Steve, Good advice but I'm not at all surprised that most folks don't have a hydrometer. Frankly, unless you are willing to spend a bunch of dough, you aren't going to get one that is worth having. And, they are damn hard to find. The $5 cheapies with the floating balls, etc are just worthless, IMO. Bob-O
On Aug 7, 2013, at 3:11 PM, Steve Higgins wrote: Maybe, I’m overstepping here… but here goes. In most off grid systems you are going to run just a tad bit hotter voltage/time. This is because most of the batteries that are sold into this market were really designed and meant for Industrial applications. The industrial application assumes that you are pretty much charging the battery with a stiff grid sourced current based charger every single night. In most off grid systems the customer is slowly letting the battery fall to a 25% or 50% DOD state of discharge before enabling a fossil fuel source to bring the battery to full state. When these batteries are run at lower state for a period of time they need a bit more voltage to remove the sulfation that has developed on the plates. What I’ve found over the last year is many people are depending on way too small of an array to get any battery bank charged, and of course are very reluctant to use a genset to power an inverter to charge the batteries. This leads to poor SG’s and eventual failure. It also amazes me with how many people don’t even own a hydrometer to check the true state of charge on their battery. Talked with a guy that has his batteries for 5 years and has NEVER taken an SG measurement. Steve Higgins Technical Services Manager M: +1.206.790.5840 F: +1.902.597.8447 Surrette Battery Company Exclusive manufacturer of <rollsa5da08.jpeg> From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of RE Ellison Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2013 2:29 PM To: al...@positiveenergysolar.com; RE-wrenches Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Trojan L-16s I would be more inclined to think it's because of a denser plate material in the larger batteries I know surrettes need longer absorbs and I believe a bit higher of a charging voltage to remain happy And I generally run the Trojan L16s Just a bit higher than normal Bob Ellison On Aug 7, 2013, at 3:33 PM, Allan Sindelar <al...@positiveenergysolar.com> wrote: Eric, I kept this in my inbox for awhile, and finally had to ask - where did you get this information? I have never heard this recommendation - to charge a taller flooded lead acid battery to a higher voltage just because it's taller. I guess I see the apparent logic - more gassing addresses a potential for more stratification of the electrolyte - but if true, why have I never seen this in any battery service guide? What's your source? And has anyone else heard of this? Thanks, Allan Allan Sindelar al...@positiveenergysolar.com NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician Founder and Chief Technology Officer Positive Energy, Inc., a Certified B CorporationTM 3209 Richards Lane Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507 505 424-1112 office 780-2738 cell www.positiveenergysolar.com On 7/16/2013 7:53 AM, eric.bent...@schneider-electric.com wrote: Hi Drake, The L16 is quite popular in RE apps...but they typically require a bit higher charge voltage to reach the correct SOC than their shorter counterparts (i.e. T105 golf cart), because they are a taller battery (stands to reason .....specific "gravity"). Make sure they are in a vented enclosure if off-gassing will be an issue. Eric _____________________________________________________________________________________ Eric Bentsen | Schneider Electric | Solar Business | UNITED STATES | Technical Support Representative Phone: +(650) 351-8237 ext. 001# | Email: eric.bent...@schneider-electric.com | Site: www.schneider-electric.com/solar | Address: 250 South Vasco Rd., Livermore, CA 94551 _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change email address & 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 This email and its attachments have been scanned by iConnection E-Mail Firewall for viruses, spam, and malicious content. 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