[RE-wrenches] Battery Automatic Watering

Mon Dec 14 09:37:46 PST 2009

Water miser caps and hydro caps are not the same thing except that they both
fit into the hole in the top of the battery.
I have not used hydro caps in years, too hard to deal with!
Take them off to equalise the battery bank? Thats when you need them
most....

Bob

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 11:14 AM, Carl Hansen <solarwks at cybermesa.com>wrote:

>  "Watermiser" caps work the same way as the Hydrocaps and the caps do not
> need to be removed for equalization, per the manufacturer's directions.
>
> Carl
> Hansen&Sun Elect.
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* frenergy <frenergy at psln.com>
> *To:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> ;
> Allan at positiveenergysolar.com
> *Sent:* Monday, December 14, 2009 9:05 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery Automatic Watering
>
> Maybe one way to express it would be hydrocaps are great if you use the the
> same charging parameters no matter what the age, condition of the battery
> is.  This seems to be critical to sizing the HCs properly.  And you (or the
> "always attentive and willing" customer) don't (doesn't) mind removing (and
> replacing) the hydrocaps for every equalization for the rest of eternity.  I
> wonder if part of this debate doesn't center on the frequency of
> equalizations. Many battery brands, systems require more frequent eqs than
> others.
>
> Maybe you can tell I've gone back to regular caps after using HCs
>
>
> Bill
> Feather River Solar Electric
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Bill Loesch <solar1online at charter.net>
> *To:* Allan at positiveenergysolar.com ; RE-wrenches<re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> *Sent:* Monday, December 14, 2009 4:17 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery Automatic Watering
>
> Another person's opinion...
> With all due respect, Allan, if you understand how the Hydrocap works
> (properly sized, removal when equalizing, as detailed in the instructions)
> and use distilled (or equivalent) water to top off the electrolyte much more
> infrequently than regularly, Hydrocaps provide a close second to
> a recombinant battery at a fraction of the cost of the real thing. Moreover,
> they are reusable (unless you blow them up).
>
> I know of nothing, nothing that competes with the Hydrocap. The yellow
> flip caps provide a marginal convenience in terms of filling, however there
> is no comparison in performance. Have any Homepower articles ever reviewed
> either of these things back in the Dark Ages?
>
> The use of a suitable battery enclosure to contain the potential results of
> _any_ battery mishap should be defacto procedure.
>
> I will send George a copy of this thread and will post his reply, if
> he chooses to comment. I believe it was Windy who commented the biggest
> hassle of the Hydrocaps was dealing with George and evidently Joel can echo
> that experience.
>
> Bill Loesch
> Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar
> 314 631 1094
>
> MO Licensed Professional Engineer
> Saint Louis County (MO) Licensed Water Heater Specialist
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Allan Sindelar <allan at positiveenergysolar.com>
> *To:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 13, 2009 4:01 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery Automatic Watering
>
> One person's opinion, here...
> Avoid Hydrocaps. You need to remove them to equalize. They can clog up and
> plug the battery up, leading to an explosion from pressure. I have seen it.
>
> <![endif]-->
>
> *Allan** Sindelar*
> Allan at positiveenergysolar.com
> NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer
> EE98J Journeyman Electrician
> *Positive Energy, Inc.*
> 3201 Calle Marie
> Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
> *505 424-1112*
> www.positiveenergysolar.com
>
>
> Windsun at wind-sun.com wrote:
>
> Hydrocaps - they run around $30 each last I checked. We used to sell them
> but gave up when lead times went from weeks to months.
>
>
> ..................................................................................................
> Northern Arizona Wind & Sun - Electricity From The Sun Since 1979
> Solar Discussion Forum: http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/
>
> ..................................................................................................
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Andrew Truitt <atruitt at gmail.com>
> *To:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 13, 2009 1:07 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery Automatic Watering
>
>
> Has anyone ever used the recombination caps that combine the released
> hydrogen with oxygen and return the pure water to the cells?  I am
> considering them for a large ([98] 2200Ah Surrettes) battery system that we
> installed a while ago, but I think they run about $200 a piece.
>
>
> Andrew Truitt
> Standard Solar Inc.
>
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 1:33 PM, Joel Davidson <
> joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> Than you Roy, Jay, Jeff, and ...
>>
>> I'm glad I checked my email before going to Pep Boys to buy an automotive
>> battery filler. Great idea! I've been buying and selling batteries for over
>> 35 years and this is the first time I've heard about using a garden sprayer
>> to fill batteries. The RE-Wrenches knowledge base scores again!
>>
>> Happy Holidays.
>> Joel Davidson
>>
>>  ------------------------------
>
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