Battery Charging Reference for the Main Char g er
B–4975-0125-02-01

Equalization Charge

The equalization charge must be manually initiated from the System Control
Panel because it is not required each time the battery is recharged. Equalization is
a deliberate overcharge designed to return each cell to optimum condition by
reducing sulfation and stratification in the battery. The overcharge helps the
battery to reach and maintain peak capacity.
An equalization charge should be performed only on flooded, vented (non-sealed
or “wet”) batteries. It should be performed only if recommended by the battery
manufacturer and only as often as specified.
After initiating an equalize charge cycle, the charger will always execute a bulk
and absorption charge stage before starting the actual equalize char ge stage. The
equalize charge stage has a default current and volt age setpoi nt at 10% of capacity
in Ah and 15.5 VDC, respectively. During the equalize charge stage , the charger
will produce current equal to the current setpoint as long as the battery voltage is
still less than the voltage setpoint. When the voltage setpoint is reached, the
charger will change its current output to keep the battery voltage steady at the
voltage setpoint level.
There is a timeout (default is 1 hour) for the equalize charge stage. The charger
will exit equalize after the timeout has occurred, even if the voltage setpoint has
not been reached. Should another equalize cycle be required, it has to be manually
initiated from the System Control Panel.
Should an AC reconnect occur during the equalize charge stage, the charger will
return to the float/no-float charge stage, depending on which one is selected.
Two-Stage Char ging
If the two-stage charge is enabled, the charger finishes the ab so rp tion ch arge but
does not go to float mode because some battery manufacturers advise against
floating their batteries. The MS2000 goes into a monitoring mode instead where
the charger monitors the batteries but does not float them.
A new two-stage charge cycle will be initiated under the same conditions as for
three-stage charging.