Expanded calcium batteries

[VViCKiD]

Hi guys,

I've recently purchased a Seamaster Expanded Calcium battery. I tried charging this with a regular 12V lead battery charger.

However, it seems like this batttery never reaches full charge. My main concern is that my outboard won't charge it either.

I have a yamaha 115HP 2 stroke outboard.

Is anyone familiar with these batteries ?

Cheers

[Geoff]

Is this what the battery looks like?

There are two versions , the Standard & the Gold. The Standard is the most common.

When you say , it's not fully charged , what is the voltage reading when tested on the multimeter., it should be around 13.5V.

It's unlikely the motor will bring it up to that level.

Have you checked the voltage rate of the battery charger? If you turn it on but not connected to the battery it should read around 13.5V

Depending on the voltage leval in the battery it can take up to 12 hours to charge or , perhaps even longer if the battery is very low.

Geoff

[VViCKiD]

Thanks Geoff. Yeah i looks like that. Sea Master Expanded Calcium Grid EXG (80 Amp Hours).

I'll have a check at the charger when I get home.

But being a new battery, I'd expect it to be pretty full when I bought it.

I previously charged it for 6 hours and the charger still didn't read that it was full

[VViCKiD]

I just read this interesting post on some other forum:

Calcium batteries require higher charging voltages (15v) than lead acid (14.2v). The normal alternator (boat or car) is set at 14.2 volts so it will never fully charge a calcium battery. It has to be adjusted higher. But that's too high for a lead acid.

THAT'S the reason the story is to get 2 at a time. One cooking the other is horse-manure. Its because of the diffent charging requirements. The bl..dy alternator cooks the lead-acid because its set higher to charge the calcium properly and the lead acid can't handle it.

Calcium batteries have a small doping amount of calcium (less than 1%) put into the plates at manufacture. That actually "stiffens" the battery plates but making them more brittle in the process. Like adding carbon to a carbon fibre rod.

The increased stiffness causes failure in high vibation environment such as a motor vehicle or boat. Other chemicals are added to minimise the increased brittleness so it works in a car/boat.

What determines the current capacity is the internal resistance of the battery. Lower internal resistance means increased current. Addition of calcium lowers the internal resistance.
Simple as that. Sealed batteries have lower charging rates because they are sealed and the charging process has to be moderated to avoid gassing.

Interesting subject though and everybody has a theory (including me I guess).

This may be the reason my battery doesn't appear to be charging on the charger. ie. It needs to be set to 15V to charge ?

I currently have 1 lead battery and 1 calcium battery on a dual VSR setup. Will my lead battery also get cooked ?

Cheers

[Geoff]

VViCKiD. A few points to consider ,

New batteries or normally fully or close to fully charged when purchased.

The battery has an 18 month warrenty & I'm sure that if the battery is found to be faulty it will be replaced.

Don't belive the status of the battery by the light. A few days ago a friend had a similar problem but in reverse, the fully charged light was on when in fact the battery was not fully charged.

The only way to check is , as I mentioned before , test the battery voltage with a multimeter then the voltage of the charger prior to connecting it to the battery.

Geoff

[Geoff]

Calcium batteries require higher charging voltages (15v) than lead acid (14.2v).

I think you will get some argument to that statement considering that 12V batteries are 12V but wil take up to 13.5V.

I suspect trying to pump up to 15V will not be good for the battery. I certinally would not try it especially on a new battery.

It would be interesting to know what contex the statement was made , perhaps it was a suggestion to try via a shock treatment to remove or penitrate the calcium from the plates in an old battery.

Geoff

[VViCKiD]

Thanks Geofff. Yeh I will give it a shot.

Would you know if my setup would be badfor my lead battery even if I have a digit dual VSR setup ?

I am under the impression that the VSR should isolate both batteries and only charge one at a time unless I have it on "Both" mode ?

[Wulau]

You will need a charger that can charge Calcium battery. My old battery was Sea master Calcium MCA730. I used a Projecta PC800 to charge it and even then it took overnight to fully charged.

Looking at the manual of my charger, it show that Calcium battery charge at 14.7V and others at 14.4V.

Quote from the QA section.

Q. Why does CALCIUM mode take so long to charge?

A. To fully charge a Calcium battery, the battery requires an extra charging stage called

‘Equalisation’. This consists of a constant current being fed into the battery until 16 Volts

is reached. This rejuvenates the battery cells. This charging stage can take up to 12 hours.

Q. Why do I need a special Calcium mode?

A. Because of the different chemistry used to make a Calcium battery, a different charging

algorithm (or technique) is required. Calcium batteries are also affected when deeply

discharged or used heavily. They need to be recharged by a Calcium charger to fully

recharge the battery and to maximize the battery’s life and performance.

Q. What is a Calcium battery?

A. Calcium batteries are lead acid batteries that have had calcium added to the lead plates,

either to one plate (called Calcium Hybrid) or to both plates (called Calcium–Calcium).

The added calcium provides a number of benefits:

i. Lower internal resistance which provides a small increase in CCA performance.

ii. The ability to withstand higher engine bay temperatures.

iii. Low self discharge rate, which increases the shelf life, typically 4 times longer

than a Lead–Lead battery.

Edited July 15, 2014 by valk

[VViCKiD]

Thanks for that Valk. Now I'm thinking about getting a CtekMXS5 charger for this battery.

Also worried my existing lead battery is going to be fried

[Geoff]

Thanks Geofff. Yeh I will give it a shot.

Would you know if my setup would be badfor my lead battery even if I have a digit dual VSR setup ?

I am under the impression that the VSR should isolate both batteries and only charge one at a time unless I have it on "Both" mode ?

Check out this statement , it may clarify your question.

140A Dual Battery Isolator (VSR)

Allows two batteries to be charged from your engine alternator at the same time. When your engine is on and the start battery is sufficiently charged the isolator kit will begin charging the second (auxiliary) battery simultaneously. When the voltage of the start battery drops (i.e.. the engine is stopped) the isolator kit disengages from charging the auxiliary battery. This isolates the start battery and eliminates the possibility of draining it, ensuring that you always have enough charge to start your engine, and also protects sensitive electronic equipment powered from the auxiliary battery from harmful engine start-up spikes. Suitable for 12VDC Marine, 4WD, caravan and solar applications.

Geoff

Edited July 15, 2014 by Geoff

[VViCKiD]

Thanks Geoff. Yeh seems I'll probably ruin the lead battery:

When your engine is on and the start battery is sufficiently charged the isolator kit will begin charging the second (auxiliary) battery simultaneously

I think the imbalanced resistance from the 2 batteries (calcium requiring 14.7V) will probably fry the lead battery

Though maybe if the calcium is full already, it won't require any charging and the lead will charge at 13.5 V?

[The Incredible Hull]

I have the Sea Master Gold, its an awesome battery, however the Green light indicator on mine doesn't work...

It never seems to lose any charge. I would go out one day, using the bilge pump for live well and sounder and lights, go home, then leave the battery unused for months without trickle or any sort of charge. Then before going out the next time, charge it which only takes like an hour and its already full, almost seems like I haven't used anything!

I've been doing this for over 3 years, great battery.

[VViCKiD]

Incredible Hull, do you have 1 or 2 batteries ?

[The Incredible Hull]

Just the 1. It powers my sounder, live well blige pump, about 6 metres of LED lights, and port\starboard navigation lights.

I get a feeling the battery was overkill for what I need it for =)

Edited July 15, 2014 by The Incredible Hull