80 Freedom SW Owner’s Guide
Battery Charging Reference
Float Stage
Float charge maintains the batteries slightly above the self
discharge voltage of the batteries. The charge current in float
is the current necessary to maintain the batteries at the Float
Voltage setting, limited only by the inverter's capability or
other settings that limit the inverter's maximum charge rate.
Float charging reduces battery gassing, minimizes watering
requirements (for flooded batteries), and makes sure the
batteries are in a constant state of readiness. When three-stage
charging is selected, the charger automatically switches to the
float stage after the batteries have received a bulk and
absorption charge (see Figure 35). The batteries are
maintained at the default float voltage level for the selected
battery type or the voltage selected under Float Voltage on
the Custom Battery Settings menu.
Table 21 Preset Float Voltage Settings
Battery Type
Preset Float Voltage
12V models 24V models
Flooded 13.5 27.0
Gel 13.8 27.6
AGM 13.4 26.8
Custom 13.5
(changeable)
27.0
(changeable)
NOTE: The battery voltage can increase above the float voltage when
using an external charging device such as PV arrays, wind turbines, and
micro-hydro generators. Be sure to include appropriate charge
management equipment with all external DC sources.
FSW Owners Guide.book Page 80 Tuesday, August 7, 2018 9:03 AM