We're building a yurt and thinking about putting in a small-medium sized solar power system. Haven't got it sized up yet but wondering in general about the operating temperatures of batteries and how extreme cold and heat affect battery life. We're in the western US, high desert environment, where it gets really cold in the winter and pretty darn hot in the summer. The yurt is *not* for full time living. Think of it as glamping. FYI, I'm a total newbie to the technical aspects of off-grid solar, so please be gentle.
I've read/heard about not charging your batteries when they're frozen, which makes sense. In our case, it seems to me that this is almost certainly happen to us (the frozen part). So this leads me to several questions.[LIST][*]What are some ways that you can keep the batteries from freezing?[*]If you just leave the system charging in cold weather does that prevent freezing?[*]Is it a bad idea to shut the system down (turn off charging) between visits (1 to 3 weeks between)?[*]If you do end up with frozen batteries, how do you thaw them and know when you can charge them again?[/LIST]Then, on the other side of the seasons and temperature spectrum, we have the summer heat. Can a BMS help with any kind of over temperature situation? Again, I've seen/read things about automatic cutoffs for overcharging and discharge thresholds and what not. But what about ambient air temps when it's hitting 100 degrees F?
If there's a good article on the topic that you just want to point me to I'm all for digging in and learning. TIA.
Earl
I've read/heard about not charging your batteries when they're frozen, which makes sense. In our case, it seems to me that this is almost certainly happen to us (the frozen part). So this leads me to several questions.[LIST][*]What are some ways that you can keep the batteries from freezing?[*]If you just leave the system charging in cold weather does that prevent freezing?[*]Is it a bad idea to shut the system down (turn off charging) between visits (1 to 3 weeks between)?[*]If you do end up with frozen batteries, how do you thaw them and know when you can charge them again?[/LIST]Then, on the other side of the seasons and temperature spectrum, we have the summer heat. Can a BMS help with any kind of over temperature situation? Again, I've seen/read things about automatic cutoffs for overcharging and discharge thresholds and what not. But what about ambient air temps when it's hitting 100 degrees F?
If there's a good article on the topic that you just want to point me to I'm all for digging in and learning. TIA.
Earl
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