New to forum. 150 Golf Cart Batteries solar setup midwest

[SunEagle]

..and the longer he holds on to those batteries the less they are worth. Better to dump them now instead of selling for scrap value in a year or two. Storing 150 batteries sounds more like a liability than an asset. 'Free' sound like used/useless to me. I'd take them tho at $5-$10@ scrap value.

Or maybe he should buy golf carts and then sell the complete unit including batteries.

All kidding aside having that many batteries will be a lot of work to keep them fresh and useful. Maybe selling half of them you can then use the funds to purchase the solar panels you want. Just a thought.

[FloridaSun]

Or maybe he should buy golf carts and then sell the complete unit including batteries.

All kidding aside having that many batteries will be a lot of work to keep them fresh and useful. Maybe selling half of them you can then use the funds to purchase the solar panels you want. Just a thought.

If I were blessed with 150@ 6V free batts I'd sell off 130 of them, keep 16 for a two string parallel 48V bank, four more to play with but... can you imagine the time it would take to check SG in 450 cells to determine which were the best to keep?

[SunEagle]

If I were blessed with 150@ 6V free batts I'd sell off 130 of them, keep 16 for a two string parallel 48V bank, four more to play with but... can you imagine the time it would take to check SG in 450 cells to determine which were the best to keep?

I would probably purchase 8 of them from you.

I use to work at a golf course and just keeping the carts and batteries in good shape was a full time job for 3 people. The batteries were always being replaced with newer ones that would hold a charge for more than 36 holes. Anything less and usually one of us would have to go out and rescue the stranded golfers when their cart died.

[FloridaSun]

I would probably purchase 8 of them from you.

(probably) SOLD! for only $25 each, no guarantee... or you can pay $50 each with a 15 day warranty.

( OUCH!! reminder to self... remove fence staples from back pocket before sitting down...)

[inetdog]

If you get 150 free batteries, the best way to profit would be to sell them for their scrap value. Lead is expensive.

[Sunking]

If you get 150 free batteries, the best way to profit would be to sell them for their scrap value. Lead is expensive.

Amend brother. It was cheaper to give them to a SUCKER rather than pay someone to haul them off. Labor and gas is more expensive than the salvage value.

[keeko785]

Amend brother. It was cheaper to give them to a SUCKER rather than pay someone to haul them off. Labor and gas is more expensive than the salvage value.

Anyone else have anything constructive to add?

I see about 50 video's on youtube with people using golf cart batteries for their solar project. Do I really need to resort to youtube to reach my goal?

I want to do this right and that does not include selling the batteries.

[russ]

Anyone else have anything constructive to add?

I see about 50 video's on youtube with people using golf cart batteries for their solar project. Do I really need to resort to youtube to reach my goal?

I want to do this right and that does not include selling the batteries.

Please use you tube - there you can find any kind of flaky "facts" that suit you. You will not get help to do dangerous things here.

The best thing to do you have been told - scrap the things as someone has suckered you into thinking you won a prize.

[Sunking]

Keeko here are your challenges and why you are getting such a hard time.

1. Golf Cart batteries last 2 or 3 years tops. Yours are already at end of life.
2. For each battery just to maintain it stored on a shelf will require 5 watts per battery x 150 batteries = 750 watts and a 60 amp charge controller. Batteries have to be connected to a charger to store them.
3. If for some reason you actually want to use the batteries in a real application to recharge them daily you are looking at 100 to 150 watts per battery. If you were to try to use 150 of them you are looking at 15,000 watts and a boat load of controllers.

[keeko785]

Ok, I get what you guys are saying, you don't want me to mickey mouse this solar setup.


So lets take a step back. I liquidate 130 batteries and only keep 20 of them.


So now I have 20 of them, 12 or that are used on a regular basis and 8 of them to be used as backups.

How about I take 2 batteries and focus that on the lighting alone.

