that, albeit in microscopic doses, lead can enter the air, and through it into the body, from where it is very slowly excreted and constantly has a toxic effect.