Dropped my brand new gel battery

[SunSeeker1]

Hello, I just bought a 200AH gel battery the other day and as I was carrying it down to the house, when I wanted to put it down on the floor I let it fall quicker than I would have liked on the tiles (from about 1 foot). It landed on it's bottom but it was still in my hands the whole time and I softened the blow.

To be honest the impact wasnt that strong but there was a definite impact and the battery does weigh 130 pounds. Thankfully there is no external damage at all. I tried the battery and it works. It's connected to 450w worth of solar panels (it was reasonably sunny) and I applied a 250w load on it and the voltage dropped from 12.8 to 12.1 gradually within less than 5 mins while still under load. It didn't drop past 12.1 after that with the same load still applied.

Does that sound ok? Thanks.

[Mike90250]

Well, I doubt it's too bad off then.
But, the question I have, is it a GEL battery or an AGM ?

Gel are used in data centers as backup batteries, but cannot be charged quickly.
AGM are used in aircraft and can both be charged and discharged quickly.

[Mr4btTahoe]

I had one delivered via FedEx that had been dropped so hard that the case plastic had been visibly stressed. Contacted the manufacturer and they told me to run it and they would warranty it if any issues came up. It's been in service for 7 years now without a hitch.

If you have a smart charger handy, hook it up and top it off. If the charger goes though a normal cycle, I wouldn't be worried about it.

[SunSeeker1]

Well, I doubt it's too bad off then.
But, the question I have, is it a GEL battery or an AGM ?

Gel are used in data centers as backup batteries, but cannot be charged quickly.
AGM are used in aircraft and can both be charged and discharged quickly.

It's a gel battery (electrolyte in silica).

[SunSeeker1]

I had one delivered via FedEx that had been dropped so hard that the case plastic had been visibly stressed. Contacted the manufacturer and they told me to run it and they would warranty it if any issues came up. It's been in service for 7 years now without a hitch.

If you have a smart charger handy, hook it up and top it off. If the charger goes though a normal cycle, I wouldn't be worried about it.

Thanks for the info. Will do.

[ButchDeal]

It's a gel battery (electrolyte in silica).

well that is unfortunate. Gel batteries are generally a poor and yet expensive match for solar installations.
AGM/VRLA are a much better match for the high charge/discharge rates.

[SunSeeker1]

well that is unfortunate. Gel batteries are generally a poor and yet expensive match for solar installations.
AGM/VRLA are a much better match for the high charge/discharge rates.

As far as I understand, gel batteries are the best option for me. My solar usage is not so high (mainly fridge and washing machine) and I don't have enough panels for super fast charging. Also gel batteries have a longer life span in cycles than AGM.

[Sunking]

Also gel batteries have a longer life span in cycles than AGM.

Who told you that lie and why did you believe it?

Gel batteries have one niche application. To be Float Charge inside an Egress Lighting fixture, or in an Alarm/Fire Controller.

[ButchDeal]

As far as I understand, gel batteries are the best option for me. My solar usage is not so high (mainly fridge and washing machine) and I don't have enough panels for super fast charging. Also gel batteries have a longer life span in cycles than AGM.

You understand incorrectly on almost all details listed. AGM/VRLA would be a far better fit.

[SunSeeker1]

Who told you that lie and why did you believe it?

Gel batteries have one niche application. To be Float Charge inside an Egress Lighting fixture, or in an Alarm/Fire Controller.

I read it online from a few sources, including Victron Energy which says "The GEL model range offers best deep cycle durability and overall longer life."

https://www.victronenergy.com/batteries/gel-and-agm-batteries

[ButchDeal]

I read it online from a few sources, including Victron Energy which says "The GEL model range offers best deep cycle durability and overall longer life."

http://www.victronenergy.com/batteri...-agm-batteries

It is marketing pitch stuff. Even the spec sheets are light on details but they do claim
"Gel batteries have a lower effective capacity at high discharge currents"
"As explained in our book Energy Unlimited, AGM batteries are more suitable for short-time delivery of very high currents (engine starting) than gel batteries"

they keep relating high current to engine starting