ima problem

[Eli]

There is nothing inherently wrong with 177V, though it is indeed on the high side, especially if the pack is warm.

[Kenpo]

I discontinued charging for and started up the car. SOC was at 0, waited couple minutes and SOC was at full charge. Pluged grid charger back on and volts were huvering at 177.3-177.4. I will monitor this hourly to see if keeps rising.

The car's been sitting for about 4-5 hrs from the last time I drove it and temperature outside is 60 F.

[Kenpo]

Originally Posted by Eli

There is nothing inherently wrong with 177V, though it is indeed on the high side, especially if the pack is warm.

Ok thanks that makes me feel better. Is it safe to charge it overnight lets say for 12 hrs (this is the first time I've ever charged it)? And how long does it usually take until I see the volts go slightly up, 3 hrs?

[Eli]

If you're running the pack fan, 8-12 hours should be fine.

[Kenpo]

ok thanks and do you think my volt will still go up? Its been charging for 4 hrs now and its at 177.0. And what does it mean when my my volts are 177.2 to begin with (besides battery being hot) and battery has never been grid charged before? Does it mean I still have an ok battery that a grid charger can fix the problem?

[Eli]

It doesn't really tell me anything by itself. Since your pack likely isn't chilled(40 degrees or less), it leads me to believe that the battery is a little long in the tooth. A weak battery will climb higher in voltage faster than a healthy one. There are too many methods of failure and packs in differing conditions to say whether grid charging will be a cure all. It will definitely improve the pack, but by how much is anyone's guess.

It is unlikely that your battery voltage will go up anymore, especially if you aren't running the pack fan. If you are, it may. Once the battery is mostly fully charged, the battery's temperature plays the biggest role in total pack voltage.

[Kenpo]

I'm running a built in fan in the charger. What do you mean by "battery is a little long in the tooth." Is it a good thing? Can I purchase a temperature sensor for the battery separately?

[Eli]

Er.. The charger itself does need a fan if it's enclosed, but it is important to run the battery pack fan. If you aren't running the pack fan, voltage will drop as the pack heats up. Grid charging without running the battery fan is unacceptable, IMO. MikeD agrees, FWIW.

Long in the tooth is a euphemism for "old". Sorry, lol.

You could stick a temperature sensor in the battery I guess, but it would only be reading one cell/stick. Better than nothing.

[Kenpo]

Ok got it sorry for the dumb question, never heard that term before. I hooked up the fan connect grid charger, will that turn on the fan on the motor as well? I already put all the panels back on, I guess I should have checked to see if it turned on before putting all the panels in the back on. And I appreciate you answering all my questions, I really appreciate it and learned from it. Thank you.

[Eli]

What do you mean by "hooked up the fan connect grid charger"? Does Artric's charger have provisions to run the battery pack fan? If not, it should be considered a faulty design. The battery dissipates nearly 70W of heat as it approaches full charge. The battery also happens to be encased in thick plastic, which acts as an insulator. There is no where for the heat to go, and it builds and builds. The pack can become well over 100 degrees in a matter of hours.

Some will argue that this is within the acceptable pack temperature range, and this is true. However, I contend that it's still stressful to the cells, so why not take the small extra effort to run the pack fan if there's even the slightest risk that it could damage your $2000 battery set?

You can feel air being pulled into the inlet by the seat if the fan is running.