Inverter Batteries

santa110xyz

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I am looking for Inverter Batteries. Can someone recommend me a brand which really last, please.
From my inverter guy i got the Trojan Plus recommended, asking price 6,600 pesos.
Lately none of the batteries i buy last more than a year.... i have 2 inverters. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. thanks
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Factors that influence battery life of flooded lead acid batteries

It appears there really is a Trojan Plus version of the T 105 battery they make.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/product/t-105_plus/

I have been using the regular red Trojan T 105 batteries and found them to be the best option available for my purposes. I am not certain what the Plus brings over the standard T 105 from Trojan. The lifetime of your batteries is greatly influenced by how far you discharge them between charges and how many discharges they have seen. It sounds like your battery banks are too small if they are lasting only a year, but of course there is a trade off to be made between lifetime and cost of the battery banks. The DR's warm climate is a problem for lead acid battery life. It is what it is. The T 105 Plus claims a 10 year life time.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/?s=T+105+plus

What is the power situation in your area?
 

windeguy

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More on the Plus:

An Overview of Trojan's Alpha Plus? Technology

What is Alpha Plus?

Alpha Plus crystals are part of Trojan’s proprietary, high-density paste formulation.
Alpha exists as long needle-shaped crystals of lead dioxide (Pb02) which act together to form an interlocking 3-D structure.
Alpha Plus crystals posses great strength and low electrical resistance.
Alpha’s strength and structure enhance Trojan’s paste formulation, much as steel bars reinforce concrete.

How You Benefit From Alpha Plus Technology!

Its electrical properties and geometric pattern means:

Improved durability of the positive plate during use, thereby increasing cycle life.
Greater current flow (lower resistance), thereby increasing the battery’s usable capacity (run time).
Spent particles of active material are trapped, there preventing shedding which leads to reduced battery life.

Remember

Alpha Plus is the key to long battery life.

Trojan’s proprietary paste formulations and processes produce plates with the industry’s highest alpha content.
Trojan is the brand you can trust for performance and value!

The above said, I put a call in to Trojan to cut through the marketing hype.
 

cavok

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I've used Trojan T-105's for many years as have several friends and most people will tell you they are the best. As already stated, battery life gretly depends on how far/ofter they get discharged. Full discharges will greatly reduce battery life. Still, you should be able to get at least 2-3 years on your Trojans even if they are frequently discharged 100%.

I paid 6000 pesos ea. for the regular T-105's, so sounds like it's worth the extra 600 for the Plus.
 

windeguy

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Trojan T105 and T105 Plus are identical inside

I just spoke to Trojan tech support. The Maroon (we call them Red) T 105 and the T 105 PLUS are identical inside. The only difference is that the PLUS has a different top. NO DIFFERENCE in performance between the T 105 and T 105 Plus. So if the T 105 is cheaper,buy that over the PLUS.

I just received this from Trojan tech support:

Standard and PLUS battery have the same performance ratings (same construction), difference is the "PLUS" cover with built-In electrolyte level indicator and Sure-vent flip top vent caps.



How are Plus Series batteries different?



Plus Series batteries use a different top cover than our other batteries. This means the batteries have hinged vent caps and the vent wells are laid-out differently than our other batteries. The Plus Series batteries also have a built-in electrolyte-level indicator, so our HydroLink watering system was not intended for use on the Plus Series batteries and it is not compatible with them.



James (Melvin) Cobb

Technical Support Engineer

Trojan Battery Company



Tel: (678) 518-7318

jcobb@trojanbattery.com
 
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santa110xyz

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Wow - thank you all for the swift reply :) I got told from the distributor in POP that the old 105 got produced in Mexico and the 105 plus are from USA. Well i don't know if i can trust that..!?!?!
The problem here is , very often they sell refurbished ones and you can't tell the difference. My power problem actually isn't so bad ...just lately due to the heavy rain we had prolonged power outages.
 

cavok

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Wow - thank you all for the swift reply :) I got told from the distributor in POP that the old 105 got produced in Mexico and the 105 plus are from USA. Well i don't know if i can trust that..!?!?!
The problem here is , very often they sell refurbished ones and you can't tell the difference. My power problem actually isn't so bad ...just lately due to the heavy rain we had prolonged power outages.

You don't say where you are, but many places that are not on the 24/7 circuit only get 8 hours a day max.
 

windeguy

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Wow - thank you all for the swift reply :) I got told from the distributor in POP that the old 105 got produced in Mexico and the 105 plus are from USA. Well i don't know if i can trust that..!?!?!
The problem here is , very often they sell refurbished ones and you can't tell the difference. My power problem actually isn't so bad ...just lately due to the heavy rain we had prolonged power outages.

