short lived UPS system [RE-wrenches]

[Darryl Thayer]

Hello to all
Since my last post on this topic, I have had two more
calls on failed failed UPS systems,y2k 3years old. 
one with L16 one with golf cart batteries. (both Lead
Antinmony technology) All with Hydro caps.  The
inverters were all SW5548s, Both said they had watered
maybe 6 months to a year ago they did not remember.
Both thought the water use was very low at first, and
when the system failed the water-acid was almost gone.
One system had functioned several times due to grid
failure the other maybe twice in 3years.  

Is it the batteries having a high self discharge? or
is perhaps one cell fails which causes the other cells
to be overcharged.  On one system the hydrocaps had
melted.   On the other system the hydrocaps looked
fine.

I am installing C&D Orion series, 1000 ah two paralled
sets on one system, and L-16s on the other system. The
previous two systems that I mentioned I am installing,
one is getting C&D Orion series one string, 530 AH and
the other Surretts two parlleled.  

I do not like to parallel sealed or any battery, but
economics of the 535 AH Orion being on sale pushed me
over the hill.    
Daryl

--- Jason Fisher <jfisher at nahbrc.org> wrote:
> I've now had two Y2K customers (I know, but what was
> I going to say, no?),
> each with PV charging sixteen L16s @ 48V and SW's in
> sell mode, have their
> entire banks fail in the last year. These robust
> battery banks were only
> about 3 years old! It's hard for me to know what
> happened since they claim
> they watered the batteries and cannot give me a good
> idea of whether the
> system was cycled or equalized on any regular basis
> (which probably means
> none of these events occurred!). These
> recommendations had been given to
> them in their owner's manual.
> I also have another customer, also with sixteen L16s
> of the same vintage,
> who has kept the water up, cycled the bank
> frequently, and equalized every
> few months. His bank is doing fine.
> 
> I stopped selling flooded batteries to grid-tied PV
> customers who wanted
> backup in 2000. I simply didn't believe them when
> they said they "enjoy"
> watering the batteries and interacting with their PV
> system. Now that I've
> experienced these premature failures, I'm sure this
> was the right idea.
> 
> On this note, any common failure modes of gells or
> AGMs anyone knows about?
> 
> Jason Fisher


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