Old Crow said:Several other items to add in here.... (it's never easy, is it?)
1. The Cooked batteries thread gives me pause on the subject of leaving a charger connected full-time. (I've pasted in a copy of the photo from that thread showing the scorch-mark on the floor of the battery compartment.)
(click to enlarge)
BurnedBatteryCompartment.JPG
Anyone contemplating leaving the charger on full-time may want to look into the reasons for cooked batteries. It's typically blamed on a charger malfunction, a battery short, failing to maintain water level or mismatching battery ages and characteristics in paralleled batteries.
2. I know that one of my chargers loses its settings during a power outage... including the setting that tells the charger its connected to an AGM battery. And that silly charger runs its fan full time, whether charging or not. I don't think those issues apply to a DLS-30 but may to owners thinking of leaving another charger on full time.
3. The operating range of a DLS-30 is 0C to 40C. What does it do below 0C? Do owners in cold areas need to take precautions? Also, I don't believe the DLS-30 has temperature compensation so voltages applied may not be optimum. (But is it nevertheless better than not charging?)
4. I have a Lifeline battery in the Hawk so thought I'd take a look in the Lifeline Technical Manual to see what it has to say on the subject of storage. Page 14 says a boost charge should be applied every 90 days or when the open-circuit voltage falls below 12.5 volts (and goes on to specify more details). Also, page 28 has this to say about Trickle Charging (in defining it): "Method of charging in which the battery is continuously or intermittently connected to a constant current charging source to maintain the battery in a fully charged condition. Not recommended for use with Lifeline AGM batteries."
Again not certain we are comparing similar systems. The "constant current charging source" would not be the IOTA IQ4 as the current varies depending on the phase of the converter and charge level of the batteries.
The "cooked battery thread" also mixed different systems in the discussion and there was never a definitive explanation arrived at for the burned/cooked battery.
I guess what I am trying say is that unless we are comparing identical components it would be at best a WAG as to what is causing a failure.
But I am "electron" challenged and could be wrong!
Phil
Ps...Page #19 of the above referenced Lifeline Technical Manual describes the preferred way to charge their AGM design batteries and it is identical to the IOTA IQ4 phased converter as best as I can tell...
