In follow up to that discussion...
In reading this article I found that I as well as a lot of people have a fair number of misconceptions about batteries and some of their charging attributes.
I found a great article from a manufacturer that is most likely generally true of all battery manufacturer's. In the case of this manufacturer they use their batteries in wheel chairs but the basic battery technologies are the same as RV's. i.e: The technologies are Sealed lead acid, gel batteries, etc.
One thing I learned that I was mistaken on is that only NiCad batteries have memory issues, while lead acid and gel batteries don't have issues with memory per say it can take, depending on battery type, up to 10 to 15 cycles when they are new to get them up to full charge range.
Lot's of great info in here.
Battery FAQ's
http://www.mkbattery.com/content_container.php?page=downloads-and-technical-reference-faqA couple of the items concerning battery's and "Memory":
Q: Do Gel or Absorbed Electrolyte Batteries have a memory?
A: Our batteries do not have a memory. This is only true of ni-cad batteries.
Q: Why am I not getting the run time I expect from my new MK Gel batteries?
A: Our gel batteries are made with thicker plates than other batteries. It is because of these thick plates that we are able to get a longer cycle life from our gel batteries. The downside is that it takes longer for all the material inside these plates to become active. It takes approximately 15-25 cycles to break the battery in.
Q: How often should I equalize my MK GEL Batteries?
A: MK GEL Batteries never need to be equalized. Here is why: One reason why batteries are equalized is to combat voltage separation from cell to cell within a battery. A 12-volt battery is composed of six 2-volt cells connected in series internally. A 12-volt battery reading 12.6 volts on a voltmeter should equal 2.1 volts per cell. However, when batteries are manufactured in a one -shot process cell, where the plates are activated within the battery, one cell may receive more or less electrolyte than the other five cells of that battery. When this happens a battery’s cells may equal:
2.13v - 2.12v - 2.13v - 2.11v -2.09v - 2.11v. (Sum=12.6 volts)
As a battery is discharged, the cells with the lower voltage will be drained further than the cells at the higher voltage. As the same battery is charged, the cells with the high voltage will be fully charged before the cells with the lower voltage. The more a battery is cycled, the more the cell separation takes place. Equalizing batteries helps to bring all the cells of a battery to the same voltage.
Our batteries are manufactured using tank formation to activate the plates. This process guarantees a fully formed and voltage matched plate. The extra handling of the plates provides an additional inspection step in the process to verify plate quality. Plates from hundreds of batteries are formed in a tank all at once providing not only balance from cell to cell of a battery, but also balance from battery to battery of a batch. .
