I have heard a lot of guys saying that lead crystal are not as good as they were advertised to be,

An that deep cycle lead acid is still the best?

Anyone heard of this?

As with any battery, care needs to be taken and the battery must be understood!

Lead crystal is much better than lead acid, for standby aplications, as it would last much longer.

Problem is LC needs to be charged slower and longer, as bubbles on the plates would reduce its capacity and lifetime.

Charging a LC the same as a LA battery would destroy it very quickly.

 

Correctly looking after your batteries is an art all on its own.

 

LA would stand much more abuse than any other battery.

Hi guys,

 

Below is an extract from the Lead Crystal Batteries - User Manual.

 

You can send me a PM with you email address and I will gladly forward you the complete document.

 

 

ADVANTAGES SUMMARISED
Compared to mainstream rechargeable industrial batteries like lead acid,
lead gel and AGM batteries, Lead Crystal

I have been told by UPS suppliers in Cpt that LC batteries are ideal if you USE them, not good at all in UPS'es, where they stand for weeks on end not being used.

I have been told by UPS suppliers in Cpt that LC batteries are ideal if you USE them, not good at all in UPS'es, where they stand for weeks on end not being used.

 

Hi Terrible Triplett,

 

Would you mind giving the UPS suppliers name? You can send me a PM is you'd like

 

Cheers.

I called a few suppliers at the time, for I was interested in getting some at the time.

Two suppliers told me that they tried to use LC in their UPS'es, but most came back after a while, batteries not carrying the load anymore. They stopped using them.

 

Then I called a re-seller, after a lot of prompting they cautiously implied it is better to use the batteries, than leave them in a UPS for if and when you need power.

 

Letting the batteries stand, for months on end, on a UPS, did not give the desired results.

 

Names, I would not have a clue anymore, as it was about 2-3 years ago. I can, if it is really necessary, try to find out again, if I have to. 

 

LC batteries are really good, last much better than lead acid and are good for solar systems. I chose Trojan's for my next batch, as they should keep 4000 cycles at 20% DOD.

Wetkit: how does one charge them "slower and longer"? The info given, as far as i can understand, is that LC's require a slightly higher charge voltage than LA's. The distributors told me the same... I cannot set the max current in my charge controller, or am I misunderstanding?

Yes, by changing the max amps on the charge controller, you will limit the max charging amps on the battries.

I might have been wrong regarding the lower charging current, that might apply to GEL battries only and perhaps not so much for LC.

The bottom line is, anywhere where a "maintenace free" battery is involved, you have to limit the charge current to prevent the "gel" medium from gassing or boiling.