Battery Bank Venting [RE-wrenches]

Fri Apr 25 09:05:16 PDT 2008

Darryl,

99% of the work we do is battery based. I have been installing AGM batteries (Deka, Lifeline, Concorde, Sun Xtender, Optima) for many years. I'm curious why you warn against parallel strings and thermal runaway? Have you experienced any of problems?

Out of hundreds of batteries installed, I have never had a case of thermal runaway. If fact, AGM's in general have been the most reliable batteries we have sold. There seems to be no limit to the charge current these batteries can handle. Do you have any actual experience of "excessive charge rate frying AGM's"?

I have had only two batteries that have vented. Both had a defective cell as measured by resting voltage. Some of our customers severely abuse small 12 volt banks of 2 or 3 series/parallel strings of 6 volt Lifelines. After 8 to 10 hours of equalization at 15.5 volts, these banks returned to nearly full capacity and are still in use. Also, I have been buying batteries for the last year and many 4D and 8D AGM's have come in. Most of these are at 10 volts or less when they arrive. I can restore about 80% of these and have been reselling them as good used batteries.

Richard, from my experience with AGM's I would not hesitate to install the bank in the location you have described.
Larry Crutcher

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Darryl Thayer 
  To: RE-wrenches at topica.com 
  Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 4:20 PM
  Subject: RE: Battery Bank Venting [RE-wrenches]

  Be careful of thermal runaway.  Do not parallel
  strings. with this caveats I think it is safe to have
  these batteries indoors.   Has  anyone tried a
  hydrogen sensor, I have heard that the hydrogen will
  rise faster than diffuse, So a hydrogen sensor in the
  top of a sealed cover should detect hydrogen before
  any accumulation. 

  A properly operating AGM should not release any H2,
  but of course thermal runway or excessive charge rate
  will fry the batteries.  
  Darryl

  --- Richard Bogan <rbogan at empire-solar.com> wrote:

  > 
  > 12
  > 
  > Richard J. Bogan 
  > NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer (r) 
  > Solar Operations Manager | Empire Solar Solutions,
  > LP
  > cell 562-755-7389 | fax 708-202-6144
  >  
  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: Mark Frye [mailto:markf at berkeleysolar.com] 
  > Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 4:05 PM
  > To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
  > Subject: RE: Battery Bank Venting [RE-wrenches]
  > 
  > 
  > How many of these sealed batteries do you intent to
  > install?
  >  
  > Mark Frye
  > Berkeley Solar Electric Systems
  > 271 Vistamont Dr
  > Grass Valley CA 95945
  > (530) 401-8024
  > www.berkeleysolar.com 
  > 
  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: Richard Bogan [mailto:rbogan at empire-solar.com]
  > 
  > Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 4:03 PM
  > To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
  > Subject: Battery Bank Venting [RE-wrenches]
  > 
  > 
  > Hello wrenches,
  > 
  > We have a battery back-up / interconnected system
  > utilizing PVX-2580L
  > Sealed
  > AGM SunXtender batteries. The battery bank will be
  > located inside a
  > utility
  > room which is part of a large 2000 sqft underground
  > garage.
  > The room has mechanical venting out into the garage.
  > The garage has
  > 8-10'
  > ceilings and a large double garage door that goes up
  > to ground level.
  > It
  > also has a couple of doors to finish portions of the
  > basement (wine
  > cellar,
  > maid quarters, Rec. room) and 2 stairways up to the
  > first floor living
  > area.
  > 
  > 
  > Standard practice for us is to have venting but in
  > this case the
  > basement
  > walls are ~16" solid concrete walls with no
  > available openings for a fan
  > to
  > push air outside. We contacted the battery
  > manufacture and they gave us
  > a
  > reality scenario where the chances of enough
  > hydrogen to accumulate in
  > this
  > large of area to reach an explosive level is
  > impossible BUT, they are
  > not
  > fire experts and we should consult with our local
  > fire department for
  > guidance. 
  > 
  > If we have to we will core a hole into the
  > foundation install a fart fan
  > and
  > ducting but, I wanted to get your thoughts before
  > that fun job.
  > 
  > Thank you!
  > 
  > Richard J. Bogan
  > NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer (r) Solar
  > Operations Manager |
  > Empire
  > Solar Solutions, LP
  > 
  > 
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