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Morningstar controller showing 15.3v?

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Guyfromthenorth 
#1 ·
I just caught my charge controller showing 5a input from solar and batteries (4x grp 27 lead acid deep cycles) at 15.3v. That seems high to me...

I have a shunt style monitor and it confirmed 15.3v. Is my charge controller at the end of its life? It has no shut off switch and I had to disconnect the pos lead from the panel to stop it.
 
#6 ·
Do you have AGM batteries? If so, 15.3 volts is going to make them outgas, and drastically reduce their life. There's no way to stuff the electrolyte genie back in the bottle.

With flooded batteries, you'll just need a large quantity of distilled water to place the boiled-away electrolyte.
 
#7 ·
This does not hold true for Lifeline AGM batteries
They can / should be equalized for long life so they don’t get sulfated. Just like wet cells.

Our last bank (6-6volt) lasted 10 years, so the premium you pay for the batteries Over the long run more than pays for their cost. The caveat is that you take care of battery’s. This includes the charging methods ( alternator, shore power three stage charger, solar, and wind if applicable) being lined up with the bank capacity size. Once functional, maintenence is easier than wet cells.
 
#8 · (Edited)
This does not hold true for Lifeline AGM batteries
They can / should be equalized for long life so they don't get sulfated. Just like wet cells.

Our last bank (6-6volt) lasted 10 years, so the premium you pay for the batteries Over the long run more than pays for their cost. The caveat is that you take care of battery's. This includes the charging methods ( alternator, shore power three stage charger, solar, and wind if applicable) being lined up with the bank capacity size. Once functional, maintenence is easier than wet cells.
True. I have two 100 AH Lifelines on board myself. But you shouldn't equalize them once every day. The manual says to equalize: "only when the battery is showing symptoms of capacity loss" caused by being stored in a partial state of charge. Section 5.5: (http://lifelinebatteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/6-0101-Rev-E-Lifeline-Technical-Manual.pdf)

They only need to be equalized after they have been abused. My Lifeline bats are now 8.5 years old and I have never needed to equalized them. They still test above 90% capacity.

Which means, so far, they cost me less than $50 per year. "Only rich people can afford cheap batteries."
 
#9 ·
I equalize during the 8 months I use Haleakula about every other month.
With my master volt 3 stage charger i throw 15.5 in it for 6 hours.
Good preventative medicine.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for all the info. I've struggled with my batteries this whole trip. Currently at a marina plugged into shore power and on the charger. My shunt has been at 94% charged for hours now (14.27v reading). Not sure if they are doing ok or not. Had alot of bad luck with batteries over the years.
 
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