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<p><font size="+1"><tt>Hi David, do you have any pictures of this
that could be shared? Chris</tt></font><br>
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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 1/20/2017 12:52 PM, Dave Palumbo
wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">Following is an entry from a
Backwoods Solar email that I received today. I would like to
share this as a teachable point for RE techs not familiar
enough with proper battery bank care and as a reminder for
those of us with years of storage battery experience. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">I have underlined the two
issues in the Backwoods email copied below my bullet points
to highlight the teachable issues.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">Checking wiring connections:
Check not only for tightness but also for temperature. There
are two simple methods that work well: #1) Use an IR
Thermometer to ensure all connections are of a similar
moderate temperature. #2) Use your fingers to check
temperatures. I'm practiced at this second method because
inexpensive IR thermometers were not available when I began
to care for storage batteries. I simply use my bare fingers
(with a light coating of petroleum jelly) to wiggle test
each battery cable at the battery terminal. Fingers are
sensitive enough to gauge proper temperature. I have easily
found several warm or hot connection points over the years
caused by loose or corroded hardware. Do this as preventive
maintenance every time you water the batteries or bi-monthly
with sealed cells. Corrective measures (tightening, or
taking apart and cleaning, or replacing, and reinstalling)
are taken immediately when a warmer than usual connection is
identified.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">It is not recommended by most
veteran wrenches to use any "anti-corrosion paste" on the
terminal connections. This has been discussed a few times
over the years on the Wrenches list. Most of us have found
that a thin coating of petroleum jelly (Vaseline is one
brand) does the best job of protecting against corrosion
while still allowing some visual inspection.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>from Backwoods Solar 1/20/17. << This past summer
Backwoods had a visit from one of our retired co-workers,
xxxxx. While it is always good to have friends visit, the
circumstances for his dropping by were less than ideal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">A small, catastrophic failure
had led to the loss of a battery bank, two inverters, and a
voltage converter. Ultimately, the failure was traced back
to a single nut and bolt in the battery bank cable
connections, that had developed hidden corrosion over time.
Corrosion causes resistance to the flow of electricity,
which in turn generates heat. With enough corrosion, and
enough current flow, the amount of heat generated can be
sufficient to melt battery terminal connections; which is
exactly what happened in xxxxx’s case. The melted metal
flowed between the negative and positive terminals of his
industrial battery, causing a high power short that was
beyond the capabilities of any of the circuit protection,
resulting in the damage to the equipment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">Now keep in mind, xxxxx is
one of the more detail-oriented people we’ve had here at
Backwoods. The discipline of a military background, along
with critical thinking of an engineer, were still not enough
to overlook one very tiny detail. xxxxx does his mechanical
maintenance on a routine schedule; <u>checking for
tightness in wiring connections</u>, cleaning accumulated
spray off battery tops, cleaning out dust and spider webs, <u>and
keeping his battery terminal posts coated with
anti-corrosion paste.</u> This is not the type of person
you’d expect to see such a failure.</span><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">So what happened? It all
boiled down to the battery terminal connections. What xxxxx
had NOT done, was dissembled the nut and bolts from the
battery terminals and cables to check for internal, hidden
corrosion. It had been about 6 years since he had done that
level of inspection. When previously reviewed, the hardware
had been thoroughly inspected, cleaned, and re-assembled,
and then coated with <u>anti-corrosion paste on the
exterior</u>. In one of the 16 nut/bolt pairs, a small
bit of contamination or moisture must have been left trapped
inside. Over the course of the next six years, the
corrosion grew, contaminating the entire connection; but was
NOT visible externally at all! >><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif"">Dave<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">David Palumbo <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Independent Power LLC<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">462 Solar Way Drive<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hyde Park, VT 05655<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">802-371-8678 cell<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">802-888-4917 home<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Christopher Warfel, PE
Entech Engineering, Inc.
401-466-8978</pre>
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