Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | OK- here goes! Get yourself a new battery expert! There is no gell in a AGM battery, only in gell-cells which are not commonly used in marine applications.
Really, you want to know what your chargers are doing and you need a digital volt meter. Some chargers have an automatic equalize voltage and timer where the charger places a higher voltage on the battery for a specific time period, usually 8-24hrs. Ask the manufacturer, if that is the case, its likely your charger is killing your AGM battery. A good charger will have selectable settings for wet-cells, where equalize is OK, but you have to check the electrolyte levels periodically.
However, automatic equalizing your AGM is not a good thing, as it will cause excessive gassing and dryout the battery, e.g. because AGM's are valve regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries. They are sealed/no spill, but have a pressure release vents where the excessive gas (hydrogen & oxygen) escapes - meaning the H2O component (water) in the electrolyte escapes. Once its gone, the battery vents will spit sulfphuric acid, game over!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acid
Connect a digital voltmeter to the battery, turn on or plug in the chargger, if the voltage goes above ~ 13.8V, the charger either has a automatic equalize or it is not properly setup or its broken!
I don't know of any charger that can automatically detect if you have a wet-cell or a AGM connected to it, if the charger manufacturer states that, ask them to explain how its feasible from an engineering perspective!
Have fun!
Al
|
