What does float charging mean

[troy]

Bought a new battery charger and it says when all lights have illuminated the battery is fully charged and will switch from absorpion charging to float charging mode.
Can anyone explain what this means and does float charging mode mean you cannot over charge the battery.
I want to give the battery a charge as have not used it for 2 months and going by the charger it is fully charged.
I would have expected it to be a bit flat but i do not want to risk over charging it.
Thanks
Troy

[Roughasguts]

Nah a new battery should hold a good charge and recover quickly.

That's how you know your old battery is stuffed by taking days to fully charge then not holding the charge for very long.

[black runner]

If its at least a 3 stage properly regulated charger then the float mode is designed to compensate for the inherent discharge rate of the battery it is connected to, and not over charge it. It is usually a regulated very low current supply. Some cheaper 'floats' are actually a trickle charge and can potentially over charge. Check the literature that came with yours to see what it does.

Some chargers have pulse mode where the charger stops at full charge and begins to charge again when terminal voltage drops below a certain value.

If it's a wet cell (lead acid) battery and you are leaving it on charge for any length of time just make sure you check the electrolyte level occasionally.

Hope this helps.

[MyWay]

Bought a new battery charger and it says when all lights have illuminated the battery is fully charged and will switch from absorpion charging to float charging mode.
Can anyone explain what this means and does float charging mode mean you cannot over charge the battery.
I want to give the battery a charge as have not used it for 2 months and going by the charger it is fully charged.
I would have expected it to be a bit flat but i do not want to risk over charging it.
Thanks
Troy

just keep repeating float charging ,float charging i believe u will work out what is it

when is battery in full charge charger will be in float mode (what ever is it float mode for that charger is 12.8v 14v 13.6v etc) as soon as voltage drops it will start charging again

[PADDLES]

black runner's on the money, if your battery stays on a "float", just keep an eye on the levels. personally i don't like leaving batteries on float if i can avoid it. the solid state chargers with a pulse output (for long term maintenance) are definitely the go for worry free battery charging.

[troy]

If battery goes into float mode charging does this mean you will not over charge the battery.
All lights lit up when i connected the charger but was not convinced the battery could still be fully charged after not being used for 2 months.
How long should i charge for in this situation as i do not want to bugger the battery.
Thanks
Troy

[black runner]

A flooded cell battery can be over charged when using float mode - it depends on how sophisticated the charger is. Should be ok to leave for a few days but check the electrolyte level. Pulse charging is a better option when leaving a charger connected for long term maintenance as it will stop charging when a preset terminal voltage is detected and restart when terminal voltage drops under 12.6V.

Disconnect your charger after a couple of days on float and leave for a few hours before checking terminal voltage with a volt meter. Should read minimum 12.6 Volts (flooded cell) which is fully charged. If you have a hydrometer, check the specific gravity as well - each cell should read 1.265 100% charged, 1.225 75%

Depending on the type of battery it could still be almost fully charged after 2 months - for example AGM batteries, which because of the plate material used, have a lower self discharge rate. If its a flooded cell then it would have self discharged a little over this period. As a general rule if a flooded cell battery is not being used wack it on charge every 4 weeks if you don't have a good 3+ stage charger. How long to leave it on for depends on what sort of charger.

BTW how old is the battery?

Cheers

[troy]

A flooded cell battery can be over charged when using float mode - it depends on how sophisticated the charger is. Should be ok to leave for a few days but check the electrolyte level. Pulse charging is a better option when leaving a charger connected for long term maintenance as it will stop charging when a preset terminal voltage is detected and restart when terminal voltage drops under 12.6V.

Disconnect your charger after a couple of days on float and leave for a few hours before checking terminal voltage with a volt meter. Should read minimum 12.6 Volts (flooded cell) which is fully charged. If you have a hydrometer, check the specific gravity as well - each cell should read 1.265 100% charged, 1.225 75%

Depending on the type of battery it could still be almost fully charged after 2 months - for example AGM batteries, which because of the plate material used, have a lower self discharge rate. If its a flooded cell then it would have self discharged a little over this period. As a general rule if a flooded cell battery is not being used wack it on charge every 4 weeks if you don't have a good 3+ stage charger. How long to leave it on for depends on what sort of charger.

BTW how old is the battery?

Cheers
The battery is about 8 months old.
Thanks
Troy