I have a dozen 3 watt and a dozen 4.5 watt led bulbs (UL LISTED made by GE). I would be fine with the lighting only working when its windy out. Hooking the wind generator straight into these two dummy batteries running into an inverter with a 12 volt water heating element for the dump load. (I also have 2 dozen 12 volt LED bulbs made by GE)

This gives the shop temporary lights(and the appearance that someone is actually there at night). The water heating element can heat a tank of water that will in turn offer a little humidity in a very dry shop area.


Now lets focus on task lighting, this lighting will be for my workbench and 2 portable LED mechanics lights(for working under cars or in engine bays...) This will need to be pure sign wave as it powers 12 volt and 18 volt chargers for Milwaukee electric drill. I will only turn this on for 1 hour to 5 hours while I am working. When I leave I will always shut this circuit down because I don't want to overcharge any of the 12 volt and 18 volt chargers.
Should I use 6 batteries or 8 batteries for this?



Now lets focus on a third bank of batteries, this bank of batteries will powered a second string of lighting, I can either use the remainder of the LED light bulbs or I have some 45 watt light bulbs or some 100 watt bulbs. This lighting will be if I decide to wash my car in the shop area or possibly decide to buff the car out or maybe come in on a Saturday and sand and stain some doors...


These are three things I would like to achieve if I can use 1 high end inverter/charger that would be great, if I have to use 3 inverters that would be fine as well.

If this is off topic and I should take my question elsewhere that is fine, but this is the "off grid" forum and thats why I am posting it here.

[Mike90250]

Ok, I get what you guys are saying, you don't want me to mickey mouse this solar setup.


So lets take a step back. I liquidate 130 batteries and only keep 20 of them.


So now I have 20 of them, 12 or that are used on a regular basis and 8 of them to be used as backups.

How about I take 2 batteries and focus that on the lighting alone.

I have a dozen 3 watt and a dozen 4.5 watt led bulbs (UL LISTED made by GE). I would be fine with the lighting only working when its windy out. Hooking the wind generator straight into these two dummy batteries running into an inverter with a 12 volt water heating element for the dump load. (I also have 2 dozen 12 volt LED bulbs made by GE)

This gives the shop temporary lights(and the appearance that someone is actually there at night). The water heating element can heat a tank of water that will in turn offer a little humidity in a very dry shop area.


Now lets focus on task lighting, this lighting will be for my workbench and 2 portable LED mechanics lights(for working under cars or in engine bays...) This will need to be pure sign wave as it powers 12 volt and 18 volt chargers for Milwaukee electric drill. I will only turn this on for 1 hour to 5 hours while I am working. When I leave I will always shut this circuit down because I don't want to overcharge any of the 12 volt and 18 volt chargers.
Should I use 6 batteries or 8 batteries for this?



Now lets focus on a third bank of batteries, this bank of batteries will powered a second string of lighting, I can either use the remainder of the LED light bulbs or I have some 45 watt light bulbs or some 100 watt bulbs. This lighting will be if I decide to wash my car in the shop area or possibly decide to buff the car out or maybe come in on a Saturday and sand and stain some doors...


These are three things I would like to achieve if I can use 1 high end inverter/charger that would be great, if I have to use 3 inverters that would be fine as well.

If this is off topic and I should take my question elsewhere that is fine, but this is the "off grid" forum and thats why I am posting it here.

Wow. That's a lot to absorb in one evening for me. I've got to buy a plane ticket tonight to visit my folks back east.


Using 1 large inverter, will waste a lot of power unless you load it about half capacity, so I lean more toward small inverters, maybe the MS suresine 300w. It's also got a wired remote OFF switch, for an easy way to put the system to sleep. Use the large inverter just when you have heavy loads to run.

And beware the 12V wind generator loads. Often the control relay sticks, and the load does not come on. And if the single 12V 500w heater element fails..... ??

[FloridaSun]

Ok, I get what you guys are saying, you don't want me to mickey mouse this solar setup.


So lets take a step back. I liquidate 130 batteries and only keep 20 of them.


So now I have 20 of them, 12 or that are used on a regular basis and 8 of them to be used as backups.

