Homebrewed Electricity > Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I get the Longest Life from my Batteries?

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wooferhound:
The best way to get the longest life from Batteries is not to use them and just keep them on a Float Charge for their entire life. You can get over 20 years of service this way. However we want to use our power don't we, and therefore we want to use the battery. Here are some quick tips on how to extend your battery life . . .

The less you can drain the battery before you recharge it the better
Don't leave your battery discharged for a long time, recharge as soon as possible
Keep the voltage above 12.0 volts as much as possible to avoid Sulfation
Voltage below 10.5 volts will cause Hard Sulfation which is hard to reverse
Do an Equalization Charge regularly to help remove sulfation and revive the battery
Equalization is a Higher voltage of 15.5 to 16 volts for 2 or 3 hours on a regular schedule

Here is Too Much information about taking care of Batteries, their Construction and Operation.

This Do and Don't battery table summarizes the need to obtain reliable service with long life and advises proper handling of each battery type.
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-21.htm

how lead acid batteries work and what they need without burying you with a bunch of needless technical data. Talks about all types of Batteries
http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

Intended to give everyone a healthy appreciation of how to take care of and work safely around a lead-acid battery bank used for Solar power.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago95.html

From the Trojan Battery Company. This PDF file will focus on how to properly maintain and charge all Trojan lead-acid battery types.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/pdf.folder/Download%20folder/battery_maint.pdf

Very basic information on battery care.  This information is not for gel-cell, ni-cad or alkaline batteries, which will have different maintenance requirements.
http://www.oasismontana.com/batteries.html

Very technical PDF of a 1964 Battery service manual produced by the Association of American Battery Manufacturers. Details Battery construction and operation.
http://www.rebelwolf.com/downloads/BattMan.pdf

On the Trojan Battery Website. This page and the links on the righthand side of the page talk about all forms of Battery Maintenance.
http://www.trojanbattery.com/Tech-Support/BatteryMaintenance.aspx

From the OtherPower Website referring to all of the battery basics: Wiring, Safety, Care, Chargers and more. The links are at the bottom of the page.
http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_battery.html

Car and deep cycle battery answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), tips, manufacturer's information, references and hyperlinks are contained on this consumer oriented Web site about car, motorcycle, power sports, truck, boat, marine, recreational vehicle, solar, and other starting and deep cycle applications.
http://www.batteryfaq.org


Even more Links to Battery studies by Sandia National Laboratories. These studies focus on batteries that are used in Renewable Energy Electric Systems.
http://www.sandia.gov/pv/docs/BattIntro.htm

wpowokal:
Schedule as many loads as possible while there is incoming power, then as far as possible the inverter will draw from the incoming and not the batteries, doing this will limit the battery depth of discharge and lengthen their life.

Allan

DamonHD:
You'll also generally get much more useful energy out of your system that way, since putting it into a battery and getting it out again loses ~20% (depending on battery type, and balance of system efficiency).

Rgds

Damon

ricie:
for deep cycle batterys a battery pulse desulfator helps keep the battery alive longer

TomW:

--- Quote from: ricie on August 15, 2010, 09:59:05 PM ---for deep cycle batterys a battery pulse desulfator helps keep the battery alive longer

--- End quote ---

Sorry, but I disagree.
 
Can you cite some unaffiliated studies that prove this?

Or are we just supposed  to believe you "on faith"?

Please do not make statements as fact without some backup data.

I ran one from day one on my 12 volt Trojan 105 bank of a dozen batteries and it showed absolutely no increase in life. Period.

That is my personal real world experience.

What is yours?

Just facts, please.

Tom

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