.............a heck of a lot easier to water the darn thing.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Higgins" <st...@surrette.com>
To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2014 2:07 PM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Passive Battery Venting
Hey Wrenches.
Looks like this came from Concorde, Allen S posted it in Feb of 2014... I
don't know how up to date it is..
It's got some good information about the different gassing rates of VRLA
batteries. Most all VRLA's are pretty close to these numbers.
The specific numbers on Surrette AGM is
When the battery is float charged at 2.3V/cell, the amount of the gas
generated will be approx. 0.0187 cc/hr/AH/cell. When the battery is charged
above 2.4V/cell, the amount of the gas generated will be approx. 0.0366
cc/hr/AH/cell.
Since I've been a Surrette, most of the inspectors I've talked with don't
worry about the normal operation of the battery bank, they worry about if
something goes wrong with the batteries, or the chargers. They tend to like
things to be designed so that their rear ends aren't in a sling if things go
wrong. So to make them happy, it can be a good idea to design to when things
fail, also adding a hydrogen detector sometimes will pacify them.
The issue I hear most is without moving the air out when there is too much
Hydrogen, is if you have a loose connection, or it's in the same room as the
inverter/controller and there is a spark/ignition source things tend to go
"bang" and most people don't like that.
In most cases this will cause the top of the battery to blow off.
Steve Higgins
Technical Services Manager
P: +1.902.597.4020
M: +1.206.790.5840
F: +1.902.597.8447
Surrette Battery Company
Exclusive manufacturer of
-----Original Message-----
From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On
Behalf Of William Miller
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2014 1:44 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Passive Battery Venting
You would smell it.
Miller Solar
On Oct 31, 2014, at 1:20 PM, Phil Forest <pfor...@southmountain.com>
wrote:
Drake,
Please explain what might happen if something went wrong with one battery,
when they are not vented to outside. How would we know it? Thank you.
Phil Forest
South Mountain Company
On Oct 31, 2014, at 8:42 AM, Drake <drake.chamber...@redwoodalliance.org>
wrote:
One big advantage of not venting AGM batteries to the outside is that
when something goes wrong you will know it. A well vented system could
have one bad battery ruin the entire pack before the problem was
detected.
At 08:12 AM 10/30/2014, you wrote:
To do it totally passive you will need a long (tall) pipe up the
side of the building, probably painted a dark color to have the sun
help warm the tube to help encourage it to vent up, not draw into
the building. Put a 180 on the top to keep the rain out and a screen to
keep out the bugs.
With outside venting the batteries will just draw in room
temperature air, if the room is 70 the battery min temp will be 70.
If they are in a basement they will naturally draw in outside air,
run the vent as high as you can to help prevent that. If you are
using a Classic use the relay to turn the fan on and off at a
specific battery voltage. Use a brushless fan and a voltage powered
relay if no other choice. Do not put the relay in the battery box!
Sealed batteries do need to be vented. I have seen them gas when
things go wrong, not pleasant.
I wouldn't do it without a fan for LA batteries but it would work
for sealed. If the home has a makeup air system or huge exhaust
system all bets are off.
Just some thoughts,
Bob Ellison
-----Original Message-----
From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org]
On Behalf Of Drake
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 8:19 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Passive Battery Venting
Hi Daniel,
I typically vent them the way you do, which will allow any small
amount of hydrogen out. The customer is absolutely adamant about
venting these to the outside. I will cooperate so long as his method
doesn't compromise the system through cooling the batteries
unnecessarily in the dead of winter.
He is a lawyer and came to the conclusion of the need for venting to
the outside from reading the NEC which says that sealed batteries
"require the same amount of ventilation" as liquid lead acid
batteries. The code also says to vent appropriate to battery
technology, so the code says two conflicting things. On the other
hand, it doesn't say that liquid electrolyte batteries need to be
vented to the outside. They will sure stink if you vent them to the
inside.
Drake
At 09:54 AM 10/29/2014, you wrote:
I just re-read the original post Drake. These are AGM batteries. Do
you
have
a "belt, suspenders,...then a rocket pack" type of client here?
We typically vent our AGM boxes with small louver vents top and
bottom to allow the batteries to ventilate for cooling purposes, not H2
concerns.
With Regards,
Daniel Young,
NABCEP Certified PV Installation ProfessionalTM: Cert #031508-90
NABCEP Certified Solar Heating InstallerTM: Cert #SH031409-13
-----Original Message-----
From: RE-wrenches
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Ray
Walters
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 11:12 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Passive Battery Venting
That's why we usually have the batteries in a garage, basement, or
out building that is not open to the living space.
I've seen some cases of very well sealed and insulated enclosures
allowing batteries to over heat, and also build up a lot of acid
damaged
connections.
Boxes I've seen with more air space and less sealing don't get this
build up, but you're correct: they do occasionally allow H2S into
the surrounding area.
R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760
On 10/28/2014 8:10 PM, Jerry Shafer wrote:
We do what we can to seal the enclosure so if or when a battery
fails and really gasses off the two vents on the same wall
regardless of wind direction will vent the gas. If it is not
sealed then the gas can travel through out the area this is not
advised.
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