<div dir="ltr">Steve,<div> A third question. Would this also be a possibility with a Little Rosie and the MNGP2 settings. My customer was complaining about the same thing, not getting a Fortress e-flex to fully charge to 54.4.</div><div>He was having generator problems and failed L16 batteries with a VFX3524. It turns out the inverter was fine but with the bad generator output (fluctuating between 116vac and 124) we decided to upgrade the whole system with the MNLR4548 and MNPOWERFLO16 but are using a single eFlex 5.4 while waiting for the bigger battery to arrive. We did have a problem initially with the LR locking on the generator but found that the LR was set for GRID. When changing it to GEN OFF GRID it locked on to that crazy generator as the Outback had in the past. Customer called yesterday saying the generator was fixed</div><div> and all is good. An unrelated note: When we first fired up the Little Rosie, the MNGP2 was blank (off). Turned out to be a defective comm cable. Lesson learned was not to panic but carry a spare cable just in case.</div><div><br></div><div>John B</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM Steve Higgins via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">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 dir="ltr"><div>Oddly, we have two questions where the Outback is only getting to 52 volts. I mentioned in the other thread that these could be the DC Generator Voltage settings. I'd say it here as well. <br><br>Please check the DC Gen settings in the AGS. For a 48V system, set it to 76V if you are using an AC Genny. </div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><table style="width:490px;border-width:1px;margin:0px auto 0px 0px;height:155.5px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width:123px"><col style="width:366px"></colgroup>
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<div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(216,0,29);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:8pt"><strong>Steve Higgins</strong> <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><strong>⋅</strong></span> <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><strong>Technical Services Manager</strong></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:7pt;color:rgb(216,0,29)"><strong>t</strong> <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">+1.902.597.4020</span> <strong>m</strong> <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">+1.206.790.5840</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:7pt;color:rgb(216,0,29)"><strong>f</strong> <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">+1.902.597.8447</span> <strong>e</strong> <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="mailto:steve@surrette.com" target="_blank">steve@surrette.com</a></span></span></div>
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<p> </p></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 12:08 PM Ray Walters via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">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"><u></u>
<div>
<p>I spent decades talking folks through recovering HUPs that had
been chronically under charged. The fact that the batteries are
just hovering around 52 v and not breaking out above that is
another sign that there is capacity left. Its when they charge
right up to 58 v and go into float before 10 AM that you have no
capacity left. That hovering at partial SOC is because there is
not a high enough charge rate. </p>
<p>They need to start the generator in the morning, so that both the
generator and the solar can work together to have a high enough
charge rate.</p>
<p>Equalize, Equalize, Equalize, they will come back to full charge,
but yes they will have lost some capacity from when they were new.
These batteries could easily last another 5 years if recovered. </p>
<p>We're not talking 2 to 4 hours of generator charging either,
we're talking like 12 hours a day possibly, for 3 to 4 days. You
just keep going until the SG comes up. Period. Then bring them
to full charge every week to 10 days, and don't let them sit
chronically under charged again. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>More solar or a drastic weight loss program is the only way to
make this system work long term. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Ray Walters<br>
Remote Solar</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<div>On 12/13/2025 12:13 PM, pieter
<a href="http://offgridenterprises.org" target="_blank">offgridenterprises.org</a> via RE-wrenches wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
I couldn't agree more with Ray. Those batteries are tough.
