Battery Bank 24V My Big Costly Mistake!

OK I did it to myself by being complacent ,This will hurt me big time in the long run. What not to do, don't believe every thing U here is OK to do. So here I show what I did so U don't. I'm feeling pretty dumb right now but its to late. I wish I had taken some pictures of inside my battery in each cell every month. This is what it looks like as of today . I will update results soon.

[@JonathanAgain]

Another costly mistake you might want to avoid is putting a fire extinguisher behind the thing that you fear will be where a fire comes from. If your battery bank catches or spews acid, you will not be able to even reach the extinguisher.

[@mikeyoung7022]

Good video of the maintenance of a battery bank. On the safety side I would recommend this. Never open all of the cells at one time. The fumes they are producing in such a small room can be very hazardous, not to mention, if there was a spark created from all the other electrical apparatus in that room, it could very well cause an explosion. Finally, move the fire extinguisher to the outside of the room. Last thing you want is to reach over the fire to get access to the extinguisher.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks, please check out my battery box videos,I have made a box out doors.

[@MrSummitville]

Some Water Miser Caps must be removed during EQ.

[@PalmettoParatrooper]

Making mistakes is how we learn so if you're dumb and tough you'll end up smart and tougher.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks. Never to old to do dumb things.

[@SyberPrepper]

Thanks for sharing all this. You don't know how many people it will help over time.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks. I show all good & my Bad stuff.

[@pepe58pepito54]

Friend dont worry it just battery , can be replace , so dont feel bad. what i see in your battery is not enough eq and wires are to long . try to make wires smaller distance

[@MrBugsier5]

the older the battery's the more you have to equalize them, keeping the sulphation off! even more in solar applications., eqalizing is way more inportant as people think. take care, and sorry to here you have this problem.oh, and small tip, keep the caps on while equalizing.

[@terryharms235]

I thank you for sharing, I am just setting up my motorhome for solar, And I need to learn all I can, Thanks Terry

[@yannicklocas4684]

Happened to me, but I was able to bring back my batteries to good condition, with an equalize every two day for two full months. But I've learned a lot with this mistake...

[@alltheboost5363]

I've been doing a bunch off research on going off grid and I think just based off videos like this and the way lead battery are I'm going to use lifepo4 or lithium ion. It's really painful to watch people end up in a predicament like this and I could totally see myself doing the same thing. Hopefully the prices for Batteries will keep coming down. Thank you for making the video best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

[@pepe58pepito54]

Acid battery's are great .just needs lots of maintenance ..

[@Randomadventurelife]

Lithium batteries still cost 8 times as much as gc2 golf cart batteries in 2020👍🏻 good luck with that. That means you could replace them 6-8 times from Costco for the price of battleborn batteries

[@DeanIsJesus]

They're a lot more reasonable in 2022. Power density, usable capacity, and longevity can be worth it if that's what you need. 😊🌎✨

[@MrBrymstond]

Most think solar is the easy way out, but they need constant maintenance, bummer, sorry to see this.

[@GoingOffGrid101]

it happens to even the best of us man, hope you get get most of the life back. thanks for sharing.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks .I share good & bad. I will be getting the desulfater Justin Case recommends & do some video on it when it arrives.

[@GoingOffGrid101]

nice, wonder if it really works, I have herd mix thoughts on it, will be good to see that you think about it!

[@Auditing.northern.N.Y.]

Takes a real man to take ownership of his f*** ups. Most people would blame something else.

[@phillipjoeborowitz7943]

dude,dont beat yourself up. wish i knew a tenth of of what your doing here. not really in a position to start a solar project. but am alwaysready for school. came on line for some harley rebuild tips,and ended up here, sooo,back to the grind. quick question, are there any battery inovations that u are currently following or know of worth looking into? thanks man. grab a beer n watch some ball. youve earned it.

[@ElRazTheGreat1]

Based on my experience the Midnite classic voltage and amps readings are incorrect. You have to check the settings and the voltage, amps readings with a calibrated volt amp reader. Mine was 0.5 volt below of what the classic was registering, also the classic does not have a voltage reading sensor! The L16 batteries should be equalized at least every two weeks. Be Well, Raz

[@tonyjordan56]

Thanks for the 'Heads up'. Best of luck to you in the future.

[@louishibbs5133]

topped up & equalized every 14 days ...voltage regulators are always the culprit..lead acid requires a topping phase on a regular basis..

[@wyattoneable]

When a system is running along nicely it's hard to remember to check on it. As you know, I have three cars plus other vehicles and it's hard to keep up on everything. You'll recover, but I know how you feel. I hate spending money when it should have been unnecessary .

