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AR15.COM
8/1/2016 9:39:18 PM EDT
I have two identical 80ah AGM batteries.  I've been switching the one charger I have between the two every week or so.  One battery still charges to 100%, the other gets stuck at 75% now.  Should I discharge it and start over or have I ruined an expensive battery?  I was trying to get them charged to the same state so I could hook them up in parallel as suggested in the other thread.
8/1/2016 10:43:18 PM EDT
[#1]
just curious, what does each battery read in V?  Something does not sound right if it hangs at 75%..   Might have a prob with the suspect battery..


Prosise
8/1/2016 11:13:32 PM EDT
[#2]
Sounds like one of the cells might be dead.

As a general rule don't discharge AGMs below 50%, and definitely not below 80%, depth of discharge.
I'd put a mild load on the both, my bet is the 75% charge one folds like a lawnchair under any reasonable
load, which would confirm a bad cell.
8/2/2016 5:43:09 PM EDT
[#3]
I'll try to check them tonight.  I am surprised that they discharge so quickly just sitting there disconnected.
8/3/2016 10:14:04 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote History
Quoted:
I'll try to check them tonight.  I am surprised that they discharge so quickly just sitting there disconnected.
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If you have access to the individual cells/electrolyte, you can dip your VM probes in the electrolyte with the other lead on the ground terminal and determine if in fact you have a bad cell or two. If you see a relatively even increase across each cell, I'd get a desulphator and try to revive it. I have yet to fail to revive a 12v battery to new at didn't have a bad cell.
8/4/2016 8:29:00 PM EDT
[#5]
The battery with the 75% problem is at 13.71 volts.  I switched the charger to the other battery.  I think my charger has a restoration cycle that I may try.  These are sealed AGM batteries so I can't get to the electrolyte.
8/4/2016 8:46:45 PM EDT
[#6]
Just my two cents, take it for what you paid for it:



I've done a bit of screwing around with some fancy high-dollar AGM batteries (actually picking up 4 for a member here on Saturday).  Anyways, I've done quite a bit of research and experimenting on the topic.



What I've learned:



  1. Get a good, well known, well reviewed (from people who know what they are doing, not necessarily Amazon) battery charger with an AGM mode.  The old, or new 'ceap-o' chargers meant for flooded batteries won't work right.  The charge cycles are "different" for AGM vs flooded vs gel cell.  Gel cell being the most sensitive, followed by AGM.  Flooded batteries don't give a shit, because you can add water that they boil off.  Not so much with AGM, and gel cells get all kinds of pissy when they are charged too fast.  Gel cells are a thing of the past, don't buy one.  Lithium chemistries are a whole new, superior animal, but $$$ and beyond this discussion.


  2. When in doubt, charge it SLOW.  If you overcharge one, and the water "boils" off, you ain't getting it back.

  3. Even with the 3-stage "smart" chargers, let the battery rest for a while after discharging it.  Heavy loads drop the voltage quite a bit, but it will rebound to a more "natural" state.  If you hook up the charger too early, it will think that the battery is more discharged that it really is, leading to an overcharge and a loss of electrolyte (water).  Avoid that.

  4. AGMs will have a slower self-discharge than your usual flooded lead acid batteries.  That is a good thing if you have many and only 1 charger.  But, they still do self-discharge, so don't let them sit a long time without a float charge, or it will harm the battery

  5. That being said, one of the advantages of good AGM batteries is that they can recieve (and give, if needed) more amps per time period if needed.  If poop hits the fan and you have a small window to recharge, hit them MFs with some current and they will take it.  Not the "best" for the battery, but it will work in the short term, and that is why we keep hoarding these things.


Any more questions let me know, and I will answer to the best of my knowledge.