The guy i got this from said it was low on water, so he had topped it up with quite a bit... Is there a possibility that the 'missing' waterlevel has been spilled out (not evaporated over time), and so the total acid level is now too low?
Should i continue to charge the bank? Or can/should i replace some of the waterlevel with fresh acid? (20hrs x 20A... Should have been added 400Ah worth of power there...)
People don't give away free money, so i doubt your batteries are usable as is. Your best bet is to load test each cell and get rid of the shorted cells. Build a stack with the good ones. There are battery rebuilders who do that for a living. The cost of batteries that size is so high and cost of legal disposal of lead and acid makes salvage pay.
Forklift batteries only last about 4 years in regular service anyway. If they have been left discharged then the plates sulfate just like a car battery.[ Parent ]
I'm afraid you're right; i've left the 240Ah bank unloaded for a couple of days after charging, and the voltage has been steady at 25,3v. I've just rewired the bank, so it's now at 12,65v. I have connected a small 12v inverter to the bank with a 60W bulb as a load, and after 1/2hour, the voltage is at 12,25v...
Doesn't sound good, does it? :? Or could this bank come to some useable life again by discharge it and recharge it a couple of times? The charger i use, is a Jungheinrich Timetronic 24v, 40A charger. It has no maintenance charging, and no equalizing charge; just a timerbased charging with a schedule that i've yet to figure out... ;) (Can't find any info for the charger on the net... :( )
I've almost given up the 330Ah banks. One of them has an unloaded voltage at 12,45v after days of charging at 20A, allthough all cells are at same voltage.
The other 330Ah bank had 2 dead cells, and several poor ones. The cells are so uneven, that i doesn't think i can put together a 12v bank...[ Parent ]
Now, after 4hrs with the 60W load (Measured: 5,43A), the voltage is still at 12,35v. Maybe there is some juice left after all :)[ Parent ]
14.5hrs and the voltage has fallen from 12.35v to 12.27v with the 60W load. (plus 7.5W for the inverter itself.)
I think i'll keep this bank. ;) Even if it died now after drawing 80A total, it'll have its uses... ;)[ Parent ]
After equalizing, you add water to level all the cells off to the same height.
You always add water after charging and while it's still warm. If the cells have exposed plates, you can add just enough to cover the plates, then charge. If you add water before charging you risk an overflow since charging expands the electrolyte volume by heating it and introducing gas bubbles.[ Parent ]
As mentioned before, these cells have Aquamatic plugs, similar to these:
http://www.hawkerpowersource.com/products/accessories.htm
Though, mine are the previous generation, without the hole for measuring the specific gravity; there is a small hole with a plug in the corner of each cell for that purpose. ;)[ Parent ]
