How to Charge a Lead Acid Battery with Three Stages

As you know, the lead acid battery often self discharge automatically, special not in use. And if you overcharge it, the performance might be not as good as it should be before. Hence, giving it a right charge is also very important for its lifespan. There are three stages charging that you can use to charge your lead acid battery.

Bulk Charge - Current is sent to batteries at the maximum safe rate they will accept until voltage rises to near (80%-90%) full charge level. Voltages at this stage typically range from 10.5 volts to 15volts. There is no “current” voltage for bulk charging, but there may be limits on the maximum current that the battery and/or wiring can take.

Absorption Charge – Voltage remains constant and current gradually tapers off as internal resistance increases during charging. It is during this stage that the charger puts out maximum voltage. Voltages at this stage are typically around 14.2 to 15.5 volts.

Float Charge – After batteries reach full charge, charging voltage is reduced to a lower level (typically 12.8-13.2) to reduce gassing and prolong battery life. This is often referred to as a maintenance or trickle charge, since it’s main purpose is to keep an already charged battery from discharging. Note that for long term float service, such as backup power systems that are seldom discharged, the float voltage should be around 13.02 to 13.20 volts.

Most garage and consumer (automotive) type battery chargers are bulk charge only, and have little (if any) voltage regulation. They are fine for a quick boost to low batteries, but not to leave on for long periods. Among the regulated chargers, there are the voltage regulated ones. If there are set to the correct voltages for your batteries, they will keep the batteries charged without damage.

If you want to know more about lead acid battery, you can just visit Leoch International, which is an excellent manufacturer of lead acid battery. The company is a public company which has over 10 year’s history and it is very reliable and dependable. If you are interested in the company, you can search for more information in the internet. The office website is http://www.leoch.com.