New batteries

[thirteen]

I finally was able to mount my first set of solar panels and did everything right so I thought.  It was just dark so I started the system and wow I got  lights.  I was happy so I headed up to my wood shed. After the first 5 steps all went dark and I ran into my sawhorse. The lights flickered once and everything shut down. I had 3 lights on the system. So I found a flashlight and explored what happened.
The veiw screen said low voltage. I checked the battery voltage and it said 24.3 volts. This is a new set of 4 / 6 v batteries. I charged them up with the genset for an hour while I fixed supper.
I went out and restarted the system.
WOW I got 20 seconds of light. I reset the inverter and got nothing. I just went into the house and read the booklets and desided to wait until morning.
In the morning I checked the system out and found a cable on the second battery (that was not made by me) to be loose. I pulled it out of the half crimped positive clamp. I corrected it and was happy I found the problem. Restarted again and got 20 seconds of lights. I went through the batteries and found a new battery with a dead cell. I stuck my 11 year old half battery in its place and got lights for a couple of hours. But I then took it back out so as not to damage the new batteries. I left and took the battery back and will install a new one next week when I go back up. I never even thought of checking the new batteries before using them.  My fault I should have checked them when I picked them up but I did not think out it. It about 104 mile trip. It does make life interesting.
13

[gww]

Bummer about the battery but better to know then not.  I don't have batteries yet but now I know to watch.  All avice I have read says to commission charge and record your batterys charged sg so you can diagnose latter issues and always know what you have. 

Good luck
gww

[bob golding]

i agree with that. when i got my 8 rolls 460 amp hour batteries that is what i did. when you are paying the price rolls charge it is a good idea to read the manual. good job the lights did go out really before any more damage was done. there is alot of power there. a shorted cell could cause a lot of damage.

[XeonPony]

My commissioning procedure charge the batteries individually, then hook them into the bank, charge the bank , then I run an equalizing charge, let rest for a day or two then measure the voltage standing and Sg,  put a load to drain the bank down to 50% recharge then run it down near 100% recharge, measure Sg and standing voltage after the 1/2 and full cycle,  I lovingly call it "Initializing the bank"


It is timely and costly but will catch any issue's well be for hand! They ain't light and where I shove em I do not want to do it twice!  I often get the shop to do this as part of the sale but I do the Sg my self along with the voltage, when you're spending 1300 on batteries it is amazing what you can get tossed in!

I all ways crimp, then solder my cable connectors, you never want to just crimp or just solder, all ways both! and wire brush the battery terminals and the wire terminals so it is all clean and shiny then torque it down good! you want to nearly cold weld the lead to the lead battery connects

Remember, you life DEPENDS on you doing the bank perfectly! whether it is power or preventing fire it is critical part of your system! and the most dangerous!