I second David's comments, and would add that you should check that Sunfrost. They sometimes get a bad thermostat and stay on 24/7. I've also seen the seals on the door prevent the door from closing completely and double the run time too. Third, if its installed in the sun, or next to a stove, etc, it can really cause problems by running much more than designed.
R. Walters r...@solarray.com Solar Engineer On Oct 8, 2011, at 8:55 PM, David Katz wrote: > How many years have they been off grid. It is pretty common for people to > have problems when the days get shorter and the nights get longer in the > fall. My guess is he gets about 30 amps of charge using a 2500 watt generator > and probably less if loads are on when they charge. You should tell them they > need to run the generator for 40 hours to catch up. Customers never like to > hear that. A trimetric will help them keep up. > David Katz > > From: Ron Young [mailto:solarea...@solareagle.com] > Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2011 06:42 PM > To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> > Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] intermittent battery problem > > Thanks Bob but he has a tubular type hydrometer, not the pointer type. > They're usually ok but I'll check it against mine when I go there which looks > like a certainty. > > They EQ the batteries on a regular basis as per my instructions (they say) > but will have to nail them down on that. The small 2500w generator worries me > but they have 800w solar and a Whisper 100. The wind blows a lot. Inverter is > a 3524 Outback. > > Ron > > On 2011-10-08, at 5:07 PM, bob ellison wrote: > >> I bet he has a cheap pointer type hydrometer, I have seen them be way off >> from reality. >> My guess is that the gravity is low the voltage changes quickly, specific >> gravity changes slowly in a battery bank. >> To fully charge a 24 volt bank you need to get it to 29 + volts and keep it >> there for several hours, depending on the battery bank size. >> Charging it to 25.4 is nothing in the long run. >> Give them a LONG full charge, what are the inverters? Does it ever get an EQ >> charge? >> >> Bob Ellison >> >> From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org >> [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Ron Young >> Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2011 2:02 PM >> To: RE-wrenches >> Subject: [RE-wrenches] intermittent battery problem >> >> Howdy Wrenches, >> >> One of my customers that lives 3 hours out in the back country is having an >> intermittent problem that I haven't encountered before. The batteries drop >> rapidly in voltage but hydrometer readings are in the green. Turning off the >> inverter and just using DC doesn't change anything. Meters on the Mate, >> Outback MX and Whisper controller are all the same so it's not a metering >> problem. On the way to bed the batteries were at 25.4, overnight with no >> loads they dropped to 22.9 then a short 15 min. charge with a generator >> brings the batteries back up and two hours later they are at 25.8. This >> scenario has occurred several times and then doesn't appear for a day or two. >> >> It doesn't seem to be sulfation as the batteries are reading good on the >> hydrometer every time. All cells check out. The inverter doesn't seem to be >> the problem. They have a Sunfrost on a separate DC circuit. It sounds like >> an intermittent circuit problem or electronics issue. Customer has checked >> and tightened all the connections he can get at but hasn't been inside the >> components. Would appreciate any suggestions or clues before I make the trip. >> >> Ron Young >> >> earthRight Products - Solareagle.com >> Alternative Energy Solutions ~ Renewable Energy Products >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >
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