Here is a good battery FAQ from Trojan:

http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/



Melvin from Trojan Tech support told me that the regular T 105 and the T 105 plus go down the same assembly line for the internals and just the top applied at the end of the process is different. Where one is made, the other is made. My regular T 105 Maroon Trojans have Made in the USA stickers on them. I buy the T 105's at La Sirena.
 

windeguy

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Depth of Discharge lifetimes and where Trojan Batteries are made

More information directly from Trojan tech support. All Trojan batteries are manufactured in California and Georgia.


Lifetime for a given number of cycles:
Estimated 3000 cycles at 20% DOD (assuming batteries are getting fully charged).
Estimated 1200 cycles at 50% DOD (assuming batteries are getting fully charged).


Estimated 850 cycles @ 70% DOD

and Estimated 750 cycles @ 80% DOD
 

santa110xyz

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Here is a good battery FAQ from Trojan:

http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/



Melvin from Trojan Tech support told me that the regular T 105 and the T 105 plus go down the same assembly line for the internals and just the top applied at the end of the process is different. Where one is made, the other is made. My regular T 105 Maroon Trojans have Made in the USA stickers on them. I buy the T 105's at La Sirena.

LOL and the Guy who build my inverter, who knows me since many many years....told me that bull****!!! grrrr..... why do people lie? thank you so much for your valuable information. Best i go and buy them then at la Sirena.
 

jimbobo

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Feb 9, 2014
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LOL and the Guy who build my inverter, who knows me since many many years....told me that bull****!!! grrrr..... why do people lie? thank you so much for your valuable information. Best i go and buy them then at la Sirena.

A lot of battery chargers overhere simply rape your batteries, that's why they don't last for more than two years. Temperature is a very important factor for lifetime of your batteries. If your batteries feel like the temperature of a hot shower when they are being charged, then you can bet your ass they won't last more than two years, if they even live that long...
 

santa110xyz

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A lot of battery chargers overhere simply rape your batteries, that's why they don't last for more than two years. Temperature is a very important factor for lifetime of your batteries. If your batteries feel like the temperature of a hot shower when they are being charged, then you can bet your ass they won't last more than two years, if they even live that long...

You could be right...i might need to change the inverter. It was custom build about 15 years ago. Never had any issue...did yearly maintenance, but since 2 years... my batteries last only max 1 year! Could it be that the inverter isn't working properly anymore?
 

jimbobo

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You could be right...i might need to change the inverter. It was custom build about 15 years ago. Never had any issue...did yearly maintenance, but since 2 years... my batteries last only max 1 year! Could it be that the inverter isn't working properly anymore?

It certainly could be. Check the temperature of your batteries when they are being charged, especially when they are being charged for extended periods of time. If everything is OK they should not even be warm, let alone hot. Keep your batteries in a cool area, temperature is everything...
 

msmfgf

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trace/xantrix invertors allow you to set the charging current to anything up to about 30A i believe. we live in a 24/7 power area &have ours set at about 10A, our batteries are over 3 years old & very healthy. you might want to first check that, especially if you too are on 24/7 power, no need to charge batteries at high rates if the power is mostly on ;)
 

windeguy

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It depends upon the inverter how much current it can supply to the batteries for charging. Trace was purchased by Xantrex some time ago. Many of the Trace inverters still around are the DR series. DR stands for Dominican Republic, the ultimate battle ground for bad power supplied by the utilities. Trace recognized the DR had the worst power system in the world. When I have spoken to battery manufacturers, I have gotten some conflicting responses yo how much current a battery bank can safely take. Any where from .8 to 1.0 of the AH capacity has been mentioned. Sometimes it can be a balance between not fully charging the batteries and charging them too fast. Both are bad situations that shorten battery life. Slower charging causes less heating and as others have mentioned heat will destroy batteries. The number of discharge cycles, the depths of those discharges, and not fully charging the batteries also influence battery life. The float voltage may be too high, and that can cause heating.
 

cavok

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I am located at the NorthCoast. Power is almost 24h...except the apagones programmado.


In that case, you either bought recycled batteries, or there is a problem with the charging system in your inverter. You need to check the charging voltage and compare that with the specs for your inverter. As already mentioned, a charging voltage that is too high or too low will cause problems.

Some inverters have a higher charging voltage during the charging phase and then drop down to the float voltage when it detects the battery is fully charged.

Any local inversor dealor should easily be able to check this out for you if you can't. Maybe 500 pesos max(?).
 
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windeguy

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The better inverters (like the Trace/Xantrex and some clones sold by Megatone) have three phases to the charging cycle called Bulk, Absorption and then Float. Those inverters also have controls for battery bank size, charge current, over-discharge protection, transfer voltage, an equalization setting, and settings for the various types of batteries.
 

beeza

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The better inverters (like the Trace/Xantrex and some clones sold by Megatone) have three phases to the charging cycle called Bulk, Absorption and then Float. Those inverters also have controls for battery bank size, charge current, over-discharge protection, transfer voltage, an equalization setting, and settings for the various types of batteries.

My Xantrex also comes with a temperature sensor which you stick onto one of the batteries. I got eight years out of a set of Interstate green tops