Battery Question

[jwh92020]

I have a chance to buy a number of Leoch 95 amp hr that are about 90 days old. They were used in a data storage facility that closed down. I can get then for $75/ea with the battery boxes and connecting cables. Here is a link to their info. Thanks to highdesertranger, I'll be running a 435 watt 12v panel from SanTan Solar with a 40 amp Mppt controller. Are these good batteries for this application?

 http://www.leoch.us/images/pdf/reserve-power/agm-vrla/xp-ups/XP12-350.pdf

 

[highdesertranger]

glad to help out. yeah I bought 2 of those panels they are huge. sorry, I know nothing about those batteries. highdesertranger

 

[Weight]

They are some type of lead acid, but I find it strange they don't ID the chemistry. AGM, Gel or what? (% amp hours is not much, so get as many as you can fit in your build. UPS applications don't use Deep Cycle Battery, so using them with many discharge cycles may lead to a early loss of capacity.

 

[B and C]

I am using 3 old AGM UPS batteries that were 4 years old when I got them and are now about 8 years old. Mine will need replacing soon as capacity has fallen. I don't remember what brand they are but are 125 Ah each and weigh ~100 Lbs. Made me cry when I put them in because of the weight.

Personally, I think UPS batteries work well as they are true deep cycle. These sound like a deal at 1/2 price for 90 day old batteries. Being from a data center they won't have been abused. Shoot, a marine battery (not true deep cycle) of similar capacity would cost more.

 

[jwh92020]

They are some type of lead acid, but I find it strange they don't ID the chemistry. AGM, Gel or what? (% amp hours is not much, so get as many as you can fit in your build. UPS applications don't use Deep Cycle Battery, so using them with many discharge cycles may lead to a early loss of capacity.

They are AGM batteries. At some point, I will buy LI batteries, but that is a couple of years down the road. I planned on buying 4. If they get me a couple of years, $300 wouldn't be a bad investment.

 

[jwh92020]

I am using 3 old AGM UPS batteries that were 4 years old when I got them and are now about 8 years old.  Mine will need replacing soon as capacity has fallen.  I don't remember what brand they are but are 125 Ah each and weigh ~100 Lbs.  Made me cry when I put them in because of the weight.

Personally, I think UPS batteries work well as they are true deep cycle.  These sound like a deal at 1/2 price for 90 day old batteries.  Being from a data center they won't have been abused.  Shoot, a marine battery (not true deep cycle) of similar capacity would cost more.

That's good to hear. I was planning on buying 4 of them. $300 isn't a bad investment if I can a few years out of them.

 

[jonyjoe303]

They look like the 102 ah agm battery I use to have and weigh about the same. As long as you don't take them below 50 percent (12.1 volts), they will last years. Whatever you do don't take them below 11.5 volts, you do that 2 or 3 times and they will lose capacity real quick. 


According to the pdf the bulk voltage is between 14.4 and 15 volts, I would leave it at 15 volts and also keep the float as high as possible, with solar you will probably never get them fully charge before you run out of sun. Check the voltage at the terminal to make sure its at least 14.4 volts when you are charging, if you got too much voltage drop it might not even get to bulk minimum. These batteries need to be charged at what the specs say everytime so they can last you years. Don't worry about keeping them at over 14 volts everyday while charging, thats what they prefer.

 

[jwh92020]

They look like the 102 ah agm battery I use to have and weigh about the same. As long as you don't take them below 50 percent (12.1 volts), they will last years. Whatever you do don't take them below 11.5 volts, you do that 2 or 3 times and they will lose capacity real quick. 


According to the pdf the bulk voltage is between 14.4 and 15 volts, I would leave it at 15 volts and also keep the float as high as possible, with solar you will probably never get them fully charge before you run out of sun. Check the voltage at the terminal to make sure its at least 14.4 volts when you are charging, if you got too much voltage drop it might not even get to bulk minimum. These batteries need to be charged at what the specs say everytime so they can last you years. Don't worry about keeping them at over 14 volts everyday while charging, thats what they prefer.

Thanks for  the info. I'm new to this solar stuff, so I'll be asking lots of questions. I'll be studying all the info I can find in between working & building the ndew trailer.

 

[Seminole Wind]

those batteries look like a smokin' deal. $300 for an almost 400 amp hour agm bank with boxes and cables. with the new solar panel you got and a high quality programmable charge controller programed properly you should see years of service out of them.

if i was looking to replace my batteries with lead, i would jump on a deal like that. you cant even get cheap (off brand) golf cart batteries for that price. good score

as far a battery longevity it is far more important to get them back to full charge as often as possible than worry about dipping below the mythical 50% SOC. partial state of charge cycling will reduce lifetime capacity significantly. where as reasonable discharges to even 20% state of charge with proper full recharge will have very little effect on lifetime capacity. of course with deeper discharges that life time capcity will be consumed in a shorter period of time

i would contact the manufacturer and try and get better charging specs for those batteries to include temp compensation if possible

 

[jwh92020]

those batteries look like a smokin' deal. $300 for an almost 400 amp hour agm bank with boxes and cables. with the new solar panel you got and a high quality programmable charge controller programed properly you should see years of service out of them.

if i was looking to replace my batteries with lead, i would jump on a deal like that. you cant even get cheap (off brand) golf cart batteries for that price. good score

as far a battery longevity it is far more important to get them back to full charge as often as possible than worry about dipping below the mythical 50% SOC. partial state of charge cycling will reduce lifetime capacity significantly. where as reasonable discharges to even 20% state of charge with proper full recharge will have very little effect on lifetime capacity. of course with deeper discharges that life time capcity will be consumed in a shorter period of time

i would contact the manufacturer and try and get better charging specs for those batteries to include temp compensation if possible

Thanks for the input. I'm thinking I may buy 6 just for the extra storage capacity.