flooded v. sealed batteries [RE-wrenches]

[Matt Tritt]

Hi Joel,

I also prefer IBE, but also use Yuasa - both are excellent back
breakers! I use the 2 volt cells when no truck access is available, but
really like the combined 12 volt cases because of the far fewer
connections required in the field.

You're also right-on about L-16s being big golf cart batteries. I find
that most long-term off-gridders will eventually gravitate (ha ha) to
the right equipment after they've had enough problems with everything
else. There are those, however, who will stick with their troublesome
T-105's, J-250's and L-16's regardless of how often they have to be
replaced.
Too bad!

Matt T

-----Original Message-----
From: Joel Davidson [mailto:joeldavidson at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2003 5:46 AM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Re: flooded v. sealed batteries [RE-wrenches]


Hi Matt,

In general, L16s and forklift batteries are just big golf cart
batteries. Golf cart batteries are cheap (under $50 at Sam's Club)
because thousands are produced and consumed daily. Significantly fewer
L16s are produced and priced accordingly for the specialty floor
scrubber market. Not enough batteries are bought by the RE market to
affect prices. I prefer Industrial Battery Engineering (IBE) 119 pound
2-volt cells, because they are locally made in Sunland, California, good
quality and about as heavy as one guy can handle with a dolly.

I encourage wrenches to visit a battery factory. It's a real (stinging)
eye-opener. IBE and Trojan are pretty clean plants. Trojan monitors
employees' lead content, but I don't know what they do with employees
who are maxed out with lead. The Trojan factory charging room made me
think of Dante's Inferno.

I'm sure there are more recent reports on batteries, but for starters
see Battery Testing For Photovoltaic Applications by Tom Hund at
http://www.sandia.gov/pv/docs/battery1.htm

Best regards,
Joel Davidson

Matt Tritt wrote:

> Marco,
>
> I've found over the years that regular, old fashioned lead acid bat's 
> are the most forgiving - if also the most inconvenient - for RE 
> systems of any appreciable size. I've migrated away from L-16's to 
> large industrial steel clad types because of the far greater life 
> expectancy. They are indeed a royal pain in the posterior to 
> transport, but man-O-man, there's just no comparison in warranty, 
> reliability and resiliancy. Cost-wise they pay off in the long run, 
> but scare many buyers away with the initial outlay.
>
> Matt T

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