I just spoke with Derek at IBE, having just taken delivery of two
sets of 2V industrial cells, one for a customer and the other for my
own home. On the customer's set, installed yesterday, I measured one
cell as .01V lower and .022 SG lower, before hooking up to any
charging source, and asked him whether to be concerned. His advice:
Before any testing and comparing of cells, EQ the bank to conteract
self-discharge. Ignore differences until this has been done.
Don't add acid, as doing so will upset the concentration. After
initial EQ charge, test SG again. Adjust SG to even out the cells by
transferring modest amounts of electrolyte from the cells with the
highest SG to those with lower SG. This will tend to even out acid
concentration. Acid concentration thus takes priority over
electrolyte level in each cell. Later addition of distilled water
will tend to dilute the cells with stronger SG from which
electrolyte was removed.
On 3/24/2011 12:12 PM, benn kilburn wrote:
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.
780-906-7807
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.
780-906-7807
HAVE A
SUNNY DAY
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