Rolls batt S 550

apeman
apeman Registered Users Posts: 1
Bought a couple of S550 rolls bateries ...from day one didnt perform half of the ratings...factory gave me instructiins and tests...the spec grav...wouldnt come up to recommnended spec 1.265...they said my sys was faulty..the sys worked fine on old  batteries....it had a magnum inv less than a yr...out back fx80 brand new...portable marine smart charger and an old ferro resant charger....none would bring up the rolls under normal charging....factory insisted my systems were at fault....finally out of desperation ....i bought some new trojans t105s....4 batt equaled the 2 rolls .... the trojans performed as speced...double what the rolls did...and sys charged them up fine...theyve been in for a few months are are working good... rolls name has gone down...im off grid  in Costa Rica....and i guess they figured they could just blow me off being so far away...local contractor couldnt back them up because the factory would back him up...ended up eating them....i use to install rolls in yachts back in the 80s...they were the best...things have changed...anybody considering them should be real causious

Comments

  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    IMHO, not enough info to say It's a Rolls problem or not.

    Were the batteries shipped dry, and filled with acid locally?  If so, how long did they sit dry?  Could they have been filled with weaker acid?  How long did they sit after being filled without charging.

    If shipped wet, could they have spilled in transit and been topped up with water?

    What was resting voltage and SG when you got them?

    When you charged them, what voltage and for how long?  Any water use during EQ?  What current going to batteries?  Do they heat up during charging?
    Off-grid.  
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,730 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Agree with post 2. I lived in Costa Rica and the nightmares we had getting equipment in Central America were and probably still are pretty bad.

    Whoever imported/handled them would be suspect.

    There also are from time to time manufacturing defects that sneak into LA batteries.

    I know one of the managers there, Steve Higgins and he is about as good as they get in knowledge of their product.

    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
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  • mcgivor
    mcgivor Solar Expert Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2018 #4
    Firstly I've never had personal experience with Rolls batteries, but I wonder why there are are so many problems associated with SG with this particular brand, do a search in the search window if there is any doubt about this statement. They are after all just lead acid batteries no more no less, I wonder if the SG related problems are related to the commissioning charge, or lack thereof, just being the Devils advocate, so to speak.
    Sometimes operators are too anxious to get a system up and running depleting the capacity before the plates have had time to adjust to the discharge /recharge regime. My personal experience with other brands is that if left for a period of time without load the SG of all cells will eventually come into alignment. Being  industrial batteries with thicker plates, requiring  grid charging is where the problems arise, as opposed to when used in an offgrid application,  it seems, some have success, perhaps they're doing it right, there must be a common ground. No real answers just more questions.   
    1500W, 6× Schutten 250W Poly panels , Schneider MPPT 60 150 CC, Schneider SW 2524 inverter, 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Battery Bodyguard BMS 
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