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Odyssey Battery

RV12Pilot

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I bought my RV-12 from the builder last June. So this June is my first condition inspection which I’m having an A&P/IA perform. Checking logs I see my Odyssey battery was installed in 2017. Should I consider replacing it during the CI?
Thanks
Charlie
 
I bought my RV-12 from the builder last June. So this June is my first condition inspection which I’m having an A&P/IA perform. Checking logs I see my Odyssey battery was installed in 2017. Should I consider replacing it during the CI?
Thanks
Charlie

There is not a set service limit on the battery.. but... we all know batteries tend to start degrading with age/use. Also, if you plan to fly to remote locations without the possibility of being able to get a jump start if your battery dies, then factor that into the equation since hand propping isn't an option with a Rotax 912.. If you want piece of mind and still possibly get some more use out of it, you could always pull the battery out and get it load tested at the local auto parts store, to help you determine the health of the battery. The life of most batteries can be maximized by using a battery maintainer between flights. Don't confuse a battery maintainer with a battery charger.. Completely different products..
 

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PC-680 lasted 7+ years

If it gives you peace of mind replace it. But mine lasted 2 years during construction and 7 yrs of flying and I replaced it only because I left the master switch on for a week. I now use it on the workbench and it still holds a charge. My current battery is now 3 years old and still spins the prop like new.
 
PC680

I have two PC680s in my aircraft. Because I am electrically dependent for ignition and fuel injection I do load testing at each conditional. I purchased a simple Cen-Tech 100A tester at Harbor Freight. At year four, the resting voltage on each battery is down by 3%; however, the CCA capacity is down 66%.

My take is, if your just using it only for cranking keep it until your uncomfortable. If you are electrically dependent, like me, a two year replacement plan should be considered.

I am currently in year one of a new test batch of batteries.
 
It's very important to keep a AGM battery top charged during storage or when not in use.

The factory Ducati VR and charging system on the 912ULS not providing enough voltage and current during taxiing below 2500-2600 rpms and on approach when you throttle back is part of this problem.

I do a 2700 to 3000 rpm run up before shutting down, and only shut down once my charging current has dropped from 5 or 6 amps down to 2 amps, at 13.9 or more volts. I feel this helps keep the battery stored in a very full stage of charge, and prevents sulfation of the battery plates from occurring.

You can do the same with a quick 10 minutes on a 6 amp 12v battery charger too, while you do the rest of your post flight maintenance in the hangar, or a 5 amp or better 12V solar panel with a charge controller set to 14.8V.

Any of your friends that own a Recreational Vehicle or 5th wheel or Motor Home that lives in it off the grid should be able to fill you in on good battery maintenance techniques. We have a lot of hard core Hangar Rats that live in theirs on the airport I'm based out of., that are extremely knowledgeable on the subject matter.
 
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I have dual PC680's in parallel. Any charger/maintainer will likely be fine as long as it's compatible with AGM batteries. My airplane came with some generic float charger I'd never heard of. It bit the dust, so I bit the bullet and sprung for an actual Odyssey BC-6A charger. It has a "conditioner" function...don't know if that actually works in terms of managing sulfation, but it works fine as a charger.

My routine when I put the plane away is to plug in the dehydrator, plug in the Reiff pre-heater, and plug in the battery charger. I load test the batteries every time the cowl happens to come off.


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Odysseys Hate Tenders

Unless you leave the plane sitting for months at a time, I recommend you DO NOT USE a battery tender for a PC680. I try to fly once a week to once every other week and found that my generic battery tender killed my Odyssey after a few months. It started to kill my new battery, too (sluggish cranking about a month after new) until I read this: https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=108220, rejuvenated it and ditched the tender. It is much happier with nothing at all between flights, even in the winter. If you MUST use a tender, get only the one from Odyssey, due to their unique voltage requirements as high performance batteries.
 
Unless you leave the plane sitting for months at a time, I recommend you DO NOT USE a battery tender for a PC680. SNIP

+1. Every time I hear someone around here complain about batteries going bad at an early age, I find out they have been using battery tenders/minders/etc. An Odyssey battery is very good at holding a charge over several months (assuming you did not abuse the battery). If you abuse the battery (as in let it go flat) consider it dead and replace it. While you may be able to breath some life into it, the damage is done and will come back to haunt you at the worst possible moment.

I run dual PC-625 batteries (same for all three of my builds). One battery is replace every three years (so that the oldest battery is no more than six years). This provides some assurance that I maintain my designed reserve battery capacity. The pulled batteries go on to a second life in tractors and such around the airpark.

I never use a battery charger/tender/minder/etc. For hangar flying (and if I run down the batteries for some reason) I use a 30 amp regulated power supply to run the panel and keep the batteries topped off. I set the power supply to the same 14.2vdc that the alternator puts out. I never leave the power supply connected when not present with the airplane.

The other benefit is not running very expensive avionics on a battery charger putting out all kinds of trash (as in AC ripple and noise).

Carl
 
My last PC680 lasted 10 years and I replaced it because it started to slow down during the winter. A PC680 can sit for months and still show 12.4 volts assuming you have no zombie loads on the system. They don't need a battery tender.
 
