Thor Forums

[Beau388]

My post was only to show the relationship for voltage and temperature for optimum charging and not to recommend a brand of charger or battery. While Trojan is a well know brand, they use an proprietary alloy paste (Alpha Plus) on the positive plate grid. It is still antimony strengthened but does increase the batteries internal resistance, so a higher voltage can be used in charging. This is especially important during the critical absorption stage, where the hydrogen ions are absorbed rather being out-gassed as hydrogen.



Another well known brand is East Penn (Deka). Here is their take on the temperature of lead-acid batteries.



Voltage is electrical pressure (energy per unit of charge).
Charge (ampere-hours) is a quantity of electricity. Current
(amperes) is electrical flow (charging speed). A battery can
only store a certain quantity of electricity. The closer it gets
to being fully charged, the slower it must be charged.
Temperature also affects charging. If the right voltage is used
for the temperature, a battery will accept charge at its ideal
rate. If too much voltage is used, charge will be forced
through the battery faster than it can be stored.
Reactions other than the charging reaction also occur to
transport this current through the battery—mainly gassing.
Hydrogen and oxygen may be given off faster than the
recombination reaction. .
Note: It is too much voltage that initiates this problem, not too
much charge — a battery can be “over-charged” (damaged
by too much voltage) even though it is not fully “charged.”
Never install any lead-acid battery in a sealed container
or enclosure. Hydrogen gas must be allowed to escape.