[neanderthal]

Sweet! Where did you find a bunch of affordable nicads?

But yeah I agree, it would be helpful to know if they are sealed cylindrical cells, or flooded, prismatic cells.

[mxmtech]

These batteries are a pack of F cells. I took a pack of C cells apart and they had what I assumed was a temperature actuated switch wired in sequence. I assume that these are the same.
The battery pack and the charger came from the same dealer so I assume that they are compatible.
The battery pack is 24 volt 8 AH and the charger is 1.8 A @ 24 V. The batteries get quite warm at the end of a charge.
They came with zero documentation and the girl at the store sounds like a newbee. Without a doubt someone in the store is an expert but I've been unable to get past the clerk.
I guess the term "affordable" is relative. I paid a little less than $300 for the package including shipping and handling from the makers of the Cycle Analyst. They don't advertize their nicad packs on their website but they do sell them if you ask.
I'll run a few charge cycles using a room temperature thermostat, and a current usage meter, and see what I can learn from it.

[mxmtech]

Charged my pack 3 times last night. Room temperature is 70 degrees F or 22 degrees C. First charge took .09 kwh, second .03 kwh, and third .04 kwh.
There is definitely something wrong with either the charger or the sensor on the battery pack.
I don't know what I lose to heat but .16 kwh would equal 6.66 AH on my 8 AH pack which sounds like a full charge to me.