Got some batteries for the Power Trailer

[esc]

Went to Sam's yesterday for a pair or 210 AH 6v batteries.

The price is supposed to be $67.00 but by the time you add in the core charge, "battery fee" (what ever that is?) and tax it is more like $85.00 each.

So now I have the batteries in the box on the front of my trailer and am charging them up with an automotive 10 amp charger.  Their voltage when I first wired them in series was about 12.2.  Seems kind of low but it is already coming up after just a few hours with the 10 amp charger.

Now I need to secure them in the BIG box so they won't go flying around when I hit a big bump doing 90MPH.  I would consider investing in a couple of marine style battery boxes to put inside of the big box, if I could find the right size at a reasonable price.

Right now I think I will tie them down with some nylon straps.

The 30 watt PV panel has been regularly heating up my old 25 AH battery so that I had to add water every week or two.  I just hope that it will make enough power to keep these from running down when sitting for long periods.  It is wired directly in with no charge controller.

I also want to add some external power taps, and a switch, so that I can attach jumper cables to the box for hooking up the lawnmower charger or jump starting cars.

I'll post a picture in the next day or so.

[wooferhound]

Your 30 watt panel is not what is cooking your batteries. The batteries are getting hot because you don't have a charge controller on the system. You shouldn't let a lead acid battery go over about 14.6 volts unless you are equalizing it.

[richhagen]

I would agree with Woofer, the 1.75 amps or so into a 25 amp hour battery would result in its overcharging over a long period of time with sunny weather and no power taken out.  You should have less of a problem with the 225 Amp Hours you now have.  I generally always hook up some type of charge controller to my batteries, even when the ratio of charging current to capacity is small.  I noticed recently in the document of suggested NEC regulations that Steven Fahey, (Sparweb), posted that a charge controller is always required for an NEC compliant setup.  While a vehicle trailer would not fall under the NEC, it is still probably sound advice.  

Other notes:  I can usually find a couple of old batteries around somewhere to get my money back on the core charges and Sam's gives you a long time to bring them in.  12.2V was a little low, but they had probably been setting on a pallet somewhere for a while.  Here in the north I doubt that they move that many golf cart batteries in the fall and winter, but you guys have better weather.  One other thing you probably already thought of is that I would put fuses on the power taps from the batteries.  Secure them well, a 45 pound battery has a lot of momentum at - as you said - 90Mph - thats awfully fast, and small nylon straps might not survive an abrupt manuver.   Rich

[esc]

I do have a little solar charge controller...just never got around to hooking it up yet.  I suppose I will some time soon.  I have a lot of other items to hook up as well;

800 watt inverter, 200 watt amplifier, car stereo, extra cigarette lighter plugs, 12v lighting, etc...

I think that I will place a vertical board, like a partition, on one side of the batteries.  Then mount the various components on the other.  I also got a battery switch from HF today.  I'm thinking about using it to turn on or off a set of external terminals.

As far as the nylon strap...it is rated at 800 ponds...before it gets eaten by battery acid that is.   So it might do for a little while.

After about 6 hours on the charger the batteries now seem full.  The cheap voltage gauge on the outside of the box is reading near 14.  

[bob g]

the next time you go to buy batteries, take a volt meter with ya

i would no way accept a battery that was anything less than 12.6 volt (for a 12volt)

or 6.3 volt (for a 6volt).

god only knows how long they have been sitting, partially discharged with the normal sulfation having time to crystallize and harden, cutting back on the batteries capacity. this lost capacity may never fully return without hurclean efforts to break it back down again.

why pay full price for something less than a full capacity battery?

they should have sold you those for half price!

all is left for you now is to rig up a capacity test and see how they hold up, if they are 205amp hour batteries they should carry a 10amp load for something over 20hrs (that is if the 205 amp/hr rating is based on a 20hr rate)

whatever the case, if they fall short by very much i would be returning them for warrantee and explaining to them why,,

and take along your voltmeter.

bob g

[Airstream]

Please take the time to do a sturdy mechanical fastener and avoid the nylon belt; reasons include perpetual stretching allowing the batteries to 'rock' enough that they can wear through the cases very fast under the belt or if they touch anything.

Threaded rod and a zero-movement battery top corner angle bracket - or clamp downs on indents provided in casings is the way to go. Junk yard items, usually left in place when they pull the battery at a u-pick junkyard.

Here is a picture of a mobile highway construction lighting trailer battery set up, the axle runs top to bottom underneath the electronics bay shown - the trailer has a boom and long hitch frame extending to the right balancing the rearward placed batteries...

[esc]

The sticker on the batteries says they were manufactured this month...for what that's worth.  The voltage also came right up with a little charging.  I suspect that they are are fine.  But hey do have a 90 day (I think) free replacement guarantee ... so I have a little time to decide if they really are good.

I am playing with some angle iron right now.  I may have a picture of a the mounting system later today.

[Airstream]

Beware most 'angle iron' is 90° square at the outside corner only, the interior angle is rough mill finish and wall thickness tapers out from angle from where it was rolled to force that outside angle. A true 90° angle at the inside corner to trap the battery corners probably means using sheet steel bent on a brake, or use the angle iron as cross strap with plexiglass corner spacer blah blah etc. blah. Sorry to micromanage, just been there done that too many  times : )

[esc]

I am using the outside edge to restrain the batteries.

I'll try to get some pictures soon, it would take to long to type an explanation.