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks buddy. Seems being a 1 man show I am always behind on something to many projects at once plus home maintenance /chores never enough time all ways forget something every day, that's with a to do list pretty bad I know.

[@ashforkdan]

Suggestion use a mppt charge controller it will help with the crusties. Second is wire your pannels to 150 volts and you'll get way more charging time. Anything over 24 volts will charge the batteries and that means at the crack of dawn it will start charging. The higher the voltage the higher the amperage.

[@panelessolaresparatodos]

In the video you mentioned using water or electrolyte water to keep your batteries in good condition, If so, I believe you did the same mistake like I've made, try real battery acid you can get it in any auto parts store,and with that believe me you will solve the problem.

[@66bigbuds]

The biggest problem is your using lead acid. They wear out fast. Some Barley last 2 years. If you got 6 years out of them you did good. Hope you use distilled water. And sometimes you need to add acid. The air force doctors them up with a half teaspoon of Epsoms salt to keep old batteries going for a few more months. Lithium Iron oxide can last 20 years. But almost $1000. Each

[@MrDolfo1]

Used sealed acid battery. GEL or AGM. It is maintenance free and it is sealed. Electrolyte will not overflow that is why they called maintenance free.

[@GreatNorthWoodsHillbilly]

Hope they come back, expensive mistake there. But don't feel bad I ruined a set of L16s years ago by being stupid. It happens to all of us, we get so used to the system working great that we tend to forget about it. Thinking of that I need to check the water level in mine.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks. They never EQ to float after all day with plenty of power got real warm too. i,m getting the re-claimer system that Jusin Case recommends ,I will do a video when it gets here & all testing as it goes thanks for watching.

[@MrSummitville]

Whether you have Water Saver-Caps or not, has NOTHING to do with how often you Equalize. Nothing! YOU need to Equalize often because YOUR Battery Bank is not being recharged to 100% SOC every night = a very bad thing. Once that sulfate hardens, you will have permanently lost capacity. Cloudy Electrolyte is not a good thing. Your PV Array is too small for your large battery bank. At 50% DOD, you need 6 continuous hours of FULL SUNLIGHT for Bulk Mode plus 1 - 2 hours of strong sun for (30 Volt) Absorb Mode plus 1 hour of low sun for Float Mode to recharge you battery bank to 100% SOC each night. You barely have enough PV Panels to do this, on a good day. So, now where are you getting the WATTS to run your daytime loads? You REQUIRE EQ often because your PV array is WAY TOO SMALL. You need to stop removing more more Daily Watt-Hours from the battery bank vs what your PV Array can put back in. You battery bank will fail early....

[@donaldbadeaux5455]

you're full of it....

[@MrErik038]

its a natural fenomenon u not only get out of the batterys what u put in ,the loss of energy is a big factor.my senses say u can only use onethird of the energy,reasons already mentioned by others putting in technical therm. But if u do it right and save on the consumption the system may last a very long time whit little maintanance,it has to be in balance. My motto,Input on a cloudy day ...output should be enough for me... not really economical? depends on howu look at things! it may last a livetime. Stil nice system sir 👍🏻

[@JR-of5hp]

@@donaldbadeaux5455 actually he is 100% correct.

[@cddc9310]

I've always believed in learning from others mistakes, thanks

[@stevensargent6222]

Go to nickle-iron (Ni-Fe) Edison cell's to make your off grid battery bank's. So far Edison cell's have lived up to 100 years, or have been restored to like new. And the new one are probably better also if you louse a cell it's not the end of your battery you just remove the bad cell and you can keep using your battery at least short term until you can put a new cell in or just repair the bad cell.

[@chriswilliams5268]

If your in Maine I'll take em!!!!

[@travis1816]

I love the comment, if you’re going to be dumb you need to be tough.

[@offgridinthepacificnorthwe3210]

Greetings from Oregon, I know that you now have a Battery Extra installed on your system and have recovered your batteries. My question is was the heavy sulfation from insufficient charging? Not high enough absorb voltage and absorb cycle time? My batteries are 3 years old and there is no visible sulfation on the plates. I have my absorb voltage at 30 volts and absorb time at 4 hours. I use a Trimectric battery monitor and a refractometer to confirm its accuracy. The one thing I have done is make sure I don't let the batteries go below 80% SOC and no more than 3 days in in between a full charge. My system was a off grid 1400 watt array with a Tristar PWM with a diesel backup. Since then I have added 2 more arrays with a Midnite classic 200 and a Outback FM 60. I am experimenting with the absorb time and return amp settings to get my specific gravity to 1.285I checked it the other day and it was 1.30, way to high and may cause shedding. I have my return amps set at 12 and I will see after a couple days if its right. Chris DIYer has the same desulfator as you have with similar results. I would get one but all my plates look like the day I installed the bank.

