Mick n' Nick,Thanks guys. I shoulda mentioned that the date code says they
were mfgrd the 7th week of 2011 and the one exception, the 8th week. So they
haven't been sitting too long.
I have been in contact with the mfgr, and of course i will take their advice
over anyone else's (gotta keep the warranty valid), but you cannot deny the
value of the hands-on experience and insight from this list. They said to add
distilled water after the initial charge, which is why i was only "considering"
adding acid. I have asked about adding acid rather than water. Waiting for
reply.....
Mick, you mentioned that the electrolyte levels may level once all batteries
are at equal SOC. Can you elaborate? Do the plates become more or less
'absorbent' or does the chemical reaction change the volume of the liquid. I
will watch this closely.
cheers,benn
DayStar Renewable Energy Inc. benn@daystarsolar.ca780-906-7807 HAVE A SUNNY DAY
From: m...@abrahamsolar.com
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:27:36 -0600
To: re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Testing new batteries
Benn~ If the company that built those batteries is a major brand name, I advise
that you add neither water nor acid to the new cells. Check with the mfr, but
most of the serious mfrs are using robotic fill equipment that is very precise.
If some of the cells are older stock they may have self discharged a bit and
the electrolyte level rises & falls like the tide based on state of charge.
I'll bet if you can EQ the batts to reach equal state of charge, you also will
find the electrolyte level to equalize.
Jolliness,
Mick Abraham, Proprietor
www.abrahamsolar.com
Voice: 970-731-4675
On Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Nick Soleil <nicksoleilso...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi Benn:
Perhaps those batteries have just been sitting a little while, and need a
recharge. Generally speaking, if you find that the batteries test reading are
a little low, they are probably just a little discharged. After recharging the
batteries, test them again. If those readings are low, then contact the
manufacturer with the data. I have had great luck with battery manufacturers
warranting their defective batteries in warranty.
Nick Soleil
Project Manager
Advanced Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC
PO Box 657
Petaluma, CA 94953
Cell: 707-321-2937
Office: 707-789-9537
Fax: 707-769-9037
From: benn kilburn <b...@daystarsolar.ca>
To: Wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Thu, March 24, 2011 9:43:20 AM
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Testing new batteries
I'm curious of others experiences with testing "new" batteries right from the
mfgr, before putting them into service. I'm not talking about load testing, i
mean just basics...voltage, specific gravity and electrolyte level.
I recently received some batteries (24 x 2V) and before putting them to work i
tested all the voltages, SG's and levels. Voltages were all with-in 0.016 V
(2.1-2.084). The SG's were within 0.037 (1.281-1.244). Yes, the one with the
lowest SG also had the lowest V.
What concerns me a bit more than the few cells with lower SG is the consistent
low levels of electrolyte. All cells were between 3/4" and 1-1/2" below full,
which is 1/4" below the bottom of the vent well tube.... with one exception
that was bang-on full. Interestingly, the one full battery was the only one
with a different date code than the rest.
Should the
various levels of electrolyte mentioned be acceptable when a battery is brand
new, straight from the mfgr? How bout the SG's?
I'm considering adding electrolyte from a local battery shop instead of
distilled water to top up all the batteries. Comments?
Very thankful for the wealth of knowledge and experience on this list,benn
DayStar Renewable Energy Inc.
benn@daystarsolar.ca780-906-7807
HAVE A SUNNY DAY
_______________________________________________
List sponsored by Home Power magazine
List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org
_______________________________________________
List sponsored by Home Power magazine
List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org _______________________________________________
List sponsored by Home Power magazine
List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org
