Used Battery / trickle charge

warren
warren Registered Users Posts: 21
I don't post often but this site has a wealth of info ... Thanks all

Having said that I hate it when I've read articles, know they're here but can't find em again.

I found a source of 6V industrial batteries that were used in a UPS config... they're about 12 yrs old but looking through the clear sides there is almost no sediment on the bottom of the batteries so I'm guessing they have been treated gently. I don't have the specs but they're big.. probably 4-5 times the size of a golf cart battery & weigh about 200 lbs (possibly 800 Amp hrs???). They've just been replaced with new units. My problems are 2 fold - guessing the condition & keeping them topped until I can get the system up.

Remember seeing data related to:
1) used batteries should have a voltage of ??? to ensure they are not sulphated & are in good shape... 6.3V sounds familiar.. true??
2) What is the general rule regarding power requirements to keep them at float level..if I had 10 of them (assume 800 amp/hr) what input would be reasonable to keep them float charged? Seem to remember some mathematical ratio 1/100???

Considering the apparent condition & asking price ($75 CDN) it seems to be a good deal but I want to ensure they're good & that I can keep them in top condition until put in the system...may be 6 months.

Any comments or suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

Comments

  • rplarry
    rplarry Solar Expert Posts: 203 ✭✭
    Re: Used Battery / trickle charge

    Warren
    12 year old batteries may not be worth putting much money into, but you will have to make that decision your self. Generally a fully charged 6v FLA battery at rest should have and hold about 6.35-6.4v.
    As far as chargeing goes I like to charge my batteries to 1% of the banks amp hour capacity and then let them float. In your senario, if you put 2 batteries together and make a 12v, 800 ah bank then you could charge them till the charge current dropped to 8 amps. At that point I would consider those batteries fully charged. Then you could let them rest and see if they held a charge. This assumes that you have a 12v voltage-tapering charger that is capable of being set to a max voltage as recommended by the battery manufacturer and a way to monitor the charge amps. If the batteries are able to charge to 1% then they probably in pretty good shape. Good luck with them.
    Larry
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,432 admin
    Re: Used Battery / trickle charge

    I would also suggest that you make sure that you can get rid of the batteries (recycle) in a cost effective manner too... If there is no local place to take the batteries, or if they charge by the pound (kg)--you might not want to take the chance with older cells.

    Hopefully they pay you for the batteries--but I would check.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • warren
    warren Registered Users Posts: 21
    Re: Used Battery / trickle charge

    Thanks for the replies, there doesn't seem to any negatives there...

    Batteries are Johnson Controls Lead Calcium Glass type with Global Stationary Battery written on them..each has a 3JRCX-11 sticker Size is roughly 17in high by 13in by 11in & weigh 200+ lbs. He indicated they probably had an expected life of 20 or more years. Any known info on these would be appreciated.

    He has 50+ that have been at his site for 2 weeks but doesn't know how long they've been out of service. Random voltage checks show all to be 6.13 to 6.15V. All have correct fluid level, hardly any sediment & no visible plate damage. They almost look like new.

    I checked & salvage value for them is $20-$50..so disposal wouldn't be a problem.

    For about 1/3 the price (local) for a golf cart battery it appears I can get one of these with probably 4X the capacity. If I can get 3-5 yrs out them by never taking them below 80% full charge and pay about $560 for a 24V bank with 1600 ah capacity (8 of them) I think I'd be pretty happy.

    Regards
    Warren
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Used Battery / trickle charge

    warren,
    i would try to talk them down in price as they will have to pay to have them disposed of soon if they aren't given a proper charge and maintained. you really don't know if they are good or bad, but it does sound like they are depleting their charge by the voltage readings. it is you taking the chance on old batteries. if it were me i'd tell them to pay me a few bucks for each battery and i'd get rid of them for them, but i certainly would not pay the price of $75 to them. your decision though.
  • crewzer
    crewzer Registered Users, Solar Expert Posts: 1,832 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Used Battery / trickle charge
    I found a source of 6V industrial batteries that were used in a UPS config... they're about 12 yrs old but looking through the clear sides there is almost no sediment on the bottom of the batteries so I'm guessing they have been treated gently. I don't have the specs but they're big.. probably 4-5 times the size of a golf cart battery & weigh about 200 lbs (possibly 800 Amp hrs???). They've just been replaced with new units. My problems are 2 fold - guessing the condition & keeping them topped until I can get the system up.

    Batteries are Johnson Controls Lead Calcium Glass type with Global Stationary Battery written on them..each has a 3JRCX-11 sticker Size is roughly 17in high by 13in by 11in & weigh 200+ lbs. He indicated they probably had an expected life of 20 or more years. Any known info on these would be appreciated

    ...Random voltage checks show all to be 6.13 to 6.15V. All have correct fluid level, hardly any sediment & no visible plate damage. They almost look like new.

    Warren,

    These sound like they might be from what’s now the Exide “Classic” family of batteries. Check the info and specs at this site and see if you can find a match:

    http://industrialenergy.exide.com/sub_navig.asp?main_description_en=Classic&lng=en&cl=Brands

    The “3” in the part number suggests to me that each 6 V battery consists of three 2 V “blocks” connected in series. The “-11” suggests a particular size. I would start by looking closely at the “MCX” and “NCX” model lines, with a specific focus on their individual “-11” versions.

    HTH,
    Jim / crewzer
  • warren
    warren Registered Users Posts: 21
    Re: Used Battery / trickle charge

    As usual this site provides valuable info

    Although not an exide battery the local rep did find an old fact sheet on these batteries. The 3JRCX-11 designation does indeed relate to 3 cells in series. The 11 refers to the # of plates per cell. BUT, as I should have guessed from the previous use (UPS), they are designed for "High Rate / Short Duration Applications" which probably makes them just about the worst choice for a solar application. In fact the spec sheet is rated in minutes to final voltage per cell. Maximum being 90 minutes.

    looked like a "good dea" but as quite often happens a little digging reveals a not so shiny side.

    Thanks for the caution notes & the ideas of where to track down specifications.

    Warren