[@TheKiloG69]

Hi Steve, This damage was self inflicted as I said. I was careless in watching my battery bank.Every thing running fine made me forget my bank. My charge & absorb setting were wrong as well. I also split up my bank at times like this past summer & run 2 L16s in my Solar truck camper. I also left 2 of them sitting for 6 weeks while I was traveling , those 2 are the worst .The way U are tending to yours is the right way to do it. I learned a great lesson here with this mistake & shared my mistake so others would not do what I did. The battery extra unit works great, has cleaned up the inside of the battery's very well. I wish I had it from day one. Glad I learned this now not latter as I sold this place & I am looking for some Off Grid land in TN. to expand my system & live free. Thanks for stopping By. U do great work on your channel.

[@offgridinthepacificnorthwe3210]

TheKilog69 Thank you sir. I hope you find the land you are looking for in TN. My wife and I have talked about doing this again only on a smaller scale. We have talked about a much smaller acreage and a much smaller house. I hope you video your property search and take us along for the ride. Have a blessed day!

[@super-sim1665]

If you have mains power just use them as a buffer during the day. Lead acid don't like to be left discharged as I also found out. Makes lead acid batteries pritty useless.

[@colourcascade7600]

I bye mine from a local scrap yard for 15 quid each,,,,take em home,,,load test em and usually 50 percent are good the others go back and I get 12 quid back 😉

[@whorayful9361]

Your charging voltages are reasonable depending on cell temperature. Where I live in Australia my cells rarely drop below 20 Deg C, 78 F . 27.4 Volts will keep them healthy. I suspect you are in a colder climate so voltage will need to be higher. A standard correction voltage is (-5mV / deg C / cell) for each 10 Deg C temp increase a 12 cell battery (24V) will need 600mV (0.6V) LESS voltage to maintain full charge. I use Trojan T105's with our extreme hot summers over 40 Deg C I have the opposite problem, overcharging and loosing electrolyte. Ray.

[@charleso0o0o]

“I WOULD measure each battery voltage, look for a bad one. ANOTHER TEST is audible/visual for bubbling during charge. A BAD battery exhibits no bubbling. I USE common off-the-shelf sealed 180ah DEEP CYCLE Durastart brand, $80 each. PRESENTLY HAVE only 6 in 24v configuration, same as yours. I WENT the winter having removed a battery I determined was somehow defective, exhibiting a low voltage. THIS AFTER having been charged remotely via a grid charger. THE BATTERY sat a few weeks. I CHECKED IT, & found it has lost its charge, sitting idle disconnected. MY RESPONSE to having found this problem has been to do manual equalizing. I AM guessing sulfation caused the failure. SINCE THEN, no problems. MY 24/7 refrigerator (small Magic Chef, dorm room type,) uses 17 watts hourly. I TAKE IT offline in November & plug it back in sometime in early March. MY DAILY DEMAND is quite low. I PUMP water from a 4” 110’ deep well, pump septic water to a mound, & have a water softener. INVERTER IS a modified sine 5000 watt, typical of marine industry. CHARGE CONTROLLER is Morningstar 45. SOLAR INPUT is 1000 watts midday. PANELS ARE aligned to expand the window, reducing the midday peak & extending equinox charge window by about 3 hours. THIS WORKS well. INPUT VOLTAGE is 54 volts. IT WAS not good to find the bad battery last fall, mysterious. I LOOK toward an augmentation source, viable for winter use to offset the seasonal decrease. I RESEARCH the free energy forum, am familiar with some possible devices. THE RON PUGH charger is compelling, as is the Figuera resonant device. I COULD use it a few hours each day in winter, put it away in March, figuring to replace magnets every three years, maybe less often. ROTATING BATTERIES may help. THE VOLTAGE CHECK with each disconnected will tell you whether equalizing has been sufficient.

[@ChrisDIYerOklahoma]

Oh man...hopefully they will be alright. They look exactly like my Trojans when I skipped a monthly EQ. Everything seems to be alright now...but, the brown milky electrolyte sure caught my eye. I ran mine down to 24.1 all summer (with load at that voltage). Edit: Just re-checked all mine...and am hitting them with another EQ blast for an hour while I got good sun. Took off the Water Miser caps and looked down inside each cell...they all look really clean. Getting about 31.6 volts EQing right now...no loads. My thinking is that the L16 size batteries like ours are pretty tough. Have you ever "bumped" them? ie, "shook" them a little to knock off the deposits?

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks Chris ,never tried that but tomorrow i am ordering the battery recovery system Justin Case recommended to me, so stay tuned for updates & video of me hooking it up & testing it out, see his link in the comments if he says its the real deal I believe him comes from the UK. Mine were on EQ all day never did get done but got really warm lots of Resistance.

