Alarm Battery Charging

**Gleock** · 27-09-2022, 19:03

Originally Posted by DaavG

Hi All,

My batteries are not lasting during load shedding and I think the batteries are not getting properly recharged before the next round hits, damaging the batteries (I have 3 batteries, 1 x wired to alarm panel, 2 x external with their own power source).

I have a DSC alarm and think the charger charges at 0.5Ah.

I would like to change batteries to 18Ah batteries and install smart chargers to speed up the batteries charging but my alarm guy says its going to damage or blow my alarm panel board.

At some point I will go the inverter and battery solution wired into the DB board but not there yet.

Any thoughts / comments or ideas?

You have a few options:

You can select a higher charging current on most boards.
DSC has an extended supply board that you can add to the system - This will give you a higher charging current.
You can disconnect your AC transformer and run the panel off the battery and stand-alone charger - You lose the power failure reporting though (possibly your household insurance too).
Fit a Lithium battery - Been running the one below for 3 years now without issue.

https://www.batteryexperts.co.za/sho...ium-phosphate/

**atunguyd** · 28-09-2022, 09:13

Originally Posted by Gleock

You have a few options:

You can select a higher charging current on most boards.
DSC has an extended supply board that you can add to the system - This will give you a higher charging current.
You can disconnect your AC transformer and run the panel off the battery and stand-alone charger - You lose the power failure reporting though (possibly your household insurance too).
Fit a Lithium battery - Been running the one below for 3 years now without issue.

https://www.batteryexperts.co.za/sho...ium-phosphate/

Looking at the dsc panel installation instructions I see that the only charging currents are 500ma and 700ma. So even on the highest charge rate you are looking at 10 hours to charge a 7aH battery. For current load shedding stages that's just not enough time between load shedding sessions.

I have 2 x 7aH batteries on my alarm system. They survive a load shedding session easily, but if we are on higher stages they just don't get charged enough between the stages.

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**Grobbie** · 28-09-2022, 10:11

Just replaced and hooked up this battery to DSC alarm. Last way past load shedding.

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**DaavG** · 28-09-2022, 11:30

Originally Posted by Grobbie

Just replaced and hooked up this battery to DSC alarm. Last way past load shedding.

Considered this and hence the original question with multiple load shedding events, the DSC charger is not going to speed charge the battery and thus it becomes depleted quicker and/or damaged. I like the 18Ah capacity and wanted to add an external faster charger to recharge the battery to full in between load shedding.

**Grobbie** · 28-09-2022, 12:08

Originally Posted by DaavG

Considered this and hence the original question with multiple load shedding events, the DSC charger is not going to speed charge the battery and thus it becomes depleted quicker and/or damaged. I like the 18Ah capacity and wanted to add an external faster charger to recharge the battery to full in between load shedding.

I have had no problems with it for 2 years. At R700 i am happy to replace more often if it indeeds dies quicker. But so far so good.

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**holdingthezero** · 29-09-2022, 20:51

I run a long lead from my alarm box in the roof down into a corner of the dining room where I can easily connect disconnect batteries. I use an old 45ah car battery which last very long.

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**DaavG** · 30-09-2022, 07:35

Originally Posted by holdingthezero

I run a long lead from my alarm box in the roof down into a corner of the dining room where I can easily connect disconnect batteries. I use an old 45ah car battery which last very long.

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Run me through this please - batteries are in the dining room connected to long lead to alarm box? Do you have other batteries in the alarm box? Do you have an external charger on the batteries in the dining room?

**Vaal** · 30-09-2022, 07:47

Originally Posted by holdingthezero

I run a long lead from my alarm box in the roof down into a corner of the dining room where I can easily connect disconnect batteries. I use an old 45ah car battery which last very long.

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That sounds Ike a good idea because batteries doesn't like extreme temperature fluctuations. But always remember to put a fuseholder with a fuse rated to the cable thickness, in the + line as close to the battery as possible. Rather use a thicker gauge cable because the voltage drop is lost for ever. A well ventilated area would be advised as a charging battery emits gas.

**holdingthezero** · 30-09-2022, 10:35

Originally Posted by DaavG

Run me through this please - batteries are in the dining room connected to long lead to alarm box? Do you have other batteries in the alarm box? Do you have an external charger on the batteries in the dining room?

The alarm box is in the kitchen roof space and so I have removed the battery and connected the cabling to the red and black leads that connect the battery to the alarm panel. The connections are shrink wrapped. From there the cable runs to the corner of the ceiling and through a hole down the corner of the wall to the floor where I connect the battery. I have kept the cable run as short as possible. For batteries I alternate between 2x 12v 7.2ah batteries in parallel and the car battery (this I only use when loadshedding frequency would prevent the 7.2ah batteries from getting fully charged between outages.)

I don't run an additional charger in line. I have a separate charging station (including solar) in my workshop where I maintain batteries because it's so easy to swap batteries now.

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**holdingthezero** · 30-09-2022, 10:37

Originally Posted by Vaal

That sounds Ike a good idea because batteries doesn't like extreme temperature fluctuations. But always remember to put a fuseholder with a fuse rated to the cable thickness, in the + line as close to the battery as possible. Rather use a thicker gauge cable because the voltage drop is lost for ever. A well ventilated area would be advised as a charging battery emits gas.

Thanks for this. I'll definitely be adding a fuse as suggested as this started out as an experiment but has become more permanent.

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