battery problems

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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I have been told my batteries which are about 15 months old need replacing.
Im told that due to the power shortages the charge in them went too low and now there is no float to stop them continually charging .....they mostly just get hot and never reach full charge.

the type of battery is energy power bought from easy power in sosua a red colour with an american flag on it , though I doubt they were made in america...apparently these type have a problem with the float disappearing after about a year,of course no-one mentioned this when I was buying them.

What do we think - as I am no battery expert - does it sound like a good explanation
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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the label says ah250 it also says made in america -lol

another question - does anyone use the equalisation funtion on the invertor, most people ive spoken to have no idea what it is- apparently you should use it once a month for 6 hours
 

beeza

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Nov 2, 2006
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These inverter batteries are known as deep cycle batteries. By design they are supposed to be discharged to at least half nominal voltage and recharged without problems.

15 months is a very short life. Have you ever done an equalisation charge? This is when you charge them at a higher voltage with a limited current. If your inverter doesn't have this function, you might be able to get hold of a battery conditioner. This de-sulphates the plates. You get a build up of minerals on the plates that can cause a resistance in current flow and thus a reduction in capacity.

One other problem that is evident in cheap batteries is the "sump" at the bottom of each cell. This is the gap between the bottom of the plates and the bottom of the cell. After time, a sludge is built up and sinks to the bottom of the cell. This sludge is made up of lead particles and various other mineral deposits.

If the sump is not deep enough, this sludge level can build up and eventually short out the plates, rendering that cell useless. When a charger tries to charge this cell, the short circuit heats up and causes even more damage.

if your battery has this problem, then I'm afraid that you were sold a cheap battery and will have to replace it.
 

beeza

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Nov 2, 2006
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Another thing I forgot to mention.

During the equalisation charge, your batteries will boil. Make sure that your batteries are well ventilated because they give off hydrogen gas which is odourless and highly explosive.

Be sure to top up your batteries after this.
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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I think i was lulled into a false sense of security - the batteries had never even needed any top up water , prior to going completely haywire and going boiling hot - I would have expected a warning sign like needing more and more water, but there was no sign