[@ChrisDIYerOklahoma]

Roger that...great advice. I checked out the item/link...not a bad price either...will see how it goes for you and order one too if you like it.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks I will update when i get it getting one tomorrow. $139? A bargain if it works 60 day money back so why not.

[@ChrisDIYerOklahoma]

Heck yes! Beats $2000-3000 in battery bank purchase (or getting a few more years out of them). Physically "bumping" mine (or giving them a shake) knocks a lot of that stuff off...and then EQ. I just rechecked mine (after a mini EQ) they all look great...electrolyte is clear, plates are clean. Voltages (checked individually at rest) were all w/n .1v So, good to go here. I also took Roy's advice on Absorb/Float volts and time and set mine that way (30 volts Absorb/3 hours and 28v Float).

[@TheKiloG69]

All good news to here we can all learn if we listen & learn from others & absorb knowlage. Thats why I,m here. will EQ mine in AM if need be may be half bank at a time .

[@flip-gq9sk]

hey, thanks for this video! good idea to take a picture of the cells if you have a good camera.everybody makes mistakes! I think your CC should have told you when to EQ. Also , looks like the water level may be a bit higher than it needs to be. just sayin'

[@J3sus1sL0rd1]

Six years from your same batteries isn't so bad at all for flooded lead acid.

[@TheKiloG69]

2.5 years.

[@ellissmithjr6599]

One big mistake...should be using Marine deep cycle batteries.

[@raymondfriis4778]

You're only human. We all that do this learned . I know I have.

[@TheKiloG69]

These are all gone now. I installed 8 outback Nano carbon batterys at my new off grid home I'm building in TN.

[@Photostrated]

Where is the last part of the video? I didn't get to see the end.......

[@giottodiotto1]

You would be far better off changing these worn out "old school"batteries for lets say four (yes only four) LiFePo4 batteries , the large prismatic sells from China ( brands CALB, WINSTON, SINOPOLY) they have them in different capacity's, i would think looking at your video that four 400 AH each will totally replace the L16 batts witch are now sulphatet and therefore loosing a lot in capacity , maybe half of their original values, best to do a capacity test to know for sure, also when lead acid is so much sulfated as these, you have a far geater risk of a short in the plates, so i think its time for something new and BETTER. LiFePo4 batteries behave pretty similar as lead acids but DO NOT sulphate, can regular discharged without capacitie loss to 80 percent DOD, do not need to be "equalized", in fact the wil last longer when a little UNDERCHARGED, have a much lower internal resistence and a far more steady voltage drop during discharge , so much so that voltage alone is almost the same being full or 70 percent discharged, do not have toxic/flammable fumes, their weigt is on third of lead acid, ant lastly can have a useful lifetime of at least 10 years or more in a solar bank, you can just drop these in , your solar controller is a high end model so with a little tweaking of the charge/discharge settings wil give a good charge to them, o and i allmost forgot, their charging efficiency is about 40 percent HIGHER than even the best lead acid type batterie can give you, especially beneficial during winter.... I would check them out, hope this helps.

[@mikelujanable]

I recommend the 26ah lifepo4 batteries that came from hospitals for 30$ each on ebay.

[@healthfullivingify]

Thanks for your comment which piqued my interest in LiFePo4 batteries. Great call- big investment yet gives us a great return: MUCH lighter weight (29 lbs. vs. 140!) with 10X longevity, and can discharge 90% vs. 50% without harm. WOW- so much newer technology. I easily found them on Amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX197GJ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A2VHGGOHXF24LJ&psc=1

[@jimthvac100]

@@mikelujanable How about a link, looked for what your describing with no resluts.

[@mikelujanable]

@@jimthvac100 Turns out they are Li-Ion but if your still interested I used these for a 7kwh powerwall: www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-Enovate-Medical-Mobius-Power-LIithium-Iron-battery-10-95V-26-5Ah-290-18Wh/162963392160?hash=item25f16006a0:g:PTwAAOSwRE5abivW

[@OkieRob]

I get complacent too. just got my panels on the trackers. 1920 watts on one, 1500 watts on the other and 750 still on the roof. no actuators or controllers yet. my back is barking.

[@TheKiloG69]

Wow that great , wish U all the best with system U will love it.

[@joseteixeira2518]

looks like to me that these batteries have too much distilled water inside past top up level, can someone confirm this is true?

[@royamberg9177]

your battery will be ok. my finding is you need your absorb setting at 30 volts for about 3 hours. float at 28 volts. if the settings are right you shouldn't ever have to equalize. what are your absorb and float settings

[@TheKiloG69]

That was my thinking allso I think these battery's are so big U have to kick them up regularly. My float was at 27.6 absorb was at 29.4 @2.25 hrs EQ @ 31v. Had them going all day got back home at 4PM they still never floated.