Assuming there is adequate charging capacity the batteries have
a very good chance of recovering. That being said the renter has
to be trained! Simply spending more money to replace the Hup
batteries wit a set of new LIPO batteries will most likely trade
one problem for another. As others have already pointed out: If
energy in is less than energy out the batteries will not be able
to make up the difference. Even LIPO batteries.</div>
<div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Pieter Huebner</div>
<div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Project Manager</div>
<div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Off Grid Enerprises</div>
<hr style="display:inline-block;width:98%">
<div id="m_-4229470446885792642m_8685887622452477560m_2033237661110481370divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b>
RE-wrenches <a href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank"><re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org></a>
on behalf of Nick Lucchese via RE-wrenches
<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank"><re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org></a><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 12, 2025 11:41 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> RE-wrenches
<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank"><re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org></a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Nick Lucchese <a href="mailto:lucchesesolar@gmail.com" target="_blank"><lucchesesolar@gmail.com></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [RE-wrenches] FLA battery problelm</font>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Are you able to get near the 75 amp charge rate with the
SW's charger and that 7.5 KW generator with a step down
transformer maybe? Neither charging combos can push the
voltage above 52? All the bus bars and hardware have been
cleaned and reassembled recently or not since 2022? Have you
made any other observations looking over that 128 day
logging menu?<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
Battery banks prematurely heading to the smelter is the
unfortunate reality of our systems of the past. Chasing that
mostly unrealistic goal that the bank will do some dramatic
turn around to redeem everyone's efforts may likely result in
more wasted time and money. Replacing with a lithium pack that
offer's it's own onboard SOC capacity meter is almost a
necessity with renters. Removing the unknown cloud around
understanding what the battery needs results in a much more
enjoyable homestead experience and engages the renter to be
accountable for recharging. Offerings from both Midnite and
Rubix can be had for less than $.28 a watt hour retail these
days. Impressive times for folks storing sunshine. The sooner
it goes in the sooner the fuel savings and lack of service
calls can start paying it off.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I always default to Midnite first for quite a few reasons
and especially for `UL9540 but Rubix might be a better
solution in this case since that volatile memory Steve
mentions might become a concern if a trained individual
isn't frequently checking up on the system to make sure all
the settings are still in tune with the battery. Besides for
LBCO, SW default settings are quite ideal for all of the
Rubix series. You also gain the bonus of a digital net power
meter on the battery to validate the SW's meter screens
along with the Outback logging menu. <br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Nick </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">On Fri, Dec 12, 2025 at
10:21 AM David Coale via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
Hi Wrenchers,<br>
<br>
I have a client with an old off-grid Trace system and he is
having trouble with the batteries. He has HUP Solar One FLA
batteries that are about 4 years old, so they should be in
good shape. The last set lasted almost 20 years with a fair
amount of abuse.<br>
<br>
Here is he history and what I think is going on. 7/21 they
got new batteries after about 19 years of use.<br>
<br>
7/22 I get a call saying the batteries are not charging up
all the way. When I check out the system, the batteries
needed cleaning, and I found three low cells, and the
charger settings were back to default, not set high enough
to charge the batteries all the way (it’s always multiple
problems). The client (now a new renter, new to the system)
said he was filing the batteries once a month and
experienced some overflowing when the batteries were charged
up.<br>
<br>
I cleaned things up, reset the charging parameters and set
up an equalizing charge to even out the cells. Hopefully
this will fix things.<br>
<br>
11/25. The client calls and said the batteries don’t charge
up all the way and he is running the generator a lot and
worried about getting though the wintertime.<br>
When I check things out, there are three bad cells and there
is soda on the batteries. It is hard to get a good voltage
readings because of the soda. Most of the cells are reading
2.1 volts under about a 40 amp load.<br>
<br>
Yesterday I check things out, and all the cells are reading
between 1.93 to 1.98 under a 40 amp load in the morning, and
I don’t find any bad cells. The charging voltage is never
going over about 52 volts so the system is never getting
fully charged up. The charge setting look OK, so not sure
what is going on. This is acting like an old battery pack
but these batteries are relatively new.<br>
<br>
My guess at this point is that maybe the batteries lost acid
with the overflowing event and lost capacity. Maybe adding
acid back in would bring them back up to working order. The
SG measured at 1.150 or less.<br>
<br>
At this point the client (renter) has had enough of these
battery problems and is wondering every morning if the
batteries will last long enough to until the sun comes up.
The renter is pushing for a replacement LFP battery, but
there should be lots of life left in this battery pack.<br>
<br>
Let me know what you all think.<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
<br>
David<br>
<br>
<br>
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