Commissioning a new battery bank

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  • bmet
    bmet Solar Expert Posts: 630 ✭✭
    #32
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    How far is your local grocery store? Isn't most baby water distilled?
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #33
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank
    cruiser guy wrote: »
    I got a question on this as well. I'm about to put in 6 200Ah 12v automotive lead acid batteries as storage for my off-grid system here in Sierra Leone. I'm running a 24vDC battery bank so this will be three groups of two batteries.

    Here I believe batteries are simply filled with acid, and generally not too carefully, and sent out the door. What should I do as I go about setting this system up?

    As of right now the batteries have not been connected nor have I checked acid level or SG. I can put them on a charger if needed or add electrolyte. Distilled water might be a little harder to come by.

    Suggestions so I can do it right from the get go!!

    Top up the cells with distiller water, available in any grocery store, and get them on a proper charger right away. Monitor the SG with a good hydrometer. Batteries left in a state of partial discharge die premature deaths!

    Tony
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  • cruiser guy
    cruiser guy Solar Expert Posts: 87 ✭✭✭✭
    #34
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank
    bmet wrote: »
    How far is your local grocery store? Isn't most baby water distilled?

    6 hours away! 80 kilometers of dirt before I get to pavement and then a couple of hours of chaos at the other end going into town!! :)

    I'll get the batteries on charge and check SG tomorrow.

    I have not used these batteries yet and only got them on Thursday (four days ago) when they were filled.
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #35
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    This where opinions can differ I guess. On a New set I will always add electrolyte to a known level where I am going to add water back to each time. I have a tank watering system that I do 260 + GC 2 Batteries with. It always adds the amount of water used to the same level. If I left the electrolyte low on some and high on some and I started adding water each and every battery would have a little different Ratio in the electrolyte, then I have SG's all over the place to try to figure out. I use the SG as the constant, then you always have something that you can shoot for. I'v seen a lot of times where the Battery shop will fill them and leave a air bubble trapped in the plates and in transportation the level will drop. In batteries that are paralleled you find a huge difference in the amount of water they consume. You also have to remember, you only want to add water when they are fully charged and after they have been at rest a couple hrs. Over filling is not good and they will over flow for sure.

    The sooner you put them on a charger and maintain a Float Voltage the better.
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  • stillchillin
    stillchillin Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭✭
    #36
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    Hi for those who are interested it has been a week since I started nursing my battery back to health. I now have a much happier group of cells. SG readings from 1255-1265, voltages per battery ranging from 4.22 to 4.24 that was after no charging no draw for 2+ hours. How did I get here from SG readings that were 1150-1175? I started by getting the bank fully charged by bulk charging at
    61V then EQ at 62-63V for 3 hrs (that is as high as I can do with what I got this time of year) Rolls says 61.9-64V for EQ for a scheduled EQ "'as high as your charger will go" when you force an EQ for desulfating. I set my bulk charge at 62V and my absorb the same for three days. We have had three days of full sun here. My SG readings showed improvement every day. Rolls manual for my batteries reads 100% charge the SG will be between 1.255-1.175 @ 80 degrees F. My bank never got over 70 degrees F. add .003 to the readings for colder batteries. 2.12V per cell at 100% charged. I know I did not do my batteries any good from leaving them undercharged but that is water over the dam. I know that my array is a bit undersized for the capacity of my battery bank and will closely monitor conditions from here on in.I know adding panels would be ideal, the second part of my problem is that the magnum will only allow a charge from my generator of 3KWH. Any suggestions there. Thanks for the suggestions last week they helped alot , you really had me nervous about dead batteries last week. Please let me know what you think. Stillchillin
    18- 235 W Kyocera panel, 12- 4-KS-25PS Rolls 1350 Ah, Magnum MS4448PAE, ME RC50, ME AGS, Outback FM 80, Generac 8KW LP generator, 6.5 Honda Portable generator
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  • offgrid me
    offgrid me Solar Expert Posts: 119 ✭✭
    #37
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    The batteries seem to be doing much better good job. Not to burst bubbles but I am pretty sure you should subtract .004 from your SG for every 10 degrees below 80 that your battery bank sits at when measured. Even with this your batteries are getting heathier. You really should add more panel especially in your location. With only 3kw available from your gen you are going to have to run it for many hours each day just to get through bulk. I actually have 4.2 k stc for only 450ah of batts and still had to run the genny a little this past December.
    Ned
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  • stillchillin
    stillchillin Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭✭
    #38
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    You were correct about subtract not add the .003, unintentional mistake driven by the hopes of better numbers. Thanks
    18- 235 W Kyocera panel, 12- 4-KS-25PS Rolls 1350 Ah, Magnum MS4448PAE, ME RC50, ME AGS, Outback FM 80, Generac 8KW LP generator, 6.5 Honda Portable generator
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #39
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    Congratulations, I think your in good shape now if you stay on top of them. I don't think you hurt them any. They were coming up to fast to be that big of a issue. I have racked my brain to give a opinion of the charging situation. You should be going into a season where it will be easier and maybe work on something for next fall. it's either more PV , A bigger generator or a second one. You said you had 50 Amp coming in but thats about 22/22 per leg, it just doesn't give a lot to play with. Unless you can change the charge settings on the inverter and cut back your loads when charging your kind at a end. What is the incoming amps set at ?? have you tried changing them ??
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  • stillchillin
    stillchillin Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭✭
    #40
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    Thanks 04 the breaker in the magnum is a 30A two pole breaker, I have not actually taken an amperage reading while charging with the generator, but I will the next time I charge. the amp setting is 30 and it is adjustable, I can raise it but I'll wait until I can put a meter on it. I was told the magnum would only allow 3 KWH to charge but have not fooled with it yet. Thanks for the idea I will let you know. Stillchillin
    18- 235 W Kyocera panel, 12- 4-KS-25PS Rolls 1350 Ah, Magnum MS4448PAE, ME RC50, ME AGS, Outback FM 80, Generac 8KW LP generator, 6.5 Honda Portable generator
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #41
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    I think your batteries dodged a bullet this time. Very Lucky..
    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

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #42
    Re: Commissioning a new battery bank

    It's looks like you " Maximum Charge Rate " set to 100% would allow you to get the full 60 Amps @ 48V to your batteries. It would still be power sharing with the inverter. While The output is 60 Amps DC , it it may be taking only 10-20 Amps AC. I am not familiar enough to know if the charger pulls off of both legs equally or just one leg. There two other settings that would you need to play with " Incoming AC input Amps and VAC Dropout " and find your maximum settings. Your remote will tell you all that information on the DC output and AC Amp consumption.

    The Magnum Tech guys are really nice, if you lay your cards out for them they might come up with a work around for you. Back in the day when they were Heart Interface they told me how to put in a second input for a charger.
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