David1SA

Hi All, Apologies for the basic question. I have a simple 8kw Inverter/UPS with 4x 200ah batteries at my house. This has been working well as backup power for the past 5 years. The long term goal is to replace this system with an 8kw hybrid Sunsynk, 16 panels and 20kwh of batteries. (i have been running an efergy monitor for 2 months to see exactly what i need). While my current system has served its purpose, the batteries are lasting now less than the 2 hours of loadshedding. I unfortunately do not have the means to outlay the 200k+ required for the sunsynk system. I am looking to get additional batteries or replace my current ones. The questions: 1) My current 4x 200ah lead acid batteries are not dead but they dont last as long as they used to. Can i simply add 4 x additional 200ah batteries onto this system (ie running 4x 5 year old batteries + 4xnew 200ah lead acids (a total of 8). OR is this not recommended and i should simply replace the current bank of batteries with 4x new Gel/lead acid 200ah. 2) Is there an option to buy 1 or 2 (5kw) lithium batteries instead of buying lead acids. I dont mind paying a bit extra as i know the lithiums will form part of my longer term goals. My worry is that my inverter/UPS will not be able to manage/communicate with the batteries correctly (and thus cause damage to them). Looking forward to your responses. Thanks David