Shortcircuit Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 New to the forum and new to solar. I have been running a 48 V 3kVA Axpert in standby mode for some time and all was well. I have 4 royal 1150k (100Ah) deep cycle batteries installed but these are a few years old now. This powers all of my lighting (LED), entertainment, PC and communication requirements. It would easily run the load for 4 to 5 hours during power breaks and I was quite happy with that. I recently decided to add some PV panels and set things up to run from solar first, then battery and only when these were depleted would the system switch over to mains. This meant that the batteries were now been cycled every night and within two weeks the battery capacity has dropped to less than 20Ah where previously I was getting around 50Ah or better (depending on the rate of discharge). Please note I am not complaining about these batteries as I have had very good life out of them and have been waiting for them (expecting them) to take a dive. I have been reading up on replacement batteries and all advice is to go Lithium (even 2nd life lithium) but unfortunately the budget doesn't stretch that far. I therefore need to make a call on the best Lead Acid technology to go for to give me the best cycling performance (Flooded vs. GEL vs. AGM). I plan on increasing the battery capacity to 200Ah so as to reduce the DOD and thereby improve cycle life. Every supplier I have spoken to seems to just seem to push what they have (or what they get the best margins on) and very few seem to have much battery knowledge at all. Some even get quite irritated when you ask questions about the performance in cycling applications and the effect of DOD on cycle life. Comparing data sheets is also very difficult as no two suppliers seem to test the same and go out of their way to focus on their strengths while avoiding the real issues. Hoping some forum experts can give me some sound practical advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Welcome Shortcircuit. Me, best lead acid, that is Trojan RE ranges i.e. solar ranges. In the 48v 200ah range, I would look at: If you don't mind watering, ventilated area: J200RE's SPRE_12_225) - 1600 cycles at 50% DOD. If you do mind watering, installed inside: 205a 12v AGM's (SAGM_12_205 - 1700 cycles at 50% DOD Both could last +-8-10 years if you don't go below a SOC of 20% per day. But you may find that Trojan's, on 48v systems, are more expensive than a 48v Pylontech 2.4kw bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingo Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 How about Deltec Lead Crystal? No watering, Gassing, Venting, Pruning, Feeding or Pampering. Below from their datasheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shortcircuit Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Thanks for that feedback and very much in line with what I was thinking. I considered the 2.4kW lithium but I don't see it having enough capacity to make it through a rainy day whereas the 200Ah lead acids would manage that as well. As long as it doesn't happen too often I didn't think that it would be too detrimental to their life. I haven't had any Trojans offered as yet and the best batteries I have been offered so far are Omni Power Deep Cycle GEL battery 240Ah/12V (2400 cycles @50% DOD) @ R6500 ea or 240Ah Victron AGM batteries @ R7500 ea. According to the datasheet, the Victron GEL Long life battery has excellent cycle performance but I haven't managed to get a quote on these as yet. If you would like to offer any further comment, it would be appreciated. 30 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said: Welcome Shortcircuit. Me, best lead acid, that is Trojan RE ranges i.e. solar ranges. In the 48v 200ah range, I would look at: If you don't mind watering, ventilated area: J200RE's SPRE_12_225) - 1600 cycles at 50% DOD. If you do mind watering, installed inside: 205a 12v AGM's (SAGM_12_205 - 1700 cycles at 50% DOD Both could last +-8-10 years if you don't go below a SOC of 20% per day. But you may find that Trojan's, on 48v systems, are more expensive than a 48v Pylontech 2.4kw bank. OmniPower OPR240 Datasheet.pdf Datasheet-GEL-and-AGM-Batteries-EN.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 No idea or comments about the Omnipower sorry. Others may pop around and give more ideas. I'm stuck on Trojans for lead acid batteries for 2 reasons: 1) They have been around for a very very long time. 2) And they are very well versed in supplying forklift and golf cart batteries. They are also going to supply lithium range themselves one of these days. I'm waiting for that, once my T105RE's are done. They are now going 4.5 years, lightly used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeM Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I can comment on Omnipower Batteries. Worst batteries I ever bought. Bought 6 of them from Sinetech. Was not cheap (-apparently they wholesale them-). Six batteries was a bit of an overkill for running my laptop, fridge and led lights in the case the well known 4 hour load shedding cycles of Eskom. Was constantly connected to a pure sinewave inverter with an intelligent charging algorithm which was set for AGM batteries and charging at the lower end specified for omnipower batteries for float and bulk. After 2/3 years those batteries were basically dead. Called Sinetech Strijdompark and they told me I abused the batteries and denied all the high end specs advertised, basically saying that because it experienced one low voltage cut out from the inverter they were fried. Bullshit. When I spoke to a solar energy shop about it the other day they told me they heard similar experiences from sinetech and omnipower batteries. I just decided I will never buy from sinetech and never an omnipower battery again. I open the batteries and saw they bone dry. Gassing should never occur in the light way I used them and not at the lower end of the specified charging range. I added distilled water and recovered 5% of capacity that is basically very little. I have them on a desulfator to see if any capacity can be recovered. Based on the voltages I can see there are no dead cells. Provide high voltage but no Ah. Currently I am looking at buying either flooded batteries, because they will last if you keep them charged and has the ability to top up water; or a diesel generator that will cost less than 6 omnipower batteries and less noisy than my petrol generator. It is just not worth it to buy 6 omnipower batteries every 2 or 3 years at R21k that are maintenance free with unproven high end Chinese specs that means nothing. AGM "maintenance free" means actually you CANNOT maintain them. Like buying a car but cannot change or top up the oil. Its not a plus. If you look at the videos from Rolls that are manufacturing gel, agm and flooded batteries, they say you only buy an AGM when you are not in the position to top up water every few months like a cabin in the woods otherwise you buy flooded. Unless there is a SANS spec or SABS tested, dont believe the omipower marketing brochures. francois 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Ive also had terrible service from sinetech. Wanted R20k to "audit" my system before advising what upgrades can be recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.