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Best way to Mothball for seasonal home in winter time?

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  • Best way to Mothball for seasonal home in winter time?

    Hi Folks -

    I have a 48V battery bank comprised of S-550 batteries.

    The small summer home isn't used in the winter time and I want to understand the best way to mothball the batteries when I am away.
    I will visit every 6 to 10 weeks to charge them up.

    Should I leave the charge controller connected to batteries and keep giving them a charge?
    Last edited by Riley5781; 09-12-2017, 12:15 AM.

  • #2
    sorry... edit problems from a copy/paste

    Comment


    • #3
      Do you expect snow that would cover the panels for more than 1 week ?
      Are the batteries stored where they get how cold ___ F ?
      Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
      || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
      || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

      solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
      gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

      Comment


      • #4
        I have t o assume that the panels will get covered with snow.

        The mechanical room they are in will likely get to -10C or 14F.

        Battery box is insulated but not heated

        Comment


        • #5
          OK. Fully charged batteries won't freeze at those temps.
          At cold temps, self-discharge slows down too.
          In 10 weeks, how do you propose to recharge the batteries ? Scrape snow off the panels ? Generator & battery charger ?

          Freeze point Pb battery.jpg
          Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
          || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
          || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

          solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
          gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

          Comment


          • #6
            Oh my back-up generator and charger built into my Conext Inverter/charger. Been testing it for the last few months even if I didn't need it much in the summer. Very reliable.
            Charges nice at 45 amps if I have too or slower....

            Good they won't freeze.

            So should I leave my panel charge controller on there?
            whats the best thing to do for the lifetime of my battery bank??

            Comment


            • #7
              What sort of charge controller do you have ? Are you able to adjust it's settings ? Configuring it for mild charging in the winter, where you just top off the batteries daily, instead a a full 90 min absorb and then float is best.
              Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
              || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
              || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

              solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
              gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post
                What sort of charge controller do you have ? Are you able to adjust it's settings ? Configuring it for mild charging in the winter, where you just top off the batteries daily, instead a a full 90 min absorb and then float is best.
                Well that's a good idea, I should have thought of that.
                I have a Conext mppt 60-150 charge controller.

                Just to clarify:
                - no bulk charge
                - 90 min absorb
                - then float (at recommended float voltage from battery supplier)

                I will read up that I can set this profile but I think it should be possible.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Lower the BULK to midway between your Absorb - Float voltage, Set Absorb = Bulk and for 10 minutes and leave Float alone. If you truely have no loads running, that's a good start at keeping the batteries healthy, without overcharging them or boiling them dry, Look in your battery data sheet, if there are settings for FLOAT or STANDBY service, since that's whats happening while you are on vacation from them
                  And remember the old CYCLE Usage settings, so you can use them when you move back in. You may need the ComBox or the SCP to perform the settings and adjustments, I vote for the Combox.
                  Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
                  || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
                  || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

                  solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
                  gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Thanks Mike. I am a little confused about your suggested settings. Here's some of the numbers from my battery spec sheet. I assume i should use the values from the "back-up or infrequent cycling" table. They call for:

                    Bulk = Absorb at 58.8 volts for 48V system)
                    Float = 54 volts

                    So for these battery specs are you suggesting setting both Bulk and Absorb to 58.8 OR set to 56.4 volts ( (58.8-54)/2 + 54) which is halfway between what the manufacture states for Bulk and Absorb?

                    Then also set Bulk for 10min max?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      OK, it's good you gt some factory numbers to use. Are the batteries sealed or flooded ? Either way, you don't want to over-charge them with a stupid charger, that does not know that it's winter and you are not draining the batteries, so they don't really need a daily boost up to 58.8V for 90 min to recharge them,
                      You don't want to let them go dead either. If it was my battery bank, I'd set the Bulk & Absorb voltage to 56.4V and the absorb timer for 5 min. And I would Disable the EQ function.
                      It's sort of a guessing game, will this be enough, or do I need 56.8V & 15 min ? How much sun will the snow block out ? Will the snow shed from panels, or will it persist for 8 weeks ? You get a little bit of power through the snow, but it's a wild guess if it will be enough.
                      Since the batteries will be on Float for only a couple hours a day, and no loads, you don't want to do so much charging, that you run out of water and ruin the batteries. It might take a year of two to get the right settings dialed in.
                      Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
                      || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
                      || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

                      solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
                      gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

                      Comment

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