How about I take 2 batteries and focus that on the lighting alone.

I have a dozen 3 watt and a dozen 4.5 watt led bulbs (UL LISTED made by GE). I would be fine with the lighting only working when its windy out. Hooking the wind generator straight into these two dummy batteries running into an inverter with a 12 volt water heating element for the dump load. (I also have 2 dozen 12 volt LED bulbs made by GE)

This gives the shop temporary lights(and the appearance that someone is actually there at night). The water heating element can heat a tank of water that will in turn offer a little humidity in a very dry shop area.


Now lets focus on task lighting, this lighting will be for my workbench and 2 portable LED mechanics lights(for working under cars or in engine bays...) This will need to be pure sign wave as it powers 12 volt and 18 volt chargers for Milwaukee electric drill. I will only turn this on for 1 hour to 5 hours while I am working. When I leave I will always shut this circuit down because I don't want to overcharge any of the 12 volt and 18 volt chargers.
Should I use 6 batteries or 8 batteries for this?



Now lets focus on a third bank of batteries, this bank of batteries will powered a second string of lighting, I can either use the remainder of the LED light bulbs or I have some 45 watt light bulbs or some 100 watt bulbs. This lighting will be if I decide to wash my car in the shop area or possibly decide to buff the car out or maybe come in on a Saturday and sand and stain some doors...


These are three things I would like to achieve if I can use 1 high end inverter/charger that would be great, if I have to use 3 inverters that would be fine as well.

If this is off topic and I should take my question elsewhere that is fine, but this is the "off grid" forum and thats why I am posting it here.

You're posting in the right place but have so many questions and missing info it might be best if you would define your watt use in a certain area, say lighting, and start with the design of one system. In the meantime you have a load of batteries to maintain while evaluating their condition.
Read and understand these stickies;
http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design
http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...p-Why-Tutorial
Also, reading the other threads in the off grid section will provide many other answers to your questions.
Remember not to make any battery bank with more than two parallel strings. Don't mix different battery types/manufacturers/ages. Get specific, take notes, make an inventory list of exactly what batteries you have to work with and their condition to determine best outcome. Once you have one operating system developed, any others you decide to create will go much easier.
If you really are going to be completely off grid as your first post indicates then first thing you need to do is buy a generator to keep your batteries charged.
"I really don't want to spend thousands of dollars to accomplish this as its only a hobby shop and I am just avoiding paying xcel for monthly service especially in the months when I hardly use the shop."
But it is going to cost you thousands of dollars to accomplish not paying xcel a pittance monthly. You will spend much more time/money just maintaining an unused off grid system than for a monthly service fee to your POCO. For a hobby shop and learning with hobby solar power stick with lighting, forget about trying to use a power hungry buffer at first.

[FloridaSun]

Wow. That's a lot to absorb in one evening for me. I've got to buy a plane ticket tonight to visit my folks back east.

Hope you don't have to travel back east any time soon. Airports are going to be jammed up for days with this latest storm going thru.

[SunEagle]

Hope you don't have to travel back east any time soon. Airports are going to be jammed up for days with this latest storm going thru.

Not to mention the sub freezing temperatures after the snow. Makes it real hard for the salt to melt the ice.

I feel bad for those that live in the Illinois area. Minus degrees now and they don't expect the temps to get above freezing until Wednesday night.

[FloridaSun]

Not to mention the sub freezing temperatures after the snow. Makes it real hard for the salt to melt the ice.

I feel bad for those that live in the Illinois area. Minus degrees now and they don't expect the temps to get above freezing until Wednesday night.

yeah, my brother in Maine has had a few feet of snow and below zero temps for weeks now but they're used to it. Today they have a high of 45 and rain.... which will create yet another layer of ice when the temp goes back to a high of 9 degrees tomorrow. brrrrr.... I'm stuck on tropical and want no part of that. Bad nuff here where I have to throw a few sheets over the vegie garden just in case the temps go down to frost with a low predicted of 35 tonight in central Florida.