Cessna 182P Switched Battery From Gill To Concorde - What Should I Test

Sinistar

Sinistar

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Brad
So I just put in a new Concorde RG-35AXC battery last night. It had a Gill battery in it.

Questions:
Was I supposed to charge it first?
What would you test before doing a cross country?
What should the battery voltage read with everything off prior to first start?
What should the battery voltage read at run up with everything on?
What should the voltage and charging needle do if I l pull the throttle to idle (~500rpm). Should it the be the same as during the run-up?
Can the same voltage regulation be used for Gill and Concorde or am I supposed to change something to have optimal in-flight charging for this different battery?
Can I use the same battery tender as I was with the Gill?
Should I expect hot starts be a bit easier?

Note: I have LED landing lights but all other bulbs & strobe were made by Thomas Edison himself.

What I Did:
  • I had to tweak the battery cover per Concorde's documentation. Actually my A&P told me outright that its cheaper for me to buy the battery and install it than have him do it. Given his minimum price vs online I think he saved me about $40 right there :) And he was fine with me deforming the cover per their recommendation.
  • I installed it
  • I started up the plane - it immediately turned over vs the standard partial blade, hesitate about 1 second and then spin up and start.
  • I warmed up the plane and then ran it up.
  • It was dark when I finished...didn't think it was wise to test fly a new battery when its dark and overcast and spooky outside :)
  • All I had with me at the time was cig lighter voltage meter / usb charger (I know, crappy)
  • Voltage with MASTER ON but all switches off was around +12.4v
  • Voltage at idle ~800rpm but all switches off was about +13.1v
  • Voltage at runup 1700rpm with everything on and flaps moving was 12.9v then voltage returned back to 13.0v ... 13.1 when the flap motor turned off.
  • Since I have always used this same usb voltage meter everything looked exactly the same when running as it did before. On the last flight before changing the battery I had written down the voltages so I at least had actual numbers to compare.
  • The charging needle looks the exact same as before.
 
Did you read the manual that came with the battery? That battery is over $300 now, I would have read the manual...
 
Negative - is that bad? I figured its pretty much like a car battery but way more expensive and needs owner log entry.
 
1. You will need a new BatteryMinder

2. You will need an "A" of A&P to sign a new weight and balance report, because the change is more than 1 pound.

""""installation of Concorde Aircraft Batteries.

FAA AC No. 23-27 allows the replacement of Gill batteries with FAA-PMA Concorde batteries, on fixed wing, unpressurized, up to 12,500 lbs, with reciprocating engines, or sailplanes TC'd before January 1980, even though those TC's may have been revised after that date (current manufactured aircraft) with only a logbook entry.

FAR 43.3(g) and 43.7(f) allows holders of a private pilot certificate to preform preventative maintenance and APENDIX A (c) Preventitive Maintenance (24) Replacing and servicing batteries.

There now is no need for STC's or Field Approval to install Concorde batteries if their weight is + or- one pound of the battery that was certified as original equipment

Skip Koss
Concorde Battery Corporation 626-813-1234 x 231"""
 
Yeah, read the extensive docs that came with the battery.

Otherwise, just run it and forget it until annual. The Concorde I swapped out of my plane was 9 years old (!)
 
Definitely RTFM to take proper care of the battery. Proper charging voltage from your alternator and voltage regulator should be 13.8-14.0 volts for lead acid batteries. I don't know if your USB voltmeter is accurate or NTSB traceable, but if your charging voltage is really 13.1 volts it is too low to fully charge your battery and should be adjusted or replaced as required. A fully charged lead acid battery should be show more than 12.7 volts, as suggested by the Concorde FM.

I just had to have my regulator adjusted at annual as it had slipped to 13.5 V.

The Concorde AGM batteries are significantly more trouble free than wet cell batteries. For one, they have much lower self-discharge. The only downside to AGM batteries is they do not tolerate going flat as well as wet cells. If you let your Concorde go flat and don't rescue within 24 hours or so, it may be toast.
 
Sinistar said:
Negative - is that bad? I figured its pretty much like a car battery but way more expensive and needs owner log entry.
Click to expand...
No. "Aircraft quality" batteries are garbage. That's why they "need" such special handling and don't last.

But, now that it is installed and charged, get the paperwork done and go fly.
 
Update: Before my flight yesterday i checked the unloaded battery voltage with my nice Fluke DMM. Unloaded, after sitting uncharged (no tender/minder) from the last run it measured 12.783vdc. So it seems to be within Concordes spec.

Regarding the USB thingy: The only way to use it is turn on the master. But when the master comes on the DG spins up. And the transponder was probably on. So at best, even if accurate it’s going to read battery voltage with some load so it can’t be used for the unloaded test.

However, once the airplane is started and the alternator is charging, is that cig lighter usb voltage reading actual voltage regulator voltage or is it still some type of loaded voltage? Maybe put another way, if you had a calibrated engine monitor voltage indicator and accurate usb cig thingy should they read the same?
 
chemgeek said:
Definitely RTFM to take proper care of the battery. Proper charging voltage from your alternator and voltage regulator should be 13.8-14.0 volts for lead acid batteries. I don't know if your USB voltmeter is accurate or NTSB traceable, but if your charging voltage is really 13.1 volts it is too low to fully charge your battery and should be adjusted or replaced as required. A fully charged lead acid battery should be show more than 12.7 volts, as suggested by the Concorde FM.

I just had to have my regulator adjusted at annual as it had slipped to 13.5 V.

The Concorde AGM batteries are significantly more trouble free than wet cell batteries. For one, they have much lower self-discharge. The only downside to AGM batteries is they do not tolerate going flat as well as wet cells. If you let your Concorde go flat and don't rescue within 24 hours or so, it may be toast.
Click to expand...
Our annual is near the end of the month. I will mention this to him so they can check. Makes me wonder though, were all a Cessna voltage regulators adjustable? Perhaps ours is still original equipment and not adjustable?
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
No. "Aircraft quality" batteries are garbage. That's why they "need" such special handling and don't last.

But, now that it is installed and charged, get the paperwork done and go fly.
Click to expand...
I must admit, this new one really cranks it over nice, especially hot starts. I think I need to tweak my hit start routine now that it blades over so fast.

Paperwork is done and “returned to service” :)
 
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