Good morning. I have posted on here before about the capacity of my battery system and how to improve it and had useful responses. I took that info to the guy who installed my system for a quote to upgrade. No response. Forwarded to another contractor in our area (Montagu). Nothing. Clearly everyone is making lots of money. 

I have attached pics of my system. My questions..

1. Can I do the swop from gel to lithium myself? 

2. The suggestion was a Greenrich 5kwh lithium battery. Where is the best place to get this? So many suppliers. 

3. Is there a market for my 4x gels and suggested selling price to offset lithium battery cost?

Thanks

 

Dead easy to do, I recently myself swopped out the old gels for a new 5kw Lithium.

 

Now on where to get the batt, any place is as good as the next as long as you get a warrantee and service if there is anything afterwards.

I got the SVOLT 51.2V 106ah for just shy of R24k, which compared to the rest is a good price. Get a battery with a name, not some backyard special.

To install the new battery is as easy as switching off the inverter, opening the cut off switch and connecting the +, - and GRD. Then power everything up, I know it should actually be better to have a proper electrician do it, but I dont have thousands for someone to come do something I can and have done myself in the past, I even mounted my own panels on my double story house roof, Im not lazy and like doing it, gives me a sense of seeing my work, work for me.

On market for offset costs, well I too have 4 gels in my garage and I assume the market is pretty dead for these as with any second hand battery, but I want to see if I can use them in a future project, where they with a small inverter and solar feed to the outside DB (Running the pool pump 750w, gates and external lights 10w.), but will see, am a bit lazy now, lol. 

Thanks so much. Very helpful. Ive heard a shock by solar is not pleasant. Will up  life insurance. Didnt think of keeping gels for future options. Good idea

Swop over is easy just check the lithium charge amps , bulk and float charge volts and set the setting on the inverter . 

Second hand market for gels is dead but if you have no use or the gels are old take them to a scrap yard depending on the weight of the gels you will get a few hundred Rand's for those gels 

Thanks Gmac. The gels arent even 6 months old.

I live in a windy area, maybe using the 100ah gels as door stops, I can keep 4 doors open!

Yeah unfortunately, Gels are only worth something until you take off those battery cables, then they are almost worth nothing.

There is a doll house build on the horizon, for my daughter, having a 12V 100AH gel x 4, to feed the "House lights" might just be what those will be used for.

Problem also with them are you cant just stack them away, as they discharge over time, and this is also not great for them, so would need to think of ways to use them.

May even use them for a PC fan in a Biltong making box, etc.

But when there is nothing you can and want to use them for, sell as mentioned above.

I might just donate them to the community where I live, the security hut might benefit from a light on those dark load shedding nights.

47 minutes ago, GMAC said:

Swop over is easy just check the lithium charge amps , bulk and float charge volts and set the setting on the inverter . 

Second hand market for gels is dead but if you have no use or the gels are old take them to a scrap yard depending on the weight of the gels you will get a few hundred Rand's for those gels 

For my 48V system I am using the following settings:

1. Solar First

2. Bulk Charge - 57.4V

3. Absorption (I dont have a setting for this) - But Bulk is basically the same.

4. Float - 53.6V

5. Low volt cut off - 43.4V

6. NO Equalize (Ensure it is disabled, but also set the voltages as 53.6) this is to just double ensure.

7. Power to Grid - Highest it can be set at (Mine is 51V)

8. Power to Battery - FULL

9. Oh and USER battery type since my inverter doesn't have Lithium specified for battery type

Perfect thanks

If you reply next time that you did the swop over, we would know that it went well. If not .... just take care, check, check and check again.

As Adam always said, measure twice, cut once.