Correction to My Post in “Power Management R27 2017 Classic“

[scross]

What have you done?
We current & retired commercial pilots can’t ever be wrong! What will our passengers think?

Seriously, thanks for the update. I was scratching my head about your first post thinking I really knew nothing. Your correction gets me back from knowing nothing to knowing very little about charging systems. But I’m always trying to learn more so subject matter masters like you are very helpful.

 

[knotflying]

As I stated on the last thread, How long you need to run your engine is dependent on how much your batteries have discharged and their general condition. Without a battery monitoring system one can only figure state of charge based on voltage. At 10.5 V it is considered a 0% SOC. I am taking a WAG here, but if you have been at anchor over night I would think you need to run your engine a good hour to get a decent charge. My experience has been, with my R-27, one solar panel and long sunny days that I am good for three days anchored and then move on to a new location with a long distance and then I am charged up pretty well.
If you are at anchor and run your engine you should wait about 30 minutes after charging and then look at your volt meter. That will give you a fairly accurate voltage reading. Keep in mind though that if you have a solar panel you should also disconnect that to get a proper reading otherwise you will get a reading of the voltage the panel is putting out. This is similar as to what Bill was explaining when the alternator is charging.