[@royamberg9177]

Set your absorb to 30 volts and 3 to 3-1/2 hrs float at 28volts and check specific of gravity in a few days. I think youl be happy with results. On a renewable energy system there's always a drain every night and don't get charged every day. Takes more voltage to get it charged in the time frame there is to work with. If your settings are in order equalizing shouldn't ever need to be done .I've done a lot if resurching on this subject. Float should never be set to low. If the batteries get discharged then goes through the time if absorb it probably won't be enough to fully charge the batteries so if the float us a bit higher it will top them off other wise never get up to snuff. If you want more info let me know I'll fill you in

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks i got little to no info from crown battery Co. seems they were not interested unless I got solar specific battery's from them, probably just who I was dealing with. been using Trogen battery #s

[@royamberg9177]

29.4 devided by two is14.7 that will never work. I think in 12 volt system. 15 volt works good. 15.2 is to High that will use to much water and over change them. I have lots if experience with batteries over the years it's better to over charge slightly then to undercharge even the slight bit. Try my settings you will use more water so keep an eye on it

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks.

[@AlekseyCamodelkin]

Batteries just class

[@jeffpease1993]

someone told me golf cart batteries are a safe investment, mostly because they take a lot of abuse and can use ----good used golf cart batteries as lots of companies change batteries as part of typical maintenance.

[@chriswilliams5268]

It is easy to become complacent when it's all working. We've been off grid since 1986 and installed solar in 1997. I was very faithful with battery maintenance but as you get older and everything is working you do tend to forget. Note the reason the water is cloudy ISNT bad it actually that buildup on your plates being cooked off. It will be remixed as they bubble. And yes some will settle on bottom. Great video. Gottah love the safety guys. Hahahah jeez they jump on bandwagons don't they hahahaha

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks. Old video batteries died 5+ years ago on my move to TN. Now offgrid here 5.6 years. Now run 30KW of EG4 LITHIUM SEVER RACK.set up No more lead acid for me other for truck or tractor starting. 😅

[@chriswilliams5268]

@@TheKiloG69 yeah I haven't made the jump to Lithium yet. Seems I get pretty long life out of my lead acids. The current set I'm usuing is TEN YEARS OLD!! BUT THEYRE GETTING TIRED AND WILL NEED REPLACING. HONESTLY IVE ALWAYS USED CHEAP LEAD ACIDS. MY LAST SET WAS Sam's club specials. Lasted ten years this set ALSO Sam's club specials 6v Duracells. Also ten years. I do regular maintenance and for our applications they seem to last. Of course my Refrigerator is LP. My clothes dryer is LP. My cooking and hot water also LP. So I really only use them for my deep well pump, washing machine, and lights. The Deepwell pump is an AC Grundfrous soft start pump but with my expansion tank you can't tell the difference in fact we have mega water pressure!!

[@BWWGL9]

To be secure in Battery Watering Operations, you may want to consider a Self Water System... like the Flow-Rite, yes it will cost you $200-250.00 dollars, BUT how much will it SAVE you $500-$1200-2000 dollars. I have installed several for people who don't want to mess with Watering Batteries, and people who spend lots of time away from Home. The Gravity FEED watering system is totally the way to go. I don't work for Flow-rite I just use there system and it's the ticket. I build specialized equipment containers on contract for the Gov't. So, bottom line SAVE money do yourself favor, check it out.

[@IGWTS]

I have seen some real advances in capacitors esp graphene/carbon - some even self charging like a pulse charger from ambient solar radiations (cosmic wind) very slow but for small power efficient projects chips or other small hardware -- they could be self powering from environmental emf emission's.

[@cowboy898]

Sorry to hear about the batteries. Hope they are OK. You made me think to check my bank and I'm glad I did. What model did you get from that website?

[@TheKiloG69]

Hi The 1500 amp hr job .$139. I will be all over it when it arrives from the UK, I will do extensive testing. U can bet i will do as many videos as I can. When things are going good U tend to forget about maintenance.

[@cowboy898]

Boy you've got that right.

[@davidjames1684]

Why the hell would you spend $2K on 8 flooded batteries when you can get good used AGMs for less than half of that which require very little maintenance? Also, ever hear of a desulfator? You can use 1 temporary battery as a "placeholder" while you desulfate those 1 at a time. If you can afford 2 desulfators that will speed things up. EQ is not the same as desulfating. EQ tends to overcharge the batteries but desulfation can take place at trickle charge voltages. FLA batteries are a BAD choice for solar in my opinion unless maybe you are retired and maintaining batteries is one of your few pleasures left in life.

