Is my math wrong?? My 200 watt panels are not even close to 200 watts..

[jimindenver]

Dropping voltage quickly under a moderate load can be a bad thing depending on the state of charge. Rising quickly under a weaker charge rate is really not good. It should take quite a while to bring up two batteries that low with 200 watts.

 

[John61CT]

I've never seen those Deka/Duracells available at any Walmart. Nor any true deep cycling battery.

I would sincerely like to be proven wrong on that.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Most of the same products. Especially the batteries

My information and experience contradicts this.

I can easily find online sources for Sam's Club lead acid batteries:

Gould, Voltz, and Lyac Power.

Walmart lead acid battery vendors are listed as:

Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls. 

East Penn is probably making some batteries for one or the other, or maybe both.

And I have no doubt there are probably some identical products in both stores, but for the most part, Sams and WalMart operate as independent companies with mostly different product lines.

 

[John61CT]

Johnson owns Delphi now.

Deka is East Penn/EPM, licenses the Duracell brand, far better than JCI or Exide.

JCI is the actual mfg for Interstate and 70+% of brands in the consumer/auto channels.

I haven't ever heard of EPM making batts for other brands, but if they did it would be to their customer's spec & price, so not necessarily as good as their own label.

The other quality FLA deep cycle mfgs are Rolls/Surette at the top, then U.S. Battery, Crown, Superior

and Trojan of course, but they've been sounding a bit dodgy lately IMO

 

[ArmorAbby]

This is why I went to Walmart. Those deep cycles they sell, 100ah for $100, have been spoken about often in the forums regarding affordable batteries... Maybe when Im through my learning phase, Ill cough up the $$$ for the bigger brands, But I think they didnt do too bad for the price this year...

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[tx2sturgis]

This is why I went to Walmart. Those deep cycles they sell, 100ah for $100, have been spoken about often in the forums regarding affordable batteries...  

Yes and if it has died and is under warranty you might be able to get a free replacement. No shipping involved.

 

[ArmorAbby]

Ohhhhh hadnt considered a warranty or replacement.... hmmmmm....

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[DLTooley]

I've never seen those Deka/Duracells available at any Walmart. Nor any true deep cycling battery.

I would sincerely like to be proven wrong on that.

It should be theoretically possible to get them delivered to a Walmart as they are coming from the Sam's Club section of the same Warehouse network.

 

[tx2sturgis]

It should be theoretically possible to get them delivered to a Walmart as they are coming from the Sam's Club section of the same Warehouse network.

See my posts above. 

The two companies do not share company warehouses. Vendors for one are not always the same as vendors for the other, especially when it comes to private label merchandise. 

Sometimes a Sams DC and a Walmart DC are on the same property but the buildings are not connected. And there is no cross-docking of merchandise, that I am aware of. 

And even if there were, the lead acid batteries are NOT handled thru the company logistics chain.

They are 'direct vended' to the clubs and stores, using specialized trucks that are owned and operated by other companies, third party carriers, and the battery manufacturers themselves, who have fleets of trucks capable of carrying these hazardous and heavy products to the stores and clubs. 

Again, they do NOT pass thru the company warehouses.

 

[jimindenver]

Being able to get them replaced easily may be a important issue for a newby needing experience learning about the relationships between storage, use and solar output. I have seen batteries of different labels out here needing replaced within months of being put into service. There is nothing special about the high priced batteries that make it so that they are not damaged if you do not keep them charged properly. They die like the rest.

Then again I have seen lower quality batteries being used for years by people that did understand how to take care of them. One gent said he bought his Walmart specials with the intent of replacing them with nicer once these went south. His three 12v grp 27 were dated 2/14 and seemed in pretty good health to me. (having over 600 watts helped)

 

[Trebor English]

Please stop the bickering about Sams v Walmart and East Penn v Deka.  Go start another thread.  They are free.  

The original poster has had a failure of the electrical system.  Actual useful suggestions are necessary.  Bickering that clouds the issues and confounds the situation is not helpful.  

The problem seems to be related to over discharge and undercharging.  A hydrometer like this:  
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0050SFVHO
can be used to determine actual state of charge of a flooded battery like the Walmart RV/ marine flooded lead acid battery.  

A volt meter monitored during the day won't be useful if the original poster is at work and not present to verify absorption voltage and charge current decreasing as the battery gets full.

A sealed battery state of charge checking device is more expensive.  Can someone recommend a device that is easy to install?

 

[John61CT]

Which may just open up a very involved discussion about SoC monitors. I think the useful ones are too expensive for the OP context, and really needs baselines established with a healthy bank.

Balmar SmartGauge is most accurate and user-friendly.

For AH-counting, Victron BMV-70X series.

----
Getting the batts separately and fully charged on mains power is required before any SoH testing.

Just looking at specific gravity or voltage will require resting at least 24 hrs for accuracy, unless they show immediately they won't hold a charge.

Putting a .05C load on each separately and timing the drop to 10.5V compared to 20 hours is more accurate than any machine.

----
And when they prove to be in need of replacement, even if OP is unable to treat the new ones much better, true deep cycling units will stand up to that abuse better, they will last for longer and if the Deka/Duracell, will not cost more per AH than the falsely labelled ones.

 

[ArmorAbby]

I was able to pop in this afternoon, it got up to 13.6.. or 13.9.. I dont remember, I didnt allow it go further cause my phone was dying and I had to plug it in... After a few minutes, dropped all the way back down to 12.0... I truned it off, let it climb back up, climbed quickly, then stopped climbing at 12.7..... Ive also sorta let it go so I can see numbers... My inverter doesnt sound the alarm until the voltage hits 10.~ and the charge controller goes red when its 11~ .. Yes, I let it get that low to see when the warnings go off... at any rate, I will be buying two new batteries, and get rid of these, but not until the weather lets up... and I want to add two more panels while Im at it as well.... 400watts of panels.. 200ah of batteries...

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[rvpopeye]

You chose wisely ....

 

[Weight]

There are amp counting meters in the few hundred dollar range. They need care during set up but work well enough. When checking the voltage across the terminals. Don't worry about all the voltage readings while you are using the system. The voltage before you start charging and the voltage before you start using are the important ones. The voltage during charge is fine to determine the panels are working. The best voltage measurement is after the battery has sat with no load or charge for a day or, at least, for many hours. During our record weather, you should try to plug in to charge your bank every few days. From here I can not see if your battery is junk metal. But if you are considering new batteries, both should be the same type, age, and manufacturer. I don't trust the ones sold in Walmart except for the warranty honored every 5 miles. It is worth exchanging your walmart battery. The ones sold at Sam's Club or Batteries Plus Bulbs with the Duracell label are made by East Penn, Deka. They are not available at Walmart. Two marine type batteries may not be enough to use any electrical device except small fans and direct charge electronics as phones and tablets. Good luck with your stove, the fuel is less expensive at Asian markets.

 

[ArmorAbby]

Thanks, Loving the stove. Made chicken and rice night before last. Didnt cook last night cause my chicken froze while sitting in the van so just said eff it... ate out... I got a hotel for tonight and tomorrow until this snowstorm is done. Then we should have better temps from Sunday on.

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[Weight]

Yes. Hunker down Wednesday night through Thursday Nor'easter.