Hydrocaps in general [RE-wrenches]

[Bob-O Schultze, Electron Connection]

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Gang,
Hydrocaps do indeed "wear out". Whatever is in there is sacrificial 
and reduces in both weight and size. It's not a function of time, but 
overcharge amps. They are good for just so many. I've seen a hydro 
system with the CC set too high use up a set of H-caps in a little 
over two years. Under most conditions and in most systems, however, 
they work very well. If you are hitting the batteries with a high 
charge rate or you set your CC high with a big RE system (in relation 
to your battery size), they will wear out fast. They get hot when 
dealing with a seriously gassing battery. Most folks recommend taking 
them off and putting the original caps back on during EQ sessions. If 
you are using your inverter as a charger and hitting the batts at a 
C-15 or higher, that's a REALLY good idea. If you are using a typical 
PV system at C-40 or so, it isn't necessary, but they will get good 
and warm so they bear checking on.
Hcaps do three things. 1) they really do reduce the free hydrogen in 
the air dramatically. No other product does this. 2) they reduce 
watering by 50-75% 3) they keep the tops of the batteries clean by 
eliminating electrolyte spitting and the "schmaze" that always seems 
to occur with regular caps. Probably that's as much from overfilling 
by the client as from gassing, but it's a mess either way.
On the down side, they can plug and melt under a heavy charge. It's 
fairly rare but it happens. Sometimes it will even melt part of the 
cap opening with it. I've never seen a battery top blown out like 
apparently Don has. That would be MUCH rarer. Client education is the 
key. If you've got a client too rich or too busy to relate to the 
condition of his batteries, don't use them.
The absolute WORST thing about Hydrocaps is the owner of the company, 
old George. George is like, 90 years old going on 5000 or something 
and in all those years he never learned that good charge cycles are 
required to maintain the battery, not his damn Hydrocaps! In the 15 
years that I dealt with him, he never admitted a fault EVER. I can 
remember one batch of 100 that I got from him where the glue job 
between the base and the cap failed in about 25% of them. It was MY 
fault for over tightening them, never mind that I bought about 1000 
of the buggers every year previously and had had few previous 
problems. That's just one example. I mean, hell, I'd like to get to 
be 90 and (more) crotchety myself some day, so I try to understand, 
but damn! it's frustrating.
Bottom line, I still recommend and install them in many cases but I 
hold my nose while buying them. Kinda like they way I feel about 
Brand X these days. Education of the client as to what they can and 
can't do is the key. Just like the rest of the system, eh?
Best, Bob-O

>Matt said:
>>How old are the caps? Hydrocaps need to be replaced every few years
>>since the catalyst gets used-up and stops functioning.
>
>That can't be right since by definition a catalyst is not used up during
>the chemical reaction it is promoting.
>Do Hydrocaps really wear out? That would make them much less useful than
>I thought.
>
>Eric Smiley


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"There is little evidence that the American economy, which grew more 
than 4 percent in 1999 and surged forward at an even faster pace in 
the second half of the year, is slowing appreciably." Alan Greenspan, 
Feb 2000, just before the stock market and the economy tanked.

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