[@Randomadventurelife]

You could get 8 new GC2 golf cart barriers for $850 , 120 ah usable if running 24v that's the price of one lithium battery @ 50-60ah usable. In 2020

[@xic1]

Just blame Samlex for making such a darn good unit.

[@davidjames1684]

FLA, probably the WORST choice. Nothing wrong with 24V though.

[@jwsolarusa]

I am so sorry to hear that my brother. But, just have keep the faith going. Your batteries are 100% healthy. Do not be worried for anything God is in control. Please have a happy wonderful Sunday and God bless you Sir.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thank U so much for your kind words.

[@jwsolarusa]

TheKilog69 Praise be to God and You're welcome Sir. Have a blessed day.

[@BobbyW00]

I hit the Thumbs Up for the video, but in this case it feels bad to do that.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks man that cool. I hope this motivates some one else to monitor there bank more closely.

[@IGWTS]

Capacitors and Gel/glass combo power storage -- lipo if you can afford it.

[@h7oslo]

I have missed the part about where 24v configuration is in some way responsible for this problem ?? Is possible suitable voltage/current is not supplied to do a proper EQ cycle ? I definitely understand fla require frequent attention !! Tnx for the warning ! rc

[@seanjsolar2493]

Hi I have a question to this video do you use a battery monitoring device? I notice you said your battery went down to 24.1V which is about 50% but I'm using a Bogart battery monitor and at 24.1v my battery state of charge is 66% I ask this question because for sometime now I'm trying to understand what you voltage for a 24v battery bank at 50% state of charge should be. But Bogart use a counting format to calculate state of charge which seems more accurate as the total Ah of your batter is counted down as you discharge the batter hence giving you a exact AH use. What's your view on this?

[@peter8aus8berlin]

I have 3 truck-batteries (12 V) each 100 Ah and each about 80 bucks. Some 10 Ah per day are comming in (and getting tapped of course). Since that is only (10/300) 3.3 percent of the total capacity my "plan" was to do nothing with the batteries (but never charging them higher than 70 percent and never with more than 3 Amperes peak amplitude per battery; thus they never ever getting even lukewarm). Maybe checking once a year if the waterlevel is still high enough and doing a reffill if needed. I'm prepared to buy another battery every 4 years or something (given that the capacity of a given battery halves every 5 years). Am I wrong?

[@hakunamatataadventurebus5944]

Peter8aus8Berlin, I'm pretty sure that lead-acid batteries don't like being kept less than fully charged... it creates suflate issues.

[@AnnieFarmerFarm]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks for watching.

[@NathansFerroceriumrods1]

Hopefully you get those batteries back to good condition.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks ,I will be testing the recovery system from the UK when unit arrives.I hope my mistake helps some else not make it also.

[@chadwolfeschledgelsteinhau9697]

They getting way to hot ! Put the factory caps back on them

[@trooper2221]

i know it'd be way expensive, but seems the glass matt batteries is way to do it

[@trooper2221]

so what is EQ'ing exactly?

[@66bigbuds]

Equalizing

[@robertpaulis439]

Just curious but why not run in parallel?

[@donaldbadeaux5455]

a little learning is a dangerous thing...

[@LarsLondian]

Thanks for sharing. Great information. since I am new here do you have a video showing your battery ventilation setup?

[@TheKiloG69]

Hi actually I have had this set up about 6 years now, Yes they should be vented! I even have all the necessary venting supply's I need to do it but as it sits in a big closet with 5 bush less cpu fans that come on set to a specific voltage,& the closet is in a spare bedroom with a fan & a open window I have never installed it. It is not a problem for me. The water miser caps help a lot all so with fumes. My home is for sale so many of my solar projects have been on hold.

[@LarsLondian]

TheKilog69 Gotcha, good luck with the sale. I will look forward to seeing a reinstall in the future sometime then. Take Care.

[@andrewc.usarmyretired8304]

You can easily build an automatic equation board with an arduino kit

[@Drakonadrgoragonis]

should have spent a little extra and got sealed lead acid batteries that you do not have to worry about checking the waters levels on.

[@MrSummitville]

Sealed batteries make things worse. With SLA battery, you cannot measure the SG of the electrolyte - now you are "flying blind" - not a good idea.

[@FloryJohann]

You can not properly check sealed batteries nor can you do maintenance on them. I wasted $2,000 on sealed batteries that went bad in no time because you can not check them and you can not perform maintenance/add water.

[@bradley200711]

So, the charge controller is performing the "EQ"?

