Re: (ET) batteries

[Jeremy Gagliardi <Jeremy Gagliardi com>]

Don't forget what happened to me.

I left the original charge timer wired in _WITH_ a Landis controller.  
In such a case, the 2 controllers were incompatible with each other and 
the timer kept getting reactivated at the end of its cycle.  This 
essentially cooked my batteries for weeks until I noticed "Hey, why does 
the hum of the charger always seem to be on, and why is the gas alarm in 
my house always going off?"

Another thing to keep in mind is that battery water evaporates just as 
easily as it boils off from overcharging.  I remember having to keep 
topping off the batteries at least once per month to make sure the 
plates weren't exposed.  You can't just plug and forget.  These 
batteries require maintenance by you in a way that a charge controller 
can never do due to the water requirements.

  ---------------------------------
   Sincerely, Jeremy Gagliardi
       http://Jeremy.Gagliardi.com
       mailto:Jeremy Gagliardi com
  ---------------------------------

On 4/24/2014 11:31, Nick Skinner wrote:
> There are a couple of possibilities I haven't seen mentioned yet. If this
> was a Landis Controller, it is possible that (A) the power disconnect was
> not engaged, (B) the control panel mounted circuit breaker popped open,
> and/or (C) there was a charger component failure (i.e., diodes or
> capacitor).
>
> Any single or combination of these items would lead to an undercharged 
> pack.
> B and/or C would explain why subsequent attempts to charge the battery pack
> would fail. Hydrometer readings from the batteries would be very helpful in
> determining what is going on, as would a charger voltage measurement.
>
> Nick
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Coate [mailto:lists freerangeelectric com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2014 11:20 AM
> To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
> Subject: Re: (ET) batteries
>
> What type of charge controller were you using? As others have said, likely
> to have overcharged the batteries to the point of no return, but... I'd
> check the voltage of each battery. Preferably under modest load like the
> mowing deck running. Looking to see if 5 batteries are good, holding around
> 6 volts, and one battery is the stinker and plummets to near zero volts.
> This could mean that the one battery died more of its own accord and the
> charge controller didn't toast the whole pack.
>
> On 4/23/14 9:59 AM, Ferguson Apiaries wrote:
> > I left my tractor plugged in to a charge controller all winter to keep
> > up the charge and now I have very little capacity in the batteries. I
> > can get about 5 mins. running time. Is there anything I can do to
> > revive them?
>
> --
> Jim Coate
> Free Range Electric
> www.ElectricTractorStore.com
>
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