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Forum Index : Solar : Battery Storage Help
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| antonymm Newbie  Joined: 13/05/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2 |
Hello All, I am quite new to this area and was wondering if I could get some advice on batteries. I have bought 8 x CENTURY LS 2.600 2V 600AH batteries ex telco. Don't know the if they will be in a discharged state. Also not sure how to test them. But my main issue is I don't have my solar panels as yet to charge the batteries. What is the best way to keep them in a healthy state until I get my solar panels? Any help would be greatly appreciated  |
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| windlight Guru  Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
antonymm, it's a bit of a mix but faced with this I would series 6 and paralell 2. Then hook up a 12V battery charger and let it rip (asumes you have mains power available or spare Re). At 600 A/h a small 12v charger will not harm them even if kept connected forever, as to the series paralell, well just keep up the distilled water and enjoy. Yes those paralelled will see only half the current as the rest but the aim is keep to them charged. Truth is once they get to gasing 15+ volts they will equalise(all will come to the same state of charge) this assumes all are equal in capacity (don't get bogged down on this point) So yes those in paralell will take twice as long but...... purests step back reality intervenes. allan down under "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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| antonymm Newbie Joined: 13/05/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2 |
Allan, Thank you very much for the advice. I have a Battery charger (Output 12DC 2600mA (4amp rms)) can I use this too charge the batteries while I sort out my solar panels? Or should I buy something a bit more fancy. Thanks again Antony |
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Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1206 |
Hi Anthony, I've got 12 2 volt soneenschiens setup in a 24 volt array on my house and my 80 amp batterycharger can take upto 5-6 hours to get the batteries floating. As far the state of charge on the name panel there shouls be a volts per cell number like my says 2.35 volts Now if you read the voltage on your cells and lets say it shows 1.85 volts then they are very dis-charged. As a general rule here I never let the batteries go below 24 volts or 2 volts per cell as I want to get the longest life I can out of them. Every month atleast I run the battery charger until the charger says it's only putting 5 amps or less in them, that way I know the batteries are fully charged and I reckon floating the array once a month will ensure a long battery life. Cheers Bryan  |
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| RonS Newbie Joined: 19/06/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 18 |
With regard to ex-Telecom batteries .. they are often 'sulphated' by the time you buy them and will probably need rejuvenating. You can use an electronic device to get rid of surface sulphation, but it doesn't get rid of sulphation that is buried in the porous lead plates. Here's a method routinely used by Australian and American military to revive 'dead' lead-acid batteries. First, buy yourself some 'Glauber's Salts' about a kilo or two should do it for a large truck battery. Dissolve the Glaubers in distilled (battery) water. It helps to warm it up a bit. Glaubers is pretty benign. It won't go 'boom' on you. Next empty out the old acid and get rid of it. (Wood fire ash added slowly will do this, but DO IT SLOWLY! Make sure your face and skin is protected from splashes of acid) Fill the battery with Glaubers solution and charge it until it starts to 'gas'. Sometimes it wont gas at all on the first few attempts, just persevere. After each charge cycle, discard the Glaubers (it's great foor making your citrus taste sweeter. Just dilute it ten to one and pour it around your citrus drip line) and after you have rinsed out the battery with distilled water ('Battery water' ..de-ionised) replace with fresh Glaubers and repeat the charge process. Four or five times through this sequence will revive even the deadest of lead-acid batteries. Finally, replace the Glaubers after the rinse out with fresh acid. Then add roughly a tablespoon full of Glaubers to each cell of your truck battery and charge it up. It will be as good as new. The reason for rinsing out at each turn is to wash out any flakes of sulphate. TAKE CARE. ACID IS DANGEROUS TO HANDLE. KEEP KIDS AND ANIMALS AWAY. I REFUSE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LACK OF COMMON SENSE IF YOU INJURE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. BE IT ON YOUR HEAD. Avoid strong drink. It makes you shoot at tax collectors ...and miss. |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
Great stuff Ron. This is a very old technique for de-sulfating batteries, but the information on the process of exactly how to do it seems to be extremely difficult to come by these days. Where exactly can Glauber's salts be obtained ? Cheers, Tony. |
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vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Here! But I not read it yet ... Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
Great information there Vasi, I have printed out a mountain of good stuff from all that. But I was really hoping to try RonS's method of chemically removing lead sulfate. I have two questions, where best to get Glauber's salts, and what specific gravity should the replacement battery acid be ? Cheers, Tony. |
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Gill Senior Member  Joined: 11/11/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 669 |
Try here for Glauber's salts(listed under "Val U Pac Glauber's Salts 5kg"). It appears to be a product used by horse people, so try your local rural supplies or stock feed agent. was working fine... til the smoke got out. Cheers Gill _Cairns, FNQ |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
Wow, thank you Gill. I have been searching on the internet and Glauber's salts (sodium sulfate) have been used as everything from a very old laxative remedy, to a component part of explosives. The thought had never occurred to me that it might still used these days as a very mild low cost animal laxative. Cheers, Tony. |
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| mitchie Newbie Joined: 31/07/2007 Location: Posts: 8 |
Hello all Has anyone come across a cost effective supplier for "Glauber's salt" in South Australia |
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