Phil,
[SIZE=12pt]The FWC water and battery panel shows three lights to indicate battery condition and one light to indicate charge state.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Charge (green on, not green off) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Good[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Fair[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Weak[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Those lights don’t actually give you much useful information about the battery and the state of charge and if the batteries are getting to the end of their usable life. There is no way to tell if the particular battery in your camper is fully charged, close to fully charged, at 40 % charge at 30% charge or whatever. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]A person may or may not care and just let the charging and discharging do what it will do, but some of us want to maximize the life of our batteries as well as know when there is something wrong (diagnose issues) or when they are getting near the end of their usable life. That is why we instrument our batteries with battery monitors. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]With a good battery monitor, one that can be programmed for the max voltage for your battery, you can see the state of charge of the battery (volts and percent capacity) and you can use it, among other things, to determine what various electrical items draw when in use, which is useful for some of us to know. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So this is one of those pick your poison kinds of decisions. Some of us want and use the information and others may not care one way or another.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]For a real good tutorial on lead acid batteries here is a link:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/lead_based_batteries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]See also:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/discharge_methods[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]and[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Simple Guidelines for Charging Lead Acid Batteries[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]Charge in a well-ventilated area. Hydrogen gas generated during charging is explosive. (See BU-703: Health Concerns with Batteries[/SIZE])
- [SIZE=12pt]Choose the appropriate charge program for flooded, gel and AGM batteries. Check manufacturer’s specifications on recommended voltage thresholds.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]Recharge lead acid batteries after each use to prevent sulfation[/SIZE]. Do not store on low charge.
- [SIZE=12pt]The plates of flooded batteries must always be fully submerged in electrolyte. Fill the battery with distilled or de-ionized water to cover the plates if low. Never add electrolyte.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]Fill water level to designated level after [/SIZE]charging. Overfilling when the battery is on low charge can cause acid spillage during charging.
- [SIZE=12pt]The formation of gas bubbles in a flooded lead acid indicates that the battery is reaching full state-of-charge. (Hydrogen appears on negative plate and oxygen on positive plate).[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]• Lower the float charge voltage if the ambient temperature is higher than 29°C (85°F)..[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]Do not allow a lead acid to freeze. An empty battery freezes sooner than one that is fully charged. Never charge a frozen battery.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]Avoid charging at temperatures above 49°C (120°F).[/SIZE]