[RE-wrenches] battery venting; Corrosion

Fri Jan 6 09:52:25 PST 2012

You beat me to that one, Kent. Also, if your VRLA battery is emitting any gas, you've got trouble. 

Larry Crutcher
Starlight Solar Power Systems

On Jan 5, 2012, at 5:58 PM, Kent Osterberg wrote:

John,

Could you clarify units? "0.418 Liters/AH" is that per charge cycle? per hour? per minute? per cell?
Kent Osterberg
Blue Mountain Solar, Inc.
www.bluemountainsolar.com

On 1/5/2012 4:18 PM, John DeBoever wrote:
> 
> Hello Wrenches,
>  
> Here are some very general guidelines on the subject for consideration:
>  
> o   Free flow ventilation is required within lead acid battery room / enclosure:
> Batteries produce Hydrogen during charge, depending on the specific design and application
> The gassing appears approximately around 80%-90% SOC, depending on the specific design and application
> The amount of gassing increase with the battery ageing
> Hydrogen becomes explosive at a concentration of 4%
> Hydrogen levels must be kept below 1% or 2% percent
> Flooded batteries typically produce .418 Liters/AH of Hydrogen at STC, depending on the specific design and application
> VRLA batteries typically produce .004 to .013 Liters/AH of Hydrogen at STC,  depending on the specific design and application
>  
> o   Cleaning maintenance guidelines:
> Batteries are attract dust, dirt, and grime. Keeping them clean will help one spot trouble signs if they appear and avoid problems associated with grime.
> 1. Check that all vent caps are tightly in place.
> 2. Clean the battery top with a cloth or brush and a solution of baking soda and water. When cleaning, do not allow any cleaning solution, or other foreign matter to get inside the battery.
> 3. Rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth.
> 4. Clean battery terminals and the inside of cable clamps using a post and clamp cleaner. Clean terminals will have a bright metallic shine.
> 5. Reconnect the clamps to the terminals and thinly coat them with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to prevent corrosion.
> 6. Keep the area around batteries clean and dry.
>  
> Hope this help,
>  
> John
>  
> John F. DeBoever
> Global Projects & Technical Director – Renewable Energy
> Trojan Battery Company
>  
> 12380 Clark Street
> Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
> Tel: +1-562-236-3000 Ext. 3139
> Cell: +1-845-514-7600 – NY office time zone: USA EST (GMT-5)
> Fax: +1-562-236-3239
> jdeboever at trojanbattery.com
> www.trojanbattery.com
> <Mail Attachment.png>
>  
>     Happy Holidays
>  
>  
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of bob ellison
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 12:18 PM
> To: 'RE-wrenches'
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] battery venting; Corrosion
>  
> I have had great luck by heating Vaseline to the hot liquid state then brush it on all the exposed lead and I dip the cable ends also.
> Doing this I have had 1 terminal that got corroded out of several hundreds.
>  
> That gets you a thin coat and lasts for years.
> "Clean and tight" is nice but it gets corroded at some point, and I hate cleaning 1 terminal or 20!
>  
> Later,
> Bob Ellison
>  
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Larry Crutcher, Starlight Solar Power Systems
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 10:37 AM
> To: RE-wrenches
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] battery venting; Corrosion
>  
> Almost all RV's have a small, poorly vented battery box with 4 GC2 batteries. We see corrosion all the time. When we replace batteries, we use zinc coated copper terminals and apply a thin layer of grease with a toothbrush to every exposed portion of the connectors. This simple step, with the occasional reapplication, keeps all terminals as fresh as the day installed for many years. I am speaking from experience of hundreds of installations.
>  
> Larry Crutcher
> Starlight Solar Power Systems
>  
>  
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