About the Victron Battery Balancer
The problem: the service life of an expensive battery bank can be
substantially shortened due to state of charge unbalance
One battery with a slightly higher internal leakage current in a 24V or 48V
bank of several series/parallel connected batteries will cause undercharge of
that battery and parallel connected batteries, and overcharge of the series
connected batteries. Moreover, when new cells or batteries are connected in
series, they should all have the same initial state of charge. Small
differences will be ironed out during absorption or equalize charging, but
large differences will result in damage due to excessive gassing (caused by
overcharging) of the batteries with the higher initial state of charge and
sulphation (caused by undercharging) of the batteries with the lower initial
state of charge.
The Solution: battery balancing
The Battery Balancer equalizes the state of charge of two series connected 12V
batteries, or of several parallel strings of series connected batteries. When
the charge voltage of a 24V battery system increases to more than 27,3V, the
Battery Balancer will turn on and compare the voltage over the two series
connected batteries. The Battery Balancer will draw a current of up to 0,7A
from the battery (or parallel connected batteries) with the highest voltage.
The resulting charge current differential will ensure that all batteries will
converge to the same state of charge
If needed, several balancers can be paralleled. A 48V battery bank can be
balanced with three Battery Balancers.
Victron Battery Balancer Features
LED indicators
Green: on (battery voltage > 27,3V)
Orange: lower battery leg active (deviation > 0,1V)
Orange: upper battery leg active (deviation > 0,1V)
Red: alarm (deviation > 0,2V). Remains on until the deviation has reduced
to less than 0,14V, or until system voltage drops to less than 26,6V.
Alarm relay
Normally open. The alarm relay closes when the red LED switches on and opens
when the red LED switches off.
Alarm reset
Two terminals are available to connect a push button. Interconnecting the two
terminals resets the relay. The reset condition will remain active until the
alarm is over. Thereafter the relay will close again when a new alarm occurs.
