[RE-wrenches] Trojan L16RE-2V set-points

[William Miller]

Friends:

I used to buy Trojans. My vendor told me about 3 years ago that Trojan had been acquired and the chemistry in the plates had changed. Later they denied making that statement.

 I had a set of L16s vastly underperform. Trojan suggest a bulk/absorption voltage higher than any other manufacturer, a value hard to achieve and maintain in a small off grid system. I replaced them with US Battery and system performance improved. 

Due to the decline in quality I stopped using Trojan. Due to the varying stories, I stopped using Battery Systems. We prefer the MK/Deka brand. 


William



> On Sep 12, 2018, at 11:33 AM, Ray <ray at solarray.com> wrote:
> 
> Unfortunately I'm seeing premature failures of the 2 v models even more.  You have paralleled cells in each battery, and it can be difficult to even identify the failures.  I found the infared camera to be invaluable, as you can see the shorted cell clearly in a thermal image.
> Ray Walters
> Remote Solar
> 303 505-8760
>> On 9/12/18 9:53 AM, Drake wrote:
>> I agree with the comments that followed on this thread, and would also like to add that Trojan L-16 batteries have a high rate of premature failure. Possibly the 2 V cells are better, but the 6 V cells seem very prone to dying early. Trojan batteries were robust in past decades, but seem exceedingly fragile now. 
>> 
>> At 08:44 PM 9/11/2018, you wrote:
>>> Hello wrenches,
>>> 
>>> I inspected a system that another company had installed.  It had single string of 12 x Trojan L16RE-2V batteries about 2 years old.  They had experienced a battery melt-down.  It looks as though the meltdown had occurred internally, not from a bad connection.
>>> 
>>> The system was dual stack Outback VFXR-3524A inverters (to be precise one was a sealed unit).  The set-points were as follows:
>>> Absorb Voltage was 29.8V
>>> Absorb Time was 6.0 hours
>>> Float Voltage was 27.0V
>>> Rebulk Voltage was 27.0V
>>> End Amps was 0A
>>> 
>>> These settings extended similarly to 2 x FM80 charge controllers.
>>> 
>>> I was able to jumper the melted battery and get her power in 15         minutes.  Her installer had left her without power for 2 weeks.  My clients will kill me if that happened!
>>> 
>>> Anyway, I believe these set-points are way out of whack and too aggressive.  The voltage is OK (Trojan recommends ~29.6V for this) but the Absorb time seems way too long, Rebulk is too high and end amps isn't helping.  However, Im not finding a definitive article from Trojan that describes typical Absorb times or even how to adjust towards a good Absorb Time, based on specific gravity measurements or amperage absorption.  
>>> 
>>> My diagnosis is that these batteries have been cooked over the past 2 years.  In the electrolyte, there is noticeable "floaties".  The client said that the original installer had accused her of not using distilled water, but I don't believe that would cause her symptoms.  I believe the floaties are plate material.
>>> 
>>> I'd be interested in wrenches opinions familiar with these batteries if these are appropriate settings for a low energy user.  I will attempt to get through to Trojan as well.
>>> 
>>> Thanks in advance
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Mac Lewis
>>> 
>>> "Yo solo sé que no sé nada." -Sócrates
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