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Slightly Used L-16's

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  • Slightly Used L-16's

    I have a chance to buy 10 L-16's that where in a off-grid service for less than a year and then put on a maintenance charge for about 8 months. The owner is now grid connected and selling off his system. I can get these for about .30 on the dollar along with the battery box and power vent. Our upgraded system will not be ready to go online till next June so these batteries would be on a maintenance charge till then. Bad idea since they have been on a maintenance charge and will be on one for over a year?

  • #2
    What is the Warranty?
    Is it 7 years?
    1 year full replacement, and then 6 years pro-rated?
    Is the warranty transferable or not?

    Check the SG in every cell - look for a weak cell, an outlier.

    The electrolyte may be stratified - it should be mixed / bubbled periodically.

    How deeply were they discharged?
    How many cycles?

    Exactly what is a "maintenance" charge?
    A constant Float Charge or something else?



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    • #3
      Good questions, no warranty left and on a float charge.

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      • #4
        The SG readings ( should be high & consistent ) will tell you if the batteries are healthy or not.
        If the batteries are healthy, then I think a Trojan L-16RE-B for $90 each is a good deal.
        If the batteries are not healthy, then you are buying a pile of lead.

        What is the exact make & model?
        Trojan L16P-AC
        Trojan L16RE-A Premium Line
        Trojan L16RE-B Premium Line
        Last edited by NEOH; 10-18-2017, 09:21 AM.

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        • #5
          What are the Date Codes stamped on the term post?
          MSEE, PE

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          • #6
            The batteries are Interstate L-16l 380 amp hour. I will check for a date code. I know buying used batteries is a big gamble. I have a fairly good battery charger that I could keep a fair charge on these but I am concerned that not cycling them for up to a year or longer could be a bad thing.
            If the S.G.'s check 1.265 or better would they be worth it?

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            • #7
              January 2016 commissioned, decommissioned October 2016 on float charge since.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Saggys View Post
                The batteries are Interstate L-16l 380 amp hour. I will check for a date code. I know buying used batteries is a big gamble. I have a fairly good battery charger that I could keep a fair charge on these but I am concerned that not cycling them for up to a year or longer could be a bad thing.
                If the S.G.'s check 1.265 or better would they be worth it?
                Interstate ?

                When new ... rated at 300 cycles at 80% DOD ... and that was 2 years ago.
                How much are you paying for these 2 year old battery?
                Last edited by NEOH; 10-22-2017, 04:25 PM.

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                • #9
                  without monthly logs from orig owner, i'd pay scrap value for them, the old owners have to prove they are good, and worth more than scrap
                  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

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                  • #10
                    The most kindest and gentlest service is FLOAT Service. Batteries have two life cycles. One being cycle life, and one being calender life. Whichever comes first with a twist.

                    The twist is you will never experience maximum cycle life because it exceeds calendar life. How long is Calander life? Warranty is your clue. There are roughly 300 cycle in a Calendar year. So you buy a battery with a 24/48 moth warranty, and charts tell you this is a 2500 cycle battery @ 50% DOD. So how long can you expect the battery to last?

                    Well if you used cycles like you want to hear, you would fool yourself into thinking 2500 cycles / 300 cycles-year = 8.33 years. WRONG ANSWER, 4 years.

                    Want to buy used Condoms?
                    MSEE, PE

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                    • #11
                      Not really, I think you guys have talked me out of it, even at $80 a battery.

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                      • #12
                        Saggy being on Float Charge is not a bad thing. Assuming the batteries have been properly charged up and maintained, should be OK for now. Just keep in mind, they have already aged 18 months on a 4 year battery. So it is possible you could get 2 or 3 years service out of them.

                        Your issue is testing them to see if they are still within specs. There is onluy a small handful of companies or people who have the equipment to test batteries with, and the test cost 1/2 what the batteries are worth new.
                        MSEE, PE

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