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Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:03 am
by apicella
Hi Windgat.
The batteries I see on your web site are they any good as I can pick some up from a scrap yard here in Joies at R50 a each
What is the amp rating for them.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:22 am
by windgat
They seem good so far. They are 'high cycle' sealed batteries, which is a sort of made up term. Just means the plates are a bit thicker than usual. They are rated at 102 ahmp hours, load test 310 amps. I treat them very carefully - I never let them get below 12.2V.

Lead acid batteries can get sulphated beyond repair, which happens when they are left uncharged for a while. If you test the battery with a voltmeter and its less than 11.5V or chances are its not good. But for R50 you can't go too far wrong. If its less than 10V that probably means one or more cells are dead. Some places have fancy chargers which can desulphate to a degree, so if you buy one try and take it to a battery specialist immediately for some tender care.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:16 pm
by apicella
Ok I know the batteries have stood for a long time so I'm sure I'm not going to get any voltage out of them, as for the de-sulfator there are plans in The Poor man's guide to wind mills maybe I could try build that and try it out on these batteries.Have you seen that or heard of any results from that De-Sulfator he talks about.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:49 pm
by windgat
I haven't heard about that one. Its something you will generally do once after buying old batteries, so maybe its less effort to just take them somewhere... if you find a friendly place (like in Cape town :) ) they may hook it up to their charger for free if you are willing to drop off at closing time and collect in the morning.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:10 pm
by ibo solucoes
Talking about batteries... What about UPS type batteries, they are sealed and have fabric in between the plates holding the acid... they are cheaper (new) to buy then deep charge batteries, does anybody have experience with these? They are designed for slow discharge...? Can they survive repetitive discharges? How do they compare with the more classical lead acid (deep cycle) battery? These deltecs are still designed to be able to withstand knocks (automotive, boat use) etc... so i guess you pay a premium for that? Anybody know a website comparing all these?

Jorick

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:29 pm
by windgat
UPS batteries are designed for very infrequent use (most of the time they are on float charge). I think these are usually standard sealed lead acids (SLAs).
As far as I know if you always keep your batteries at or above 12.2V you will get very long life out of them. Leaving them discharged for long periods is what causes sulphation of the plates, which is hard or impossible to remove by charging.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 3:50 pm
by ibo solucoes
I just bought a black and decker battery charger at builders warehouse (1 hour ago) in tableview for 528R ... three stage microprocessor regulated max 30amps charging... and an 80 amp boostcharge. i checked on the internet and nowhere i can find it under 80usd.

it stood in the entry at a black and decker toolspecial and was unlike the 10 or so other products unmarked in price so i asked at the customer info desk howmuch it sold for i was amazed by the price even on "special"

i think they made a mistake in the price hence why they left the product unmarked... it is realy too cheap...

why i mention it here ... it has an equaliser function to desulphate your batteries...could b interesting ?

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 3:52 pm
by ibo solucoes
here is the type as found on the net

Black & Decker Bdv1085 12v Auto Battery Charger 2 / 10 / 30 / 80 Amp With Diagnostics 240v
Black & Decker Bdv1085 12v Auto Battery Charger 2 / 10 / 30 / 80 Amp With Diagnostics 240v

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Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:21 pm
by windgat
Desulphating option sounds interesting, give it a try! Do they say anything about it damaging non-sulphated batteries?

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:14 pm
by justLV
Anyone know any good ways on determining the charge of a battery without taking the open terminal voltage reading? One would have to take measure the current supplied to the regulator, and take that as an indication of how charged the battery is. In an autonomous wind generator, you'd need to be able to automatically disconnect the battery if the charge becomes too low surely?

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:22 am
by windgat
Only way I know is to use an amp hour meter to monitor the total current in/out. Also, if a battery while charging reaches 14V without drawing much current (1 amp???) its probably full.

Yes, that's called a LVD (low voltage drop out). I have designed and tested one and hope to have a few boards made soon.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:45 pm
by mwjms002
Hi
I have a question for you,
I have in my possession 192, HF12-890w 12V 200Ah batteries, they were bought in July 2007 and has been standing under a carport (in the elements) since then. Still on the pallets in there boxes.
I am looking to sell them, what do you think I must ask per battery.
New price for them is R2200, but seeing they are 2nd hand and haven’t been used they are most likely not 100% anymore and would need some work
do you think R250 is a fair price

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:48 pm
by windgat
I am afraid there is a very good chance they are ruined. If a battery is left uncharged for a long time a coating forms on the plate via sulphation. Sometimes this can be removed by special pulsing chargers, but after 2 years...

You could start by measuring the current voltage on them and see how consistent they are and what the voltages are. Maybe you are very lucky and they are still around 12V.

The shop shelf life of a battery is I think usually 6 months - after that if unsold they are returned to the factory.

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:40 am
by chocolate7
I know the batteries have stood for a long time so I'm sure I'm not going to get any voltage out of them, as for the de-sulfator there are plans in The Poor man's guide to wind mills maybe I could try build that and try it out on these batteries.Have you seen that or heard of any results from that De-Sulfator he talks about.
:"Ok":

Re: Batteries

PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:53 am
by windgat
Its worth checking the voltage - you never know! It depends a lot on how charged the battery was st the start of its 'long sleep'.

You may find one (or more) cells is delivering 0V - that would means recovery is unlikely. I haven't tried a desulphator myself.

You can also measure the density of the battery fluid to determine the state.

The main cost of a battery is the lead, so you may want to consider trading in the old battery and spending some money to get a reliable setup.