Where to keep batteries?

[DianaR]

We are looking around our garage to figure out were to put batteries associated with solar panels. A friend said the garage was a bad location due to the cement floor.

Is this actually true or is it a rumor?

What is the best place to keep your batteries?

[WiseWizard]

Re: Where to keep batteries?

Diana,

The rumor that you can't store batteries on concrete floors has been around many years. About 100 years ago battery cases were made up of wood and asphalt. The acid would leak and create a discharge circuit acid soaked floor. Modern batteries don't have this problem any longer because they are made of plastic.

Storing batteries in a cool place is good because it slows down the chemical process and prolongs the life of the battery. When your ready to use it, just bring it back up to room temperature and it's as good as new.

My buddy and I built a simple wooden box to store my batteries in for the solar panels and it works great!

[Ladydusoleil]

Re: Where to keep batteries?

Wow, I totally thought that storing batteries on cement was bad. You learn something new everyday!

[CindyLou]

I've had car batteries sitting on the cement in my garage for almost a year and haven't had any problems. I may put some wood down underneath just in case. Didn't really think to much into it.

[Mosesbbhhh]

I think the advice to keep them off concrete still applies.
Concrete is cold.
To minimize the stratification of the acid, one needs to "stir" the acid by a periodic gassing charge. This stirring is made more difficult if the acid at the bottom is cold (denser).
Batteries sulphate from the bottom up due to stratification, with the resultant loss of capacity and an early death when the sulphation reaches the top of the plates.
Allow an air gap under the batteries by placing them on wooden slats.
Cheap insurance.

[PlumBob]

Would someone please discuss environmental temperature, and battery performance and life, please. I too am considering where to locate my battery bank. In the garage is the simplest (and would have the shortest wire runs to the inverter) - but...... Another choice would be a "battery house" outside - snugged up to a wall of the house, for instance.

Very cold climate - winter night temps -20 (F) and day temps 10 are common, mid-November until mid-February. Overnight low 7F last night, for instance.

TIA for all thoughts.

[Mike90250]

batteries loose capacity in the cold, so keeping them above 40F is nice.

Long cables, cause losses in the wires, unless you use even heavier wire then normal

Charged batteries will not freeze till -40F, half charged will not freeze at 0f

What are your garage temps in the winter?

If you just have a couple batteries, boat shops have plastic battery boxes that are good containers for batteries. If you have a lot, the large rubbermaid totes work well. You want to contain the contents if something happens to a battery and it leaks.

Is this off grid, or grid tie ?

links:
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm (short & sweet)
http://www.batteryfaq.org/ (very large)
http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html (connect batteries on diagonal, + )

[PlumBob]

batteries loose capacity in the cold, so keeping them above 40F is nice.

I think that pretty well answers my question, Mike.... Garage it is. I don't know what the temps in the garage are, but - I certainly can snug battery boxes up against the garage wall that is the wall for the crawl space under the house. Appropriate simple insulation, and viola, I'd bet you a steak that it would stay 30F+...

[Solar Steve]

Off-grid signage lighting and batteries

This thread about outdoor vs. indoor use of batteries is perfect timing. I'm in the process of building a display (see attached photo) and need to deal with batteries. The underground cable that is already in place is 10 gauge and the distance is about 70 feet from the building. Running DC will require a larger more expensive cable.

My plan was to build a small "house" for the batteries and on it's roof add some other solar items such as a Sun Tunnel and an SRS solar powered vent (switched).

I'm certainly not the first to want to house batteries outside. I'll likely be powering a series of LEDs to minimize draw and to showcase what folks can do. It's a combination experiment and display for our retail showroom, destined to evolve as we play with it. I have an extra mod-sine wave inverter I will use and I have 4 - 6V golf cart style batteries I was going to try. Bad idea?

If it were you, how would you approach this?

Much appreciated.

[Mike90250]

I can't see your photo (nanny filter @ work)

Make your long run, your highest voltage, if you can't get larger wires in there.

I'm building a small system in/under a outbuilding, and the batteries will be outdoors, underneath the tool shed. That's where they are.

[PlumBob]

Is this off grid, or grid tie ?

Sorry, I forgot to respond.... Both... Will be (future tense) grid tie, but I will have a 3-day supply of furnace capacity & and some computer capacity in a battery bank, too.

[mountain]

http://www.surrey.ca/NR/rdonlyres/AB35179A-679E-4FE8-A8E1-CC0D52CDBDC8/44879/PVandtheElectricalCode.pdf

Read beginning page 58

Plastic battery storage containers are cheap & good. They protect against incidental contact, acid-spills, battery rupture & properly vent any generated hydrogen. Get them at any auto-parts store.

If sitting on a cold surface, provide thermal insulation using high-density Styrofoam insulation (SM) Do not use wood (combustible).

Make sure your fusing & ground tie-in is immediately adjacent to & 100% accessible.

Wet-cell lead acid batteries produce hydrogen gas, which if contained may pose a serious fire hazard. Make sure your battery storage location is properly ventilated.

M

[ed2kayak]

Ok so if I buy a electric battery powered tractor like the Ariens AMP. I could store it safely outside in a shed during the winter in freezing conditions, if the batteries were charged? It seemed to me it would be a hassle to yank the batteries out after every season.

[russ]

More than a fire hazard, hydrogen generated by a charging lead acid battery is an explosion hazard.

H2 easily collects in an unventilated area and any time there is an explosive mix plus ignition source (and a spark from static electricity is adequate) there can be a rather violent boom.

Industrially it is less of a problem as people will be trained on how to handle hydrogen. Residentially it could be a bit of a mess.

[cindynsg]

Any simple affective designs to vent gas? I was considering plastic bins with snap on cover and some kind of tubing. Hydrogen is light right? So If I run some tubing from the basement straight outside it may work? I'm weary of using a small fan inside tubing, it would be a source of ignition.