[@crazybob1954mo]

Just Curious... Why 4 panels in series? 60 volts in to a 24 volt system seems high. Wiring for 30 volts would double the current and a good MPPT should manage that OK. Your thought.... Thanks.

[@ometofu]

Bob Duvall always in series as high as your mppt allows. Easier on the wiring and less power lost

[@orcoastgreenman]

Double current dictates heavier wire gauge... Which on the longer runs from panels can be quite an expense.

[@Rubennetti]

Just a question,what is the biggest mistake he did to ruin the battery ?

[@k.r.v.4219]

I have very limited experience with these solar power banks. But I am contemplating research and building one, with that said, would not a dry, or maint. free batteries be better to use?

[@TheKiloG69]

Hi thanks for watching .All battery types have the + & _ points . wet cell lead acid are the most affordable, AGM would be next inline. Stay away from gell cell type battery's very unforgiving as they use a gell that if overcharged will bubble causing issues & will not work, not many ppl. use them for solar most use lead acid or AGM, or if money is no object U can use nickle iron Edison type battery last for ever but U need deep pockets to buy them .to do my battery system as it is cost about $2000 just battery's nothing else cables so on, , using Edison nickel iron over $10,000.

[@FloryJohann]

NO.....you can not check them and you can not perform maintenance/add water and they will die earlier than any other battery that you can open.

[@solarandwindinsouthtexasda1473]

Why don't you put power to the inverter know where the inverter keeps track of the EQ it's all said even if it doesn't have no sun I know I have one

[@ThatGuyFromArizona]

Your fire extinguisher should never be near the probable location of fire. Near an exit is best.

[@davidjames1684]

This guy is not too swift.

[@hutchins36]

Oh well shit happens you are a busy guy and I'm sure you will learn from it. maybe those caps need to breathe more.

[@TheKiloG69]

Yeah I here U , I calmed down water under the bridge shit happens over & over, life goes on.

[@QuinnAnEveryman]

The best battery type for these applications is; LEAD CRYSTAL.

[@flybeep1661]

THere's a good reason everyone upgrades from flooded/AGM to lithium and not lead crystal. It's obvious you don't really know what you're talking about.

[@mike3367]

i have crown battery's too i EQ them every 2 weeks . i talked to crown about that and they said it ok since im on solar and you can never get a good EQ on them using solar

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks I will check out your channel. I got little to no info from crown, I have been using the L16 Trogen guidelines

[@oropeiro]

sorry but i don t understand what is the mistake ? thanks .

[@FernbarkFrist]

I drowned mine in a tub with the charge controller running. I think I still hold the trophy for Stupid.

[@TheKiloG69]

OK U win but I get 2nd place. I am ordering the battery re claimer system recommended by Justin Case . I will do some video on it when it get here if he says it works I believe him. See below in comments for info on it. If it does what it claims it a bargain.

[@FernbarkFrist]

TheKilog69 I wouldn't buy it from any one in Missouri though. But that's just me.

[@TheKiloG69]

They come from the UK.

[@leighhodge849]

It would have been nice if we could have seen the plates because in the second video we seen the plates i smell a fish 🐠

[@jec_ecart]

What are the equalizing parameters you're using?

[@TheKiloG69]

I forgot these have been gone more than 5 years.

[@robertanderson533]

Where can I get 6v golf cart battery the Costco store here don't carry them and can't seem to find cheep one's on web

[@dannpd1955]

Go to o'reilly auto parts and check out the es 125.

[@TonyLing]

How to you EQ a pair of 4x6V Pb banks when they are wired like that? Isn't cell balancing just for Lithium cells?

[@TheKiloG69]

2 banks of 24 v. 6 x4 x2, tied to bus-bars. Charging & EQ just the same as 1 bank of 4 battery's 24V.

[@TonyLing]

I see now thanks, I was getting confused between equalisation and balancing

[@h7oslo]

I reviewed a reply by someone who claimed to be a qualified tech. He claimed bats must be rotated in position periodically because the first two in any string always showed most usage. He said number all bats and keep record. rc

[@notsheeple2019]

we eq every 90 days no issues.

[@notsheeple2019]

have mine. set to auto. eq retry 5 times

[@TheKiloG69]

Hi Bill Thanks for info! Just ordered the above battery recovery system per JC advice will do a in depth review when it arrives ,including Voltage ranges, pics of inside the battery's before & after. If this works it is money well placed.

[@nadeem5476]

try placing some epsom in the battery (just a little amount)

[@FloryJohann]

epson salt kills batteries

[@Reg-th6zq]

Arent these type of batteries old skool now, try effecient lithium like others?

[@AlmaWells]

quote: "Try efficient lithium batteries like others..." Those "others," who went to school, then college, then graduated from schooling, then obtained high paying jobs so they can afford to purchase those HIGH PRICED quality batteries. Too expensive to try. why? greed...

