Gel Cell Battery Charging Voltage

The table below shows the voltage and approximate state of charge for each type of battery.

Gel cell battery charging voltage.

The electrolyte in a gel cell battery has a silica additive that causes it to set up or stiffen. The modern gel or vrla battery was invented by otto jache of sonnenschein in 1957. Even the weather can play a role. Note that if you charge your gel battery on agm charging settings you will eventually damage the battery.

At this voltage the battery should regulate its own level of current. The battery is then held at this voltage until the charging current drops to a value of 0 01 x c amps where c is the battery s amp hour rating. This is because agm batteries use a higher voltage to charge while gel batteries use a lower voltage. In this mode the battery is charged with a fixed charging voltage until the terminal voltage reaches 2 40 to 2 45 volts per cell 14 4 to 14 7 volts for a 12 volt battery at 20 c.

When attempting to charge a gel battery with a lead acid charger you must ensure the peak charging voltage does not exceed 14 7 volts which would result in dried non conductive gel. As long as your battery charger has settings for gel then you yes can replace your agm battery with with a gel battery. State of charge does vary a little between a sealed lead acid flooded gel and agm deep cycle battery types and also between brands. Turn on the charger and charge the battery at a constant voltage of 2 25 to 2 30 volts per cell 13 5 to 13 8 volts on a 12 volt battery at 58 degrees fahrenheit 20 degrees celsius.

Most battery manufacturers recommend sizing the charger at about 25 of the battery capacity ah amp. Exceeding this voltage in a gel battery can cause bubbles in the electrolyte gel and permanent damage. This is probably the most sensitive cell in terms of adverse reactions to over voltage charging. The peak charging voltage for gel batteries is 14 1 or 14 4 volts which is lower than a wet or agm type battery needs for a full charge.

Step 1 attach the lead acid battery charger to your gel cell battery connecting the red cable to the positive terminal and the black cable to the negative terminal. Battery voltage state of charge table.