+1. Every time I hear someone around here complain about batteries going bad at an early age, I find out they have been using battery tenders/minders/etc. An Odyssey battery is very good at holding a charge over several months (assuming you did not abuse the battery). If you abuse the battery (as in let it go flat) consider it dead and replace it. While you may be able to breath some life into it, the damage is done and will come back to haunt you at the worst possible moment.

This seems to be as controversial as primer and cam guard. Lots of anecdotes of successes and failures on either side of the issue, but no real good data with test results. The best solution would appear to be use them frequently. For those who can’t or don’t, a float state charger might be a good option. I have a multi state charger on a WiFi switch and if I don’t fly for more than a week, I flip it on for 5-6 hours. You could also program these WiFi switches to come on every few days. This strategy has served me well for many years, but it’s just another anecdote.
 
This seems to be as controversial as primer and cam guard. Lots of anecdotes of successes and failures on either side of the issue, but no real good data with test results. The best solution would appear to be use them frequently. For those who can’t or don’t, a float state charger might be a good option. I have a multi state charger on a WiFi switch and if I don’t fly for more than a week, I flip it on for 5-6 hours. You could also program these WiFi switches to come on every few days. This strategy has served me well for many years, but it’s just another anecdote.

I would argue that this is not controversial at all. Simply go to the odyssey website and they provide warnings about not using any charger other than their own. Their charger has intelligence and DOES NOT float charge. It turns off and monitors voltage. If voltage drops, it re-initiates the charge sequence and shuts off again. Float chargers will destroy SLA batteries over time, unless set up correctly and the correct set up is different than for flooded Lead Acid batteries, for which most float chargers are designed for. Plenty of data out there on this subject; Just need to look.

Carl is correct, an SLA battery in good condition will hold 90% of it's charge over a 6 month period; Well above the threshold where discharge state eats into battery life. VERY different then flooded lead acid batteries in your car. All downside and no upside to float chargers on SLA batteries. If you don't use your battery for 6 months, just put a charger on it for one charge cycle and you're good for another 6 months.

IMHO, float chargers on SLA batteries is a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist.

Larry
 
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Gonna hear it for this one

I'm sure I'm gonna hear it for this one. Before the new tech OEM specific chargers became a thing, I was actually opposed to any type of battery charging system. Not too long ago, the OEM's offerings were almost always simple attempts to increase sales; mostly just unintelligent chargers rebranded with the OEM's name and the price drastically inflated. Chemistries, technology and the associated costs are changing and I fully understand the new reasoning. All said, I always wanted to know a battery was having trouble before I left the ground; not one depending on a fresh charge to turn over a PP. I've been temporarily stranded before. This was before the proliferation of electrically dependent aircraft. Still not sure I'll buy/utilize one. This old attitude is going to take some real work for me to get past, if I ever do.
 
There is so much misinformation in this thread, I'm not going to try to point all of it out and start pissing people off. I would just say to read the Odyssey Technical Manual.

https://odysseybattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/US-ODY-TM.pdf

I personally have had very good results with using a Battery Tender PLUS for many years.

To those who used a "generic battery tender" and killed your battery, that doesn't mean an official Battery Tender PLUS would do the same thing.

I don't doubt the 3X more expensive Odyssey battery maintainer is a nice piece of equipment. I'm just not convinced it's the only option.. The Tech. Manual tends to indicate the same.

I do agree, if you fly your plane weekly without fail, then a battery maintainer would be of little use to you. Allowing your AGM battery to drop down to 12.4 volts isn't good. That's about 65% SOC. To assure the longest life from an Odyssey AGM, you want to keep it at 12.8+..

Cheers!
 
I don't doubt the 3X more expensive Odyssey battery maintainer is a nice piece of equipment. I'm just not convinced it's the only option.. The Tech. Manual tends to indicate the same.


I have 6 or 8 Battery Tenders, Plus and Junior around here for various rolling stock, but I bought the Odyssey BC-6A charger for the airplane mainly because I charge two PC680s in parallel and I wanted the higher output. I'm confident that the Odyssey charger is not the only option. I'm a big Battery Tender fan and I'm sure the Plus would work fine in single-battery AGM battery applications.
 
Another tid bit on battery maintainers

I use a flooded battery in my garden tractor/mower. I use to get 2 years average on the battery. I started using a battery minder on it. Now I get 7-8 years on a battery. That main problem was lack of usage during the winter. Same thing is true of an aircraft battery. If you use it regularly, then a charger is less needed.
 
Repair Mode or De sulfonation

I do agree, if you fly your plane weekly without fail, then a battery maintainer would be of little use to you. Allowing your AGM battery to drop down to 12.4 volts isn't good. That's about 65% SOC. To assure the longest life from an Odyssey AGM, you want to keep it at 12.8+..

Cheers![/QUOTE]

I agree, the parasite draw from a clock or what ever else over a couple of months does drag the battery down so I changed my wiring to prevent this from happening and it has helped.

But still 4 yrs later it was not turning over as fast and hanging up on the compression stroke and it was not looking good. So I ended up putting my Norco Genius charger onto the Repair Mode or De sulfonation for one run on my Odyssey 680 and it now turns over like it did brand new 4 yrs ago. Hopefully I get another 4 more yrs.

Tim
 
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