Replacing overflowed electrolyte (was: More on battery management) [RE-wrenches

[Windy Dankoff]

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Kelly,

Kelly, Too late for your Deka customer, but using an automotive  
battery filling pitcher would probably eliminate the overfill. Plus,  
have customer put it on calendar to fill only every 6 months (or  
whatever you judge) and never when state-of-charge is low. Emphasize  
that there is no danger in having a low level, as long as plates are  
submerged.

Once electrolyte has been lost due to overflow or spillage, it must  
be replaced with new electrolyte, not water, or dilution will occur.  
Unfortunately, your customer now has an unpleasant task to perform,  
based largely on guesswork, to suck out dilute solution and replace  
it with full-strength electrolyte, little by little, until finally  
the cells approach some sort of correction. Yuck! This could take 2  
years.

You might call Deka and propose this -- If batteries are <1 year old,  
there should be practically no sediment. This makes it safe (for the  
batteries) to be tipped over and emptied, then refilled with fresh  
electrolyte. It would be the only way to quickly correct the  
situation if the cells are now uneven.

Windy


> From: Kelly Larson <solarwrench at asis.com>
> Subject: RE: More on battery management
>
> Hi Windy and all.  Thanks for sharing your battery wisdom.
>
> My questions mostly center around the batteries I install and am  
> looking
> to maintain/coach the customer to maintain. They all start in new
> condition, I check voltage and sg on installation.
>
> I have one pack of Deka L-16 that came with one cell bad.  Returned  
> that
> bat and have been monitoring the rest.  Customer took me too serious
> about keeping the batteries watered, and overwatered.  Bats equalized
> with some electrolyte spirting out 3 or 4 times, (over 6 months).   
> Then
> sg is low in all, even at full charge.  I jumped to the conclusion  
> that
> electrolyte is weak, but on investigation gathered that is  
> difficult to
> do.  Cells continue to be low and somewhat uneven after a year of use.
> Customer doesn't dip far into the pack, ususally only 10%, and reaches
> down to 48.5 on occasion , maybe 5 times, when he turns on the genny
> right away and gets the pack up to 90-95%.
>
> The obvious stuff, batteries swollen or on last gasp, I can  
> handle.  It
> is the more subtle problems I struggle with...and remediation on
> starting-to-go-off-the-right-path banks.
>
> Kelly Larson
> BSEE
> Ca Electrical Contractor #868189


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