too much equalization?

[Stillwater1]

Last year I installed a new solar panel, controller, and batteries for my house loads.

My usage is such that I am shedding power everyday by 2pm or so, meaning I reach 100% SOC every day. In the morning when I get up the lowest number I have seen on my Balmor Smartguage is 77%.

My bank is 2-6 volt GC2 Duracell Ultras with a 215 Ah rating, made by West Penn. The charging parameters on the controller are set correctly for these batteries, with one exception.

I read recently in the manual for a similar battery (the Trojan T105), that if one does not discharge them below 70% the recommendation is to NOT equalize.

The Rover controller has a setting that makes it do an equalization charge of 14.8 volts for 2 hours every 28 days. I have been monitoring it and it is doing just that.

I would prefer it did not, so I wrote to Renogy tech support and they say I cannot change the setting.

Anyone here have any input on this issue?

Bob

[laika]

Hi there, 14.8V doesn't seem like much of an equalization charge for flooded batts. The charge profile for my trojans want 14.8 as the bulk charge voltage. Equalization is 16.2.

[Stillwater1]

Agreed. Good point.
It is a programmable feature of the controller and one can increase it, so I guess they just set it low as a default. All the other voltage levels can be adjusted as well. But it seems you cannot tell it too just not equalize at all.

[laika]

For sure..what if you were using AGMs and really didn't want the equalize feature?

But yeah, if you're not losing much water, I'd say 14.8 for 2 hours each month is probably something of a good thing, even if you're not deeply discharging.