<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Daniel,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">If it was me, I wouldn't do it. The biggest issue is that dissimilar batteries (as well as different age batteries) have different internal resistance. This will only exacerbate the problem with running multiple strings of batteries - that is they will charge and discharge at different rates, causing the individual batteries to drift farther and farther apart. And even if the new batteries settled down into a similar charge/discharge routine as the remaining bank, my experience has been that often, when a couple batteries in a larger bank die, they are only the first of many to find their way to becoming boat anchors. So you will potentially find yourself needing replacement of more batteries sooner than you'll be happy about.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">My suggestion would be to sort through the remaining batteries to find the healthiest 16 (through load and specific gravity testing), rearrange the bank into 2 strings of 8, keeping the others for replacement of future potential failures. This will give you some breathing room to propare to make the investment into a full replacement bank, be it Lead-Acid or Lithium.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Howie<br clear="all"></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(120,63,4)"><b>Howie Michaelson<br></b></span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"></span></font></span></span><span><span><span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><b>Sun Catcher</b></span><br><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font size="2">
<span style="color:rgb(32,18,77)"><b><span></span></b></span></font></span></span></font></span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font size="2"><span style="color:rgb(32,18,77)"><b><span><span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"></span></span></span></span></b></span></font></span></span></font></span></span></span></span><span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><b><font size="1"><i>NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™<br></i></font></b></span></font></span><span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(120,63,4)"></span></font></span></span></span><span><span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(120,63,4)"><b><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1MQF8aTcFNnBR59ia5JAm1DsPHCxzNkPx&export=download"><br></b></span></font></span></span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><b><font size="1"><i></i></font></b></span></font></span><span><font color="#888888"><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font size="2"><span style="color:rgb(32,18,77)"><b><span><span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font size="2">Solar Electric Systems Sales & Service<br></font></span></span><span style="color:rgb(180,95,6)">802-272-0004</span></span></span></b></span></font></span></span></font></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Apr 3, 2023 at 2:04 PM Daniel Young via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg4037547422859790280">
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello Wrenches,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Have a client with 24 x Rolls S550’s. 2 of the batteries have given up the ghost. Rolls will replace them under the pro rated warranty.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The issue us, the client is wanting to replace them with non Rolls batteries to save $. They can get 400AH 6V L-16 form factor FLA batteries from a local battery house for the same price I am going to get the new Rolls for. And that also
means they don’t need to pay for freight. The net result is that they could save $4-500 by getting the batteries locally. No freight, and no markup on the batteries we provide (I can technically add the lost markup back in as labor, we do need to make something
off of the 3hr one way drive to swap the batteries)<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Question is, has anyone got experience mixing battery brands like this?<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3 x strings of 8 c S550’s (L-16HC would be the replacements) both dead batteries are on the same string.
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whole battery bank is near the 5yr old mark.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The last rolls battery bank the client had lasted them 10 years. (they baby the battery bank to be sure, and take maintenance seriously)<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I understand where the client is coming from, but do not want to let them shoot themselves in the foot, and I simply do not know what the chances are of swapping in batteries from a different brand. In my head, I don’t see a big issue,
even if they are sub par, they will likely just get older faster, and fail around the same time as the rest of the 4-5yr old battery bank. But I’m unsure if there are any more subtle issue that these other batteries would cause.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Client has been loyal for more than a decade, so I want to give them a fair shake at saving some $ now, as they plan to move to lithium when the whole battery bank finally gives out.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With Regards,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather">--<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather">Danny Young<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather">NABCEP PV Installation Professional #031508-90<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather">Engineering Team Lead<br>
Solar Energy Solutions<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Merriweather Regular",serif">Lexington | Louisville | Bloomington | Cincinnati | Evansville | Indianapolis</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather">513-448-5176 (mobile)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Merriweather"><a href="mailto:danny@sesre.com" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">danny@sesre.com</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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