How can I avoid over charging a battery?

Never leave your battery connected to a charger for more than the time required. Over charging occurs when the battery remains on charge after it has reached full charge (14.40 volts). Overcharging causes excess heat that can cause the plates within the cells to buckle and shred their active material.

The battery will also react to the overcharge by producing excess hydrogen and oxygen as the water within the electrolyte breaks down. The water that is lost due to overcharging can be replaced in a non sealed battery. In a sealed battery the water loss is permanent and will negatively effect the battery service life.

When connecting to Solar panels or other renewable energy systems (such as the ones we sell) we reccomend a charge controller. This regulates the power to the battery and stops it from over charging. It also stops any potential blead of energy back out through Solar Panels at night. See our charge controller page for more information.