Another Battery / Charger Question

wbbragg

Sorry if this has been addressed before, but I looked through many links and did not find the answer.

I just recently purchased a 86 CC 36V and had some trouble charging it. I diagnosed the problem as a bad relay in the AccuPower charger. When this was replaced, the charger seemed to work fine except for the amperage output. The ammeter is only reading 10 amps. I looked up the charger, and it is supposed to max at 20 amps and decline or cut off when reaching a full charge.

Is this normal, or is the charger malfunctioning? I am afraid the timer assembly board may be bad (although I am not sure of its complete purpose) and that the charger may not cut off when fully charged. If this is not the case, could it be a bad battery or set of batteries.

I am a safety nut, so I am a bit nervous about over charging and the resulting hydrogen gas explosion or battery bursting. What is a safe amount of time to leave a battery on a charger, and what are the signs of overcharging (other than steam or smoke).

Sorry for the long post, all help is greatly appreciated.

B

BGW

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scottyb

Hello. Not familiar with your particular charger but, my auto chargers come on at max voltage (20 in your case) when first hooked up and then after a short while ( 20 minutes or less depending on state of discharge) the charger drops to mid range 12 - 10 typically) and then the majority of time is spent on the 'finish' cycle of about 6-8 amps. Not unusual to take 4 to 6 hours or longer. Many variables determine the length of time needed:
1. age and condition of batteries. yes a bad battery can make the charger not turn off as it continues to try to bring a dead one up to charge.
2. type and cond. of charger
3.cable cond. and cleanliness of connections

All modern caps vent to avoid gas build up. You may want to invest in a couple of simple battery testing devices. Like a voltmeter and hydrometer. With these u won't have to guess what your charger and batts are doing or what u are working with battery wise. Good luck !