dead battery cell

oglethorp
oglethorp Solar Expert Posts: 30 ✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Found a dead cell in one of my 6v Golf Cart batts. The bank is 16 6v 8series x2, 48v ,,7yrs old and struggling along with my lite use. Rarely goes below 25% discharge. But I m getting close to replacing the bank with the same as priceing is the issue. Anyway with the dead cell will that cause the total to crash very soon as a whole or if I replace that one batt should I expect the bank to get along for the forseeable future as if nothing happened?
Thanx,,,
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: dead battery cell

    odds are the rest of them will start to go too one by one just for being older batteries. a problem cell could have adverse effects on the rest if not caught right away. your immediate problem is what to do about the shortened string of batteries you have now. keep them out of the loop (connected, but without 1 battery) and you must figure on the loss of battery power available and 7 still working batteries in that string. keep them in the loop and drag down the whole battery bank or invest in one more new battery that shall be dragged down to the same level as the older batteries until you get around to replacing all of the battery bank with new. all frustrating choices to make.
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: dead battery cell

    7 years is good for golf cart batteries. If you are planning on a swap soon, now is the time to replace the bank. If you are going to wait more than a week, get a single battery to replace the sick one, or you will be crashing your good string real quick with it's heavy loading.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: dead battery cell

    Get ahold of your local golf cart battery dealer. See if you can buy cheap a couple of batteries that have come out of service but may have some life in them. Maybe you can limp the string along for another year.

    I agree that if you don't get the bad one out,, you are going to kill the rest. I have had t-105s fail in a string, and the rest of them last several more years. Do a test with a good hydrometer to evaluate all the cells. As has been said,, 7 years is pretty darn good.

    I have one set that is on year 10,,, but it has gone into seasonal service and is now down to 4 of the original 6 batteries. Every day I expect it to fail.

    T
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  • oglethorp
    oglethorp Solar Expert Posts: 30 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: dead battery cell

    Thanx very much, as before to all of you out there and esp. to NAW&S for making this info bank of pros available to all of us out here world wide.
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