|
|
| Care
and Maintenance of Deep-Cycle Batteries |
| General Notes |
- New batteries
should be given a full charge before use.
- New batteries
need to be cycled several times before reaching full capacity
(20 50 cycles, depending on type).
- Battery cables
should be intact, and the connectors kept tight at all times.
Systematic inspection is recommended.
- Vent caps should
be kept in place and tight during use and while charging.
- Batteries should
be kept clean, free of dirt and corrosion at all times.
- Batteries should
be watered after extended charging, unless plates are exposed
before charging. If exposed, plates should be covered by approximately
1/8" of acid. Check acid level after charge. The acid level
should be kept 1/4" below the bottom of the fill well in
the cell cover. When an ETA Engineering PV charge controller is
used, the water level in each battery should be checked in six
month intervals (from the date of installation).
- Do not over-fill
cells. When fully charged, electrolyte can over-flow and cause
corrosion. If over-flow occurs regularly while charging your battery
bank with a photovoltaic array or wind turbine, contact ETA Engineering
for assistance.
- Water used to
replenish batteries should be distilled or treated, not to exceed
200 T.D.S. (total dissolved solids...parts per million). Particular
care should be taken to avoid metallic contamination (iron).
- For best battery
life, batteries should not be discharged below 80% of their rated
capacity. Proper battery sizing will help avoid excessive discharge.
- As batteries
age, their maintenance requirements change. This means longer
charging time and/or higher finish rate (higher amperage at the
end of the charge). Usually, older batteries need to be watered
more often and their capacity decreases.
- Avoid charging
at temperatures above 120ºF or ambient whichever is higher.
|
|
Home
| Turnkey Systems
