Why is this happening?

**Mike90250** · 03-01-2015, 12:30 AM

Well, the battery IS ruined.

Heat from a bad connection is the cause. Either the bolt to the terminal was bad, or the crimp of the lug to the wire was bad. My $ says the Lug Crimp to Wire was bad. Wire is not scorched, but most folks would notice a loose terminal bolt, but not a bad crimp hidden under heat shrink.

Distant 3rd possibility is that there is an internal flaw in the battery causing heat, and it melted.

Now to get that heat, would require lots of amps. Get yourself a thermal IR thermometer, run some amps (charge or discharge, doesn't matter) and start measuring. And save up for a new battery. Damage is the one reason to add a new battery to an existing bank of old ones.

real bummer.

**Mike90250** · 03-01-2015, 12:33 AM

re: shunts. you only need one shunt, unless your sister-in-law is a good looking shunt salesperson

**miahallen** · 03-01-2015, 08:23 AM

Thanks Mike...luckily, I have a spare....is there no way to revive the battery...it's just toast?

**Willy T** · 03-01-2015, 08:36 AM

That is obviously not the terminal that came on the battery, correct ? Did the original terminal get twisted off ? They are hard to make repairs on with any degree of success. Getting the bolt deep enough into the lead without it pulling out is tough to do. You have to flatten the lead mating surfaces with a counter bore and add a copper spacer to get the terminal up off the battery top.

**Sunking** · 03-01-2015, 01:30 PM

The battery is done. It was destroyed from improper installation. Poor connections create a lot of heat. Enough to melt lead and and boil thermoplastic.

**Sunking** · 03-01-2015, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by miahallen

Eight 280V solar panels getting great solar exposure.

I sure hope this is a typo error because there is no way to operate at 280 volts on your controller.

**thastinger** · 03-01-2015, 04:03 PM

You need to unhook that before you burn the place down, then buy a new battery, then buy the proper wire (that is auto speaker wire you have there), then buy the proper wire lugs and have them done properly in a hydraulic press, then look up the torque spec for the terminals and use a tq wrench when you install the new connections with some no-ox id to prevent corrosion.

Finial thing to do is kick the installer in the nuts.

**miahallen** · 03-02-2015, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by Sunking

I sure hope this is a typo error because there is no way to operate at 280 volts on your controller.

Yes, thanks...280W

Originally posted by thastinger

You need to unhook that before you burn the place down, then buy a new battery, then buy the proper wire (that is auto speaker wire you have there), then buy the proper wire lugs and have them done properly in a hydraulic press, then look up the torque spec for the terminals and use a tq wrench when you install the new connections with some no-ox id to prevent corrosion.

Finial thing to do is kick the installer in the nuts.

Noted...thanks

BTW, it is 4ga 12V power wire...not speaker wire.

**miahallen** · 03-02-2015, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by Willy T

That is obviously not the terminal that came on the battery, correct ? Did the original terminal get twisted off ? They are hard to make repairs on with any degree of success. Getting the bolt deep enough into the lead without it pulling out is tough to do. You have to flatten the lead mating surfaces with a counter bore and add a copper spacer to get the terminal up off the battery top.

Yes, that is the terminal that came on the battery.

**Willy T** · 03-02-2015, 10:43 AM

Originally posted by miahallen

Yes, that is the terminal that came on the battery.

It's sure not the terminal on the Trojan L16-P's I am familiar with. Do all the rest of them look like the same terminal ?? I guess they could always change. Post a picture of the other terminals, always willing to learn.

I did see that the AGM version can be ordered with different terminals, but that is not what your's show to be.

ScreenHunter_989.jpg

ScreenHunter_990.jpg

AGM Battery

ScreenHunter_987.jpg

**miahallen** · 03-02-2015, 11:05 AM

These are the L16P-AC batteries.
500x500.jpg

This is the wire I used:

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KWJ6FOY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

**Willy T** · 03-02-2015, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by miahallen

These are the L16H-AC batteries.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]5959[/ATTACH]

This is the wire I used:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I stand corrected. Heat is caused by a loose connection usually. The lug could be loose and without a lock washer the heat will thermal cycle and loosen it. The wire may need to be recrimped. If the other post is good then use it with a tapered battery terminal.

The Battery you showed in your picture is a L 16 P, the ones you have here are L16H-AC, confusing at best.

ScreenHunter_991.jpg

**Sunking** · 03-02-2015, 11:42 AM

Originally posted by miahallen

Home is not yet being lived in, and the system has been floating for 85% of the day most days.

The string is connected to a positive & negative shunt, to which the CC & inverter are both connected.

I am having a little trouble with these two statements as they conflict with the pictures.

To have this kind of damage takes a lot of current flowing. So here is where I am puzzled:

How does a system rarely being used ever have much current flowing?

Once batteries are charged up, they are not going to take much in the way of current from the controller other than just a couple of amps in the morning after sun rise.

Second thing that bothers me is you state you have shunts and an Inverter in the system. I think you stated the melted battery post is at the end of the string that is connected to the Charge Controller and Inverter.

So why is there only 1 Cable terminated to the battery Post?

Are you using a Distribution Buss Bar to Home Run the Inverter and battery to?

**miahallen** · 03-02-2015, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Willy T

I stand corrected. Heat is caused by a loose connection usually. The lug could be loose and without a lock washer the heat will thermal cycle and loosen it. The wire may need to be recrimped. If the other post is good then use it with a tapered battery terminal.

The Battery you showed in your picture is a L 16 P, the ones you have here are L16H-AC, confusing at best.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5962[/ATTACH]

Sorry, they are L16P-AC

Originally posted by Sunking

I am having a little trouble with these two statements as they conflict with the pictures.

To have this kind of damage takes a lot of current flowing. So here is where I am puzzled:

How does a system rarely being used ever have much current flowing?

Once batteries are charged up, they are not going to take much in the way of current from the controller other than just a couple of amps in the morning after sun rise.

Second thing that bothers me is you state you have shunts and an Inverter in the system. I think you stated the melted battery post is at the end of the string that is connected to the Charge Controller and Inverter.

So why is there only 1 Cable terminated to the battery Post?

Are you using a Distribution Buss Bar to Home Run the Inverter and battery to?

I'm sorry, I stated "shunt", but I think what I should have said is a distribution block (just a steel lug where the inverter & CC are both combined with the battery cable).

Why is this happening?

Why is this happening?

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