Update to battery and inverter problems

[halfcrazy]

This is a update to my bridge rectifier post but for those that didnt read that here is the system and the problem my friends system is 880ah of 6 volt interstate batteries wired 4 sets of 4 for 24 volt the inverter is a outback fx2024 12 shell sq 160 watt panels wired 10 at 48 volt into a mx60 2 at 24 volt into a c60. the problem is we cant equilize no matter what we trywe have set fx and mx to equilize with the full sun and generator etc. and the batterys dont seem to hold a charge very long either. So I installed the trimetric amp hour meter and played with the system set the fx to equilize and fired generator up it is putting a steady 49.5-52 amps into batteries acording to the trimetric the batteries where pretty much full from the sun and the voltage jumped right up to 28.4 and then over like 15 minutes went up to 29.2 then like 30 minutes later we got to 29.8 then we let the generator run for 3 hours and it was still at 29.8 and still putting 49.5 amps into batterys now this is the problem we have been having it will get to 29.6 or sometimes 30.0 but will not go higher we let the generator run for 8 hours one day and then we split the bank in two and tried again with just 440ah of batteries and same results seems like i have to be missing something but can not figure it out for the life of me unless 50 amps just wont do it. and when we where all done last night w let it rest for 30 minutes and did a specific gravity check on at least half the cells and we got from 1.265 to 1.285 so it appears they are fairly charged but this has me stumped?

Editors Note: Not sure why you feel you need to repost this? It just tends to make following the thread difficult. In the future, I suggest you continue the original thread or open a Diary on it. Makes it easier for folks to follow the entire topic. Spreading it out all over the board is less than helpful for anyone.

[Flux]

You seem to have all the indications of batteries on their last legs.

If you can maintain that sort of current into them then that is as far as they are going to go. If the sg doesn't rise after 3 consecutive hours and the things are gassing then there is not much you can do,

Just concentrate on one battery, if it has link bars, are all the cells the same voltage. If so and it has been gassing for several hours, try a discharge test at known current and see how long it holds over 6v ( you may have to try at 12v to find easier loads such as car headlamps).

I suspect you will find the capacity is a small fraction of the nominal and they are scrap.

Equalising keeps good batteries happy, it doesn't fix scrap ones. Most likely 80% of the plate material is in the space under the plates and shorting them out.

Flux

[halfcrazy]

thanks flux thats what i am suspecting to we are doing a sort off load test as we speek we installed the trimetric last night and shuttoff pv so we are going to run it for 24 hours and see what the trimetric says for ah removed and compare it to voltage and specific gravity then maybe we will load test a couple of them at a known value and get some acurate data i believe they may be beyond repair.

[halfcrazy]

and a reply to the editors i started a new post because the first one was on brideg rectifiers not outback inverters equilizing so i started a new post in hopes of getting as much input as possible but delet it if you find it necesary

[asheets]

In addition to what the editor mentioned, I would like to suggest some carraige returns or some formatting to make this a bit easier to read.

[Volvo farmer]

You got a tough room tonight, huh Halfcrazy?

I completely see the point in making a new thread out of this, It's not at all about bridge rectifiers and MX60s, and would have been dragging that thread even further off topic than it had already gone.

But I aint an editor ;-)

I'm with Flux, sounds like bad batteries. Luckilly those interstates were the Sam's club battery last time I checked and the bank can be replaced for less than $1000

 

[halfcrazy]

Hey thanks Volvo Farmer i do think i have a tough room but as a newbie i believe i just dont add up to some of the veterans standards so delete this post and i will sign off and leave all alone. Sorry to bother the higher ups with my childish typing skills it wont be a problem any more

Goodbye Halfcrazy

 

[RP]

Come on now.  You got two non-technical comments on your posting.  

The editor made a logical point although you countered it just as logically and with validity I think.  You also got a comment about breaking into paragraphs (which does make it much easier to read).

Nobody griped about spelling or called you names.  Deep breath.  :-)

[Shadow]

This may be irrelavant in your case as I'm not sure where youre located, but when my battery bank got real cold it took forever to bring it back up to par. Even with the Diesel generator it seemed like a long time before it got to equalize stage.

          Its been getting down to minus 30 here at nights,so having a hard time keeping things heated. Its minus 20 cel. here right now, wind is 42 gusting to 50 km. Forecast for tomorrow? +2 degrees! Go figure..

[wpowokal]

With regards to no breaks in the text this is a common problem not only for newbies. See "How to use the board", top R/H box (Menu Box).

allan down under

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

As my wife and I remark to each other whenever it's really cold:  "Where is Al Gore when you need him?"  B-)

Any more "global warming" and we'll all freeze to death.

[WindHarvester]

Ignorance seems to have chased another user from the forum.

Lonnie

[Volvo farmer]

Ignorance? Perhaps you mean arrogance?

Arrogance:noun 1. overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors.

[wpowokal]

Simple and too the point Volvo.

allan down under

[WindHarvester]

Thank you for the correction Volvo, thats exactly what I meant.

Lonnie