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multisync

multisync

Long-Distance Cross Country
Joined
Aug 28, 2012
Messages
1,072
Location
CA
This must have been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything recent. So I will start a new thread.

How longs have your batteries been lasting recently? I have used Concord RG25's for years and always got 6-7 years before they died. Now I am on my 2nd battery that has lasted only 3-1/2 years. I can probably milk it along for most of another year. But I don't want to get caught away from home with a dead battery. What has changed? I don't fly that often, but that was the same 20 years ago so no change there.
 
Have your voltage regulator reset to the low end of permissible. If you’re 0.2 V above that you are boiling off what all water is in that AGM box….guess how I figured that out?
 
If you’re 0.2 V above that you are boiling off what all water is in that AGM box
Click to expand...
Lamar voltage regulators cannot be adjusted.
RG25 is a sealed battery.
BTW - what is AGM?
 
Also check the level of parasitic load in your airplane. New equipment or a glitch in wiring, etc. can increase it.
 
AGM = Absorbed Gas Mat. Or they may be called "valve regulated batteries. Basically, a sealed battery.

Electric clocks can often run down a battery during periods of disuse.

Here are some threads that relate to your question:

Batteries again FYI

My RG-25 concorde battery has died 7 months before the end of the warranty and will not take a charge.
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Gill vs Concorde Batteries

What would be the best for my 172 Gill or Concorde?
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Aircraft Batteries

Has anyone used sealed batteries.I have a g242 now it's time to replace and I'm thinking of going with a sealed battery.What are some of the pro's-con's.
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Concorde 25RG-XC tests at 311 CCA

My concorde battery is now 4 years old. A couple times this year it has acted like it is dying and barely cranked my engine. But most of the time it spins the engine like a top. One time it was slow when it was cold, but just the other day it was 80deg... barely got it cranked. I had my...
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Battery: Out with Gill in with Concorde

Another Gill battery just crapped the bed. Ordered the PMAd Concorde for my 172M. Coming in mail in a couple days and I cannot find a clear answer on whether I need an STC and/or 337. IA's on-line have said yes to both and no to both. FAA owner maintenance reg says I can replace (or service)...
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Concorde Battery???

My VFR equipt 1979 172N may need a new battery, I'm looking for Concord Sealed Battery Recommendations, model numbers please? I have a new sealed Gill in the Aerobat,it will not hold a charge for more than about 2 weeks.DonN5356D & N8140L (Aerobat)
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Gill battery

My battery failed after 16 months anybody experience this ?
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Gill G25 died in 22 months? What next?

I have a 172k with a dead Gill G25 only 22 months old. No electrical or alternator problems and am under-whelmed with Gill performance.I had Odessey batteries in my previous KITFOX and was "overwhelmed" at their performance on a Franklin O-235. I'm looking to replace a dead battery ASAP and...
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Gill 25 Battery

New G25 battery in 172M with 180 HP conversion. Have not flown in 2 weeks and this morning, barely got the A/C started. This has been an ongoing problem. Starts fine after flying, but let her set 2 weeks, and you have issues. Old battery doing the same thing.Is this normal? I don't remember...
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com

Gill G-25 Battery

Interested to know if aircraft instrument panel clock (constantly running) over a period of a few weeks has ever drained anyone's battery to the point it barely turns engine over. 1974 Cessna 172M.
thepilotsplace.com thepilotsplace.com
 
I kept wearing out batteries and couldn't understand why in my new homebuilt.
I had installed a USB charge port and wired it so that it was always on so if necessary I could charge my phone if the plane was off because was planning on a very long cross-country trip. I thought it was an old wives' tale that USB charge ports actually draw current even when nothing is plugged into them. I found out the hard way that that is not an old wives tale and is actually true.

I'm guessing the ones that are approved for aviation do not do this but an inexpensive one off of Amazon certainly can. There would be times when I would not fly for a month or two and this is when I would have the problem. I did check parasitic loads on all of my electrical system I thought. However I had this very small always-on bus that was in a different part of the plane and never thought to check it because the only thing connected to it was a USB.
 
I checked the battery load with the Master off and there is no current flowing (absolutely 0 amps, nada). The panel clock has been inop for many years and the fuse has been removed. There is nothing else running when the Master if off.

I had a long conversation with Concord about this issue. Several points:
  • The design of the RG25 has not changed since the original design.
  • In general, the charging voltage will not affect battery life as long as it is in the 13.5 - 14.5V range.
  • If operating in a high-temperature area (e.g. desert) on long flights a lower charging voltage is recommended to prevent the battery from overheating.
  • If operating in a low-temperature area (e.g. Alaska) a higher charging voltage is recommended.
  • Removing the sulfate crystals that form on the plates surely will help. A constant current charge (2.0-2.5 amps) for 16 hours is recommended 1-2 times each year. This can often even recover a "dead" battery.
The bad news is that none of this answers my original question: Why am I getting shorter lifetimes than I did 15+ years ago? I still don't know what changed.
The good news is that the likely culprit is the sulfate crystals on the plates and that can almost always be reversed.
 
Bruce Chien said:
Have your voltage regulator reset to the low end of permissible. If you’re 0.2 V above that you are boiling off what all water is in that AGM box….guess how I figured that out?
Click to expand...
And if you are much too low you will irreversibly sulfate the battery over time. Check the regulator every annual for proper voltage.
 
I'm still getting 6-7 years out of my RG-25s. The last one I replaced at 7 years. It would start the engine just fine but the capacity was too low for IFR.
 
GWelch said:
I kept wearing out batteries and couldn't understand why in my new homebuilt.
I had installed a USB charge port and wired it so that it was always on so if necessary I could charge my phone if the plane was off because was planning on a very long cross-country trip. I thought it was an old wives' tale that USB charge ports actually draw current even when nothing is plugged into them. I found out the hard way that that is not an old wives tale and is actually true.

I'm guessing the ones that are approved for aviation do not do this but an inexpensive one off of Amazon certainly can. There would be times when I would not fly for a month or two and this is when I would have the problem. I did check parasitic loads on all of my electrical system I thought. However I had this very small always-on bus that was in a different part of the plane and never thought to check it because the only thing connected to it was a USB.
Click to expand...
Vampire electronics. Cars, planes, all out there.

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Household Energy Vampires: Which Electronics Are Draining Your Power? | Positive Energy Solar

If your energy bills keep creeping up or you're aiming to minimize your home's electricity usage, it might be time to investigate energy vampires lurking in your household. Unlike the mythical kind, these energy vampires are appliances and gadgets that consume electricity even when they're...
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