Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

Freewilley
Freewilley Solar Expert Posts: 228 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I know going past 11.9 is a big no no. However, a month ago I was surfing battery info and I swear I saw a doc from Surrette (it was on a dealer site, I believe) that instructed to take the bank down to 11 so that some kind of penetration into the plates took place.

I have googled and not been able to come up with that doc again...altho I found some older posts on boards that said that procedure should be done every 3 months.

Anybody able to confirm or deny?

thanks very much
Mate, VFX 2812, FM 60 & MX 60, 2 Full River AGM 400 6v, 1400 watt Solar Array, Yamaha 3000iSEB inverter gen
12 volt Flojet water pump
off grid summer home in northern Ontario
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  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

    Hi Free..,

    Surrette Bulletin #614 did mention doing this. Personally, I would NOT do this with my Surrettes. Part of the original Bulletin mentioned that it was addressing customer concerns about Charge Acceptance. And another focus was that customers wanted to reduce the number of generator hours required to recharge batteries.

    In the current environment, with dirt cheap PVs this is not as much a concern. Charging batteries at about 13% of 20-hour Capacity should help keep the Plates fresh, as will discharging batteries to 60 or even 50% SOC and recharging within a day should alleviate Charge Acceptance concerns, IMO.

    Bulletin had been revised three or so times, but here is one of the later copies:
    https://www.altestore.com/mmsolar/others/Charging_and_Discharging_BU-RS-614.pdf

    Just my opinions, FWIW. Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
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  • Freewilley
    Freewilley Solar Expert Posts: 228 ✭✭
    #3
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

    You are the man, Vic.

    Steve, chief tech at Surrette was baffled when I asked him about this lowering. I have forwarded it to him to see if it is current advice.
    I know that he is troubled by some of the past tech guidelines. I will pass on the current theory after his response.
    Mate, VFX 2812, FM 60 & MX 60, 2 Full River AGM 400 6v, 1400 watt Solar Array, Yamaha 3000iSEB inverter gen
    12 volt Flojet water pump
    off grid summer home in northern Ontario
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

    Surrette already has a procedure that does the " Pore Cleansing and New Receptor Activation " it's continuing the EQ process for 3 hours after you reach the Battery fill SG electrolyte strength. Their reasoning is that there are 2 kinds of sulfate, Surface and Sub-surface, the sub-surface is retained within the pores of the lead. They know their plates and lead alloy and manufacturing process better than anyone else.
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  • Freewilley
    Freewilley Solar Expert Posts: 228 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

    I am sure they "know" their materials, but they DO have different advice on many parameters out in the NETOSPHERE. It is hard to keep track of, even for the folks who do it fulltime, apparently.

    Harder for partimers who do not want to consume their lives with tech issues....seems to consuming mine these days.

    This forum is a great help.
    Mate, VFX 2812, FM 60 & MX 60, 2 Full River AGM 400 6v, 1400 watt Solar Array, Yamaha 3000iSEB inverter gen
    12 volt Flojet water pump
    off grid summer home in northern Ontario
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?
    Freewilley wrote: »
    You are the man, Vic.

    Steve, chief tech at Surrette was baffled when I asked him about this lowering. I have forwarded it to him to see if it is current advice.
    I know that he is troubled by some of the past tech guidelines. I will pass on the current theory after his response.
    Awesome! And thanks in advance, I for one will be looking forward to learning about the latest advice from Surrette.
    If the time ever comes when I think I know it all, that will be the time to pull out all the fuses and let the system slip into retirement.
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  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?
    Blackcherry04 wrote: »
    Surrette already has a procedure that does the " Pore Cleansing and New Receptor Activation " it's continuing the EQ process for 3 hours after you reach the Battery fill SG electrolyte strength. Their reasoning is that there are 2 kinds of sulfate, Surface and Sub-surface, the sub-surface is retained within the pores of the lead. They know their plates and lead alloy and manufacturing process better than anyone else.


    Interesting, BC04 ... had not seen this or heard of it until now ... I may not EQ quite often enough, and in this case, not for a long enough time. Is this info in the Battery Manual, now? Searched the Surrette site for, " Pore Cleansing and New Receptor Activation ", and found nothing.

    Believe that you have been working with Steve/Surrette, regarding your concerns with your 2V L-16s.
    Thanks for that info. Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?
    Vic wrote: »
    Interesting, BC04 ... had not seen this or heard of it until now ... I may not EQ quite often enough, and in this case, not for a long enough time. Is this info in the Battery Manual, now? Searched the Surrette site for, " Pore Cleansing and New Receptor Activation ", and found nothing.

    Believe that you have been working with Steve/Surrette, regarding your concerns with your 2V L-16s.
    Thanks for that info. Vic
    The problem is that it all depends on WHO was in charge at Surrette at the time. Some have information that was released 15 years ago and was for traction batteries. In those 15 years they have had 15 different people in charge, bottom line it's about $$$$ and protecting their bottom line.

    The Link no longer works.

    http://www.rollsbattery.com/content/preventive-maintenance-charging-and-equalization-605
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #9
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

    Here are links to "all" of Rolls' current support documents:

    http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions
    http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions/folders/1400

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,891 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?

    There probably is not a single battery manufacturer that wants you to get twice the warranty life. I have admit that Surrette builds excellent batteries but the 2V L16 horror stories forced me to buy local to California. The US battery and Trojan 2V L16's are made in So Cal and there reps have been excellent out here.
    Blackcherry04 wrote: »
    The problem is that it all depends on WHO was in charge at Surrette at the time. Some have information that was released 15 years ago and was for traction batteries. In those 15 years they have had 15 different people in charge, bottom line it's about $$$$ and protecting their bottom line.

    The Link no longer works.

    http://www.rollsbattery.com/content/preventive-maintenance-charging-and-equalization-605
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    #11
    Re: Taking Surrette's down to 11 volts ON PURPOSE?
    BB. wrote: »
    Here are links to "all" of Rolls' current support documents:

    http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions
    http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions/folders/1400

    -Bill

    Bill, thanks for the links. Believe that Steve Higgins has been adding a lot of information to the Surrette site, fairly often. Should have been watching that site more actively ... will study. Thanks, Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
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