This blog covers lead acid battery charging at low temperatures. A later blog will deal with lithium batteries.

Charging lead acid batteries in cold (and indeed hot) weather needs special consideration, primarily due to the fact a higher charge voltage is required at low temperatures and a lower voltage at high temperatures.

Charging therefore needs to be ‘temperature compensated’ to improve battery care and this is required when the temperature of the battery is expected to be less than 10°C / 50°F or more than 30°C / 85°F. The centre point for temperature compensation is 25°C / 77°F.

Cold weather also reduces a battery’s capacity. This is another factor that needs to be taken into consideration, along with the load and charge rate compared to the battery capacity (Ah). Both of these factors affect the correct and consequent sizing of a battery for your particular application.

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You may recall a year ago a blog about Hydro Power, in which Markus Pauritsch used a MPPT solar charge controller loaded and driven by a Pelton wheel water turbine to charge his off-grid cabin battery system in the Austrian Alps.

This year (the last day of 2018 as I write this) things have moved on from one man’s DIY system. The installation has now grown by necessity. Whilst the original install had worked well, that all came to a halt when a summer storm turned the hydro supply stream into a torrent.Continue reading

If you have even a passing interest in Equestrian sports: Horse Racing, Polo, Show Jumping, Dressage or Point to Point, you will know that in order to compete in international events, both Horse and Rider need to arrive in tip-top condition. Horse Truck Ltd. is a bespoke transport maker – helping them do just that.Continue reading

Over the years there have been many technical questions here on the Victron blog, using Disqus comments. However we’ve found that somewhat unwieldy – so a new forum has been launched – it’s called Victron Community.Continue reading