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ARKnapp, I like your info provided hereand on your other posts.
This will be my last lead acid battery I use for my goldwing since I want to explore the AGM Odyssey.
What voltage should be used for equalization or what is the voltage output for a "quick charge" charger?
What would be the difference bein using a trickle charger at say 14 volts, when the typical alternator puts out similar voltage. I can see abatterystirring and bubbling, but a"forced over charge" or higher voltage is necessary, right?
Carbon fouling and "carbon tracking" on the spark plugs basically shorts the gap across the porcelain. Also, I have fuel wet fouled the plugs plenty of times. Even after drying they still are fouled. A fuel fouled plug may look clean but a similar tracking across the gapmust be occurring.
A glass mat makes sense for a bike, but people in general often will not pay the price, many look for cheaper price without knowing that which they buy. If a company makes a bigger battery, safer battery, stronger battery and it still fits the bike that is the way to go.
If the battery is sealed how to get rid of the sealed in explosive hydrogen, one way valves, and lower input amps...compromises all, but if dealt with properly they work.
Equalizing is an old trick used in battery technology in the Solar PV industry and when used for auto style batteries works well. First take your battery and fully charge it. The charger may have a light that comes on to say "charged" This should put the terminal voltage around 14 7 VDC.
Any multi rate charger will do, as an example I use a single charger that puts out 2, 10 & 50 A at the full charging14.7 V DC. It also has a 6 Volt charging rate and is 10" x 8" x 6" cubed, it includes a scale of amps , non shorting circuitry and cannot be used as a supply voltage, it needs a battery tied to it to deliver its power.
After doing rotine charging with the battery as fully charged as the charger can muster, take the controls to the highest setting 14.7 VDC, 50 A (starting assist) nameplated and time the length of the over charge. I do 2 minutes now for my batteries, but it is experimental, since a battery worn low by nominal charging becomes lazy since its electrolyte will be diminished by the amounts of non conductive material in the electrolyte. The sulphated material from H2SO4 looses the O2 and H2SO3 becomes a pasty solid in a wet liquid that is still part of the electrolyte but is non conductive.
So over time the standard wet acid battery of 20 AH, becommes a smaller and smaller battery delivering less and less current each time its used. Not noticeable in the early part of summer, but as demand grows for power and the battery grows smaller in capacity, eventually they meet when...no power or not enough power.
And the battery is realy a storage tank. When you can't store as much as you used to you store less...but you need more...you have less...you ask for more and finally it gives what it has...nothing.
The forced excessive amps with the correct voltage, places - ions, electrons in the electrolyte, the bubbling causes mixing, the churning heat electrons and bubbles cause the mixture to blend, the added electrons seek their place and with added electrons 0 and 02 join to make 04 from 03. The lead gives up the crap attached to the sponge plates and current flow within the soup is allowed.
Now the soupy electrolyte becomes more ionized, a greater positve and negative destinction between lead, acic, and conductor, not to mention the throwing off of lead particles to the bottom of the soup...a greater wet cell able to deliver whatever excess electrons it has in conjunction with the other cells.
And if each cell is at optimum, you will get maximum discharge of electrons when needed.
A trickle charger is great since it delivers 1 or 2 amps trickling in, placing a small number of electrons in and around the cells. But the actual delivering of fewer negative ions over time will make the battery lazy, because there is the affect all is comfortable and the action of fewer O cells can leave. H2SO4 can still become H2SO3 but since it is done with minimum current flow, it takes longer time.
It does good to stir the pot when it comes to wet lead acid batteries, because over time the electrolyte get particulate in it form electrons moving. Each time a battery is charged and discharged it sparks and sparking eats up a bit of the lead metal, and this diminished metal goes to the bottom. A cheap battery has less space at the botton an expensive battery has greater space. There are many differences.
Plugs are similar but they work in a different environment. High heat high pressure and a trace of hydrocarbon can play havoc with voltage. Carbon is a stable element with a balanced valence ring. The addition of volitiles with excessive electrons will cause current flow. The cleaning of spark plugs is demanding of time and material,and when done badly is a waste of time. Most of us know this and will replace plugs before we clean them, but cleaning them tells a story, it tells us the conditions of our motors if we read them correctly.
