Lead Acid Battery Maintenance

Our Lead Acid Battery Maintenance Tips

Keep lead acid, deep cycle batteries in top shape.

A bank of batteries for energy storage is essential for any off grid solar system.

This part of the system needs some maintenance and will require replacement more frequently than other components of your system.

Proper maintenance and some tips can keep replacement requirements at a minimum.

Here are a few Lead Acid Battery Maintenance Tips that can save you money and keep your system running for years.

• Buy the largest bank of batteries you can afford
  
  Batteries live much longer if they are not expected to work to full capacity constantly. If your batteries just barely keep up with demand they will expire most quickly.




• Use A Charge controller
  
  A charge controller (regulator) prevents over and under charging. Deep cycle batteries should never be discharged below 20% or above. A regulator also prevents over charging of batteries and maintains them at a safe level.
  
  On the boat, Captain Joe's policy is not to allow the batteries to discharge below 12.00 or about 40%. The occasional cycle as low as 11.58 won't harm the batteries as long as you have true deep cycle batteries and not a marine hybrid.
  Every time there is an over or under charge the life of the battery will be dramatically and irrevocably reduced.




• Check water levels frequently
  
  and top up any low levels with distilled water.
  
  Hydrocaps reduce water loss by as much as 90% by reincorporating the hydrogen and oxygen as water back into the battery. Vent caps prevent 30% to 70% of water loss.
  
  Each has it's own applications and each reduces battery maintenance requirements.




• Keep batteries cool in hot climates.
  
  Heat dramatically reduces a battery's life.
  
  Ideally batteries live longest at 25 degrees C or 77 degrees F. At temperatures of 42 C or 105 F their life expectancy can be reduced to one tenth of their potential. Burying them on the north side of the house can help. Keep at least an inch of dirt between batteries and keep the tops exposed. Cover with a well ventilated box.




• Don't leave a battery unused
  
  for long periods of time. Batteries definitely fall into the "if you don't use it you lose it" category. A trickle charger or regulated solar panel can help a bit.




• Store batteries fully charged
  
  If you must leave batteries unused store them in a charged state. Storing discharged batteries leads to the inability of the battery to hold a charge.




• Try a desulphator.
  
  An intermittent pulse of current presumably prevents encrustation on the plates. Heavy encrustation interferes with the battery's ability to hold a charge. Some claim that all else being equal a desulphator can keep your batteries alive indefinitely and can even revive a dead battery.
  
  Here's a DIY Forum for all you do-it-yourselfers.
  
  
  

  We'll be putting a desulphator on the boat and keep you posted. The boat's in Mexico and those hot summers really reduce battery life.




• Equalize batteries.
  
  If you don't use a desulphator, equalize the batteries every year to curb permanent encrustation of the plates. Heavy encrustation interferes with the battery's ability to hold a charge.

CAUTION!

Battery maintenance can cause serious injury due to the release of dangerous gasses and possible explosion.

Maintenance procedures must be carried out with diligence.

For a more in depth look at batteries Click Here