[RE-wrenches] Testing AGMs

[Dan Fink]

I second Ray on the FLIR, photo attached. At $250 for the smartphone
variety, it's affordable.

My last two service calls were both failed battery banks thanks to older
charge controllers, including Trace. The relay fails, but the green light
is still lit, so the customer thinks everything is fine when in fact the
system isn't charging. I always spec a CC with a digital display now.

Dan Fink
Professor of Solar Energy Technology, Ecotech Institute
IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
Executive Director, Buckville Energy
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers™
970.672.4342



On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 9:14 PM, Ray <ray at solarray.com> wrote:

> I agree, I usually steer full time off grid customers away from AGM, but
> for remote sites that might not be attended for months at a time, AGMs do
> have a purpose.  We've had good luck with Full River. Load testing is one
> really long way to test; I usually just have the customer do load testing
> with the system and the Trimetric or other SOC meter.  Run a good charge
> cycle, then turn off the solar for a couple of days, and see what kind of
> capacity is left.  Also always good to check voltages of all the batteries,
> and see if there are weak or dead cells.  Dead cells show up pretty easily,
> they will test 1.5 to 2 volts lower.
>
> My latest toy purchase was a FLIR camera, it has been extremely helpful.
> You can literally see the dead cells within the packs. They show up
> noticeably warmer than surrounding cells.  If you see anything like that,
> you know the pack is probably toast.  Finally, a really good test is how
> old they are.  If they are rated at 300 cycles to 80% DOD battery and they
> are 5 years old, they're probably gone as well.  Most AGMs do not have long
> cycle lives. Folks don't call to complain about batteries unless they're
> not working right.  I listen to my customers; they know better than anyone
> when the system isn't working the same, and after checking for new loads,
> and proper charge settings, its almost always batteries.
>
> Ray
>
> Remote Solar
>
>
>
>
> On 2/24/18 5:20 PM, Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar wrote:
>
>> Load test and compare with another known good battery. I also steer away
>> from AGM's.  --Dave
>>
>>> Wrenches,
>>> We have a client with a string of sealed L16s and he believes he may have
>>> a weak or failed cell.
>>>
>>> What’s the best way to test or check these batteries, since there is no
>>> electrolyte to draw out.
>>>
>>> We don’t install many AGMs, in fact, steer the client away from them,
>>> usually.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jeremy Rodriguez
>>> Solar Installation And
>>> Design Expert
>>> All Solar, Inc.
>>> 1463 M St
>>> Penrose Colorado 81240
>>>
>>> Sent by Jeremy's iPhone. Sorry for typos and shorthand!
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>> Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
>> "we go where powerlines don't"
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