[RE-wrenches] Odd battery problem - very low SG in only one cell

Mon Nov 23 10:24:22 PST 2015

T-1275’s are golf cart

Bill Dorsett

Manhattan, KS

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of RE Ellison
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2015 10:36 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Odd battery problem - very low SG in only one cell

I have seen a high number of Trojan L 16's losing single cells for no apparent reason

Probably starting five or six years ago

Many on battery banks for the people that had banks previously and gotten 10 or 12 years life out of them so I wouldn't expect anything different on the replacements

All I can think of is that something has changed in the Trojan L 16's

Couldn't tell you why but there's been too many failures to have any other reason

As usual this is just my opinion!

Bob

On Nov 23, 2015, at 9:42 AM, Starlight Solar Power Systems <larry at starlightsolar.com> wrote:

Dan,

Last week I had a 3+ year old Trojan L16H-AC with one dead middle cell, SG shows water. The bank has 8 batteries and the customer is diligent about maintenance and charging. I wish I knew why this happens but it seems over the last few years like there is a pattern with Trojan L16’s.  

 Larry

On Nov 22, 2015, at 7:49 AM, Dan Fink <danbob88 at gmail.com> wrote:

Esteemed Wrenches;

I'm looking for input on what could be going on with a battery bank at the college I teach for. It's a stand-alone system with 4 Trojan 12v T-1275 in series / parallel for 24v, 660w of PV, running only a drainback solar hot water system for space heating. So, 3 pumps and 3 DTCs, max load 100 watts and doesn't run all that often, outback CC is usually in float. The batteries are only 2.5 years old and are regularly maintained.

My lab class tested and maintained the battery bank last week, and on one battery there was one cell, in the middle of the battery, with a SG so low it wouldn't even register on our refractometer or midnite hydrometer. That battery reads about 0.2v lower than the others. All the other cells in that battery read reasonable SG, with 2 cells on the downstream side reading SG slightly low, but still in reasonable range. This was of course all before topping up the electrolyte with distilled water.

Our troubleshooting exercise looked at:

~ Measurement error? Nope, I was right there supervising and 2 different lab classes got the same results with 2 different instruments;

~ Stratification? A suspicion especially since the system is usually in float. We equalized twice, no change in SG. I DID hear that likely this was the first time the batteries had ever been equalized, but no way to know for sure.

~ Spilled electrolyte from tipped battery replaced with water by a previous instructor's class? Can't see this, all the other cells would have lost electrolyte too;

~ A student accidentally discharged electrolyte into the bucket instead of back in the cell, then was replaced by distilled water when topping up? I can't see that either, the midnite hydrometer needs only a small sample.

So, I'm left with "likely we have a cell that is failing for some reason" and students secretly smug that the professor is also stumped.

Any ideas?

Dan Fink

Adjunct Professor, Ecotech Institute

IREC Certified Instructor™ for: 

~ PV Installation Professional

~ Small Wind Installer

Executive Director, Buckville Energy

NABCEP Accredited Continuing Education Providers™
 <tel:970.672.4342> 970.672.4342

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