<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"><base href="x-msg://262/"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">You do not provide the length of time the plates were exposed so any response is a guess. The result of plate exposure to oxygen is hardening of the amorphous lead sulfate into sulphate crystals and grid corrosion. <div><br></div><div>You should just cover the plates with water then fully charge the bank. After that, perform an equalization charge, testing to see if you are increasing the SG of any cells. After this process, fill the battery to the proper level. <div><br></div><div>The only true test for damage to this bank is also an impractical one: a timed discharge test to measure actual capacity. Since it appears to work fine, I would just continue use.<div apple-content-edited="true"><br>Larry<div><br></div>
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<br><div><div>On Jun 10, 2013, at 7:22 AM, Will White <<a href="mailto:William.White@realgoods.com">William.White@realgoods.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; "><div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Wrenches,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">I have a customer who’s got a 24V off grid system with one string of 12 two volt, 2000AH Power Battery brand flooded lead batteries. The bank is about four years old and has been working great except the customer forgot to water the batteries for an extended period. When I went out to service them the plates were exposed and I had to add about a gallon of water per battery. These batteries have a large amount of water over the plates usually so I’m guessing that about 1-2” of the top of the plates were exposed which is about 10% of the total plate surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">So here’s the question. The bank seems to be working fine, is it likely that permanent damage was done? Is there a good way to test for damage? Is there anything I can to do mitigate any damage done?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Will<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><a name="_top"></a><u><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">__________________________________________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">Will White<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">Regional Field Operations Manager – New England<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); "> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">Real Goods Solar<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">64 Main St.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">Montpelier, VT 05602<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">Tel: (802) 223-7804<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); ">Cell: (802) 234-3167<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; color: rgb(15, 36, 62); "><a href="http://www.realgoodssolar.com/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: blue; ">www.realgoodssolar.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> </span></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>List sponsored by Home Power magazine<br><br>List Address:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; ">RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a><br><br>Change email address & settings:<br><a href="http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; ">http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org</a><br><br>List-Archive:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; ">http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org</a><br><br>List rules & etiquette:<br><a href="http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; ">www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm</a><br><br>Check out participant bios:<br><a href="http://www.members.re-wrenches.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; ">www.members.re-wrenches.org</a><br><br></div></div><br></div></div></body></html>