arranging battery bank

levsmith
levsmith Solar Expert Posts: 56 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
How have you guys arranged your battery banks to use a minimum amount of wiring? I am getting ready to build my battery box and will be wiring up the batteries soon but just curious how everyone has done it. At the moment I will have two 6v golf cart batteries with a 12v system but I will probably be building the box big enough for 8 batteries so that I dont have to build another box next time I buy batteries. Maybe I am overcomplicating this? Just trying to make the box as small as possible and use as little wiring as I need in the process
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: arranging battery bank

    Eight batteries on a 12 Volt system? As in four parallel strings of two?

    This is one of the things that will dictate how you arrange your batteries, as you're going to want to keep those wires short - and equal length.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #3
    Re: arranging battery bank

    The real way to do that is go to 24 or 48 volt battery bank (1/4 the current, 1/4 to 1/8 the amount of copper at 48 volts).

    Do you have a way of accessing the batteries to check specific gravity/fill cells at least once a month? Access wiring, etc...

    Are you doing this along a wall, stepped shelving?

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: arranging battery bank

    of course you're not saying exactly what batteries you are using and it could depend on what batteries you would upgrade to as well, but your concept of making the battery box bigger from the start is a good one in any case.
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  • NorthGuy
    NorthGuy Solar Expert Posts: 1,913 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: arranging battery bank

    A box to hold 8 GC batteries won't be very big, so I would go for the bigger box from the start.
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: arranging battery bank

    I arranged my battery layout in a U shape (horseshoe) so the + & - terminals are near each other & the wire harness, and the rest have very short jumpers. I have my battery disconnect switch in series, near the door of the battery shed, so it's easy to reach in a hurry.
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  • Endurance
    Endurance Solar Expert Posts: 40 ✭
    #7
    Re: arranging battery bank

    It really is true that for most purposes, a 24v or even 48v battery bank is the way to go. Many of us, however, have to stick with 12v for one reason or another. If it isn't practical for you to make the jump to 24v or 48v, here is a link showing the best ways to interconnect four parallel strings: http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html

    The link shows four batteries; you would just substitute two 6v batteries (in series) for each place they show one battery. If you are planning for eight GC2s, you'd plan for two GC2s side by side (the long way) for width and four GC2s (the short way) for length.

    If you're like me and have to stick with 12v, you might consider switching to L-16 batteries next time you buy batteries. An L-16 has the same footprint as a GC2 but is twice as high. Changing from GC2s to L-16s cuts your your number of parallel stings in half. That's a good thing.
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  • YehoshuaAgapao
    YehoshuaAgapao Solar Expert Posts: 280 ✭✭
    #8
    Re: arranging battery bank

    Do go with 48V if you haven't already bought the inverter and not in a vehicle.
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  • unyalli
    unyalli Solar Expert Posts: 121 ✭✭
    #9
    Re: arranging battery bank
    Endurance wrote: »
    It really is true that for most purposes, a 24v or even 48v battery bank is the way to go. Many of us, however, have to stick with 12v for one reason or another. If it isn't practical for you to make the jump to 24v or 48v, here is a link showing the best ways to interconnect four parallel strings: http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html

    The link shows four batteries; you would just substitute two 6v batteries (in series) for each place they show one battery. If you are planning for eight GC2s, you'd plan for two GC2s side by side (the long way) for width and four GC2s (the short way) for length.

    If you're like me and have to stick with 12v, you might consider switching to L-16 batteries next time you buy batteries. An L-16 has the same footprint as a GC2 but is twice as high. Changing from GC2s to L-16s cuts your your number of parallel stings in half. That's a good thing.
    Thanks for the link Endurance. Maybe I should start a new thread but due to smartgauges doc I believe this is what I want for a 12v 4 gc2 arrangement. This may help the OP envision his arrangement.
    GC2Cabelingcropped_zps7d51561b.jpg
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: arranging battery bank
    unyalli wrote: »
    Thanks for the link Endurance. Maybe I should start a new thread but due to smartgauges doc I believe this is what I want for a 12v 4 gc2 arrangement. This may help the OP envision his arrangement.
    GC2Cabelingcropped_zps7d51561b.jpg

    That works if the GC batteries are available in a left and right handed flavor. Note that the two batteries on the left side of the diagram are NOT the same as the two on the right side.

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #11
    Re: arranging battery bank

    With a slight redesign you can get the same effect. Just be sure the wires connecting the common negatives and common positives are the same length (they do not appear as such in this drawing).
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  • unyalli
    unyalli Solar Expert Posts: 121 ✭✭
    #12
    Re: arranging battery bank

    Oh ya, thought it looked to clean
    GC2Cabelingcropped_zps843beab1.jpg
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