[@jck9590]

Alma Wells....Huh?

[@jck9590]

Lithium isn't any more "efficient" and for home use, their power to weight advantage is useless. In an off-grid system, cost efficiency is usually more important than individual component efficiency, anyway. For home use, it's very tough to beat the cost efficiency of good ol' heavy, lead acid batteries. The key is keeping them well maintained and not over-used. I'm on my 8th year of my pack, with regular desulfation...

[@FloryJohann]

Those '' efficient lithium like others'' are only a few percentage more efficient than those old cool batteries. lithium batteries cost way more and the lifespan is shorter. Litium also need special chargers so they won't explode and the discharge rate has to be limited so they will not catch on fire......lithium is out of the budget for most diy solar off-gridders. My lift battery may consume a bit more power when charging or discharging, but I can not beat a life of 20 plus years. If needed, I can always add an extra panel to charge those old school batteries, which would be cheaper than those lithium batteries anytime.

[@PhysicsViolator]

@@AlmaWells thats why you need to DIY and make your own like im doing as we speak , you can find in alibaba good lifepo4 cells around 100-300AH for 50-100$ a cell which is way way cheaper now just buy a good BMS and it wont cost much.

[@israfilnobody7388]

You sure you don't overcharge these batteries !!

[@RobsCustomCreations]

Why not do yourself a huge favor and go with LITHIUM ION BATTERIES?...I have 50 LG NeON 395 W High Efficiency panels (total of 19,750 WATTS),...with 3 LG Chem RESU10H (Lithium Ion) batteries connected in parallel (total energy 29.4 kWh),...inverters by StorEdge...30 second auto-transformers (automatic transfer from grid to batteries and back to grid "if GRID comes back online again")....monitored by a wireless monitoring platform...I have UPS on all of my electronics to ensure a smooth transition during the 30 second transfer delay from grid to batteries...yes, my solar system including my batteries were professionally installed and commissioned about 1 month ago...but I'd rather know I can run everything in my house, without limitations, especially in an emergency...

[@minkim3959]

Try lifepo4

[@robertanderson533]

Trojan t105 is 150 dollars ...insane

[@gregoryhall2967]

Would acid bring them back?

[@antizakkonic7789]

No, never ever add acid to a battery after the initial fill, might as well unload a double barrel 12ga. shotgun into them.

[@aaaricmondroofing1703]

what's DQ I'm new to all this

[@royamberg9177]

how are the batteries doing now

[@TheKiloG69]

Hi Roy, I just limped into battery room, last looked at them last Sat. lets say. huge difference. a little to shaky to stand up today but will try to film the inside tomorrow & do a update video. It has been working on the bank 10 days tomorrow I have to say it works.

[@royamberg9177]

Get well soon.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks Roy.

[@rozarijorodin]

Waste money and time for those battery... Get yourself lithium...!

[@thefaeryman]

I have seen a few of people that like these, a few brands out there kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2fMo2SAm9Ctarc or this one www.altestore.com/store/deep-cycle-batteries/desulphators/battery-life-savers-bls-1224-c-battery-saver-desulfator-p200/

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks John . I just ordered the item Justin Case recommended Will do a complete video when it arrives .

[@STARFIRESOLAR]

instead of putting water in the batteries maybe you should put battery acid in. I get it from Advance Auto but other auto supply stores should have it. Adding acid helped me extend the life of my cars battery to almost 7 years.

[@TheKiloG69]

Thanks for info .i tried that with old golf cart battery's but they were to far gone.

[@awesomusmaximus3766]

never add acid to a battery as it will destroy the plates

[@FloryJohann]

Never add acid to your batteries. Water evaporates and boil out and it will leave the acid in the cells. Only add distilled or de-ionized water to the batteries. My last car battery got over 7 years. I never turn my ignition on without running the engine nor do I use electrical power without running the engine, After getting to where i needed to go I turn everything off that needs electrical power and run the engine for 20 seconds before I turn the engine off and before I leave the car,

[@vicpinto1970]

Fail.

[@snek9353]

What J&B said, the acids are salts that stay behind when the water cooks off. So if you add more acid there's too much and you're creating more sulfation.

[@skepticalmechanic]

Don't look at me... I didn't do it! Lol

[@nuchairco4137]

Get them off the metal.

[@solarpowerelectricityandel2915]

I have to say lead batteries suck

[@solarpowerelectricityandel2915]

I have them too.

[@TheKiloG69]

I here U they are are lot of work & expense I am getting a battery re-claimer system recommended by Justin Case Will post a video when it gets here from UK .U can see the link in the comments.