getting lead-acid batteries

[Thunderchild]

Thunderchild, are there any golf courses or golf cart repair shops in your area?

Those would be a good place to get batteries.

If your are going to make your own solar system, can I have my own planet?

you want your own planet eh ? well first you will have to submit to a risk assesment, phsycological test and CBR check I can't be giving planets to just any nutter that wants his own little world ;-)

 

[Thunderchild]

I know, I know. Good lord. Some guys come onto the forum and want complete schematics, board layout, software and everything, now this guy wants his own solar system.

I don't do things by half measures you know....

 

[Mike_2545]

you want your own planet eh ? well first you will have to submit to a risk assesment, phsycological test and CBR check I can't be giving planets to just any nutter that wants his own little world ;-)

LOL people say I'm crazy, now you want proof!

Seriously, I would check with people close to golf carts, they change the batteries once a year.

 

[Thunderchild]

hm I don't think there are any golf courses round here

 

[tcmtech]

Ha! Planets, solar sytems. Pfff Amatures and small thinkers!
I have my own reality!

 

[ScareCrow]

I'm starting on my very own solar system, any advice on cheap lead-acid battery suppliers in the UK ?

I would think you could get some for free out of your neighbors cars, at night, in the dark, while everyone else is asleep, maybe?

 

[Thunderchild]

I would think you could get some for free out of your neighbors cars, at night, in the dark, while everyone else is asleep, maybe?

erm I prefer to stay friends with my neighbours

 

[ScareCrow]

Just a passing thought from a shady mind.

 

[Thunderchild]

Just a passing thought from a shady mind.

now if I could steal them from tescos I'd not feel bad about it at all but then I don't think they deal in batteries.

 

[Space Varmint]

What you want is deep cycle marine batteries. They give more consistent power where a car battery which is for high cranking amps to turn the motor over.

I went down to PepBoys and got I think it is a 17 watt panel and with good sun I was able to charge my wife's car battery enough to where she could crank it is a few hours time.

 

[tcmtech]

Check with the commercial truck repair centers and truck stops.
They do alot of big battery swap outs all the time. Alot of the big diesels run 2 to 4 big batteries in series or parallel or combination of both.
Typicaly one goes bad but the truckers change out all of them to prevent future hastles.
You could pick up good take outs for scrap price if you talk to the right person.

 

[HiTech]

What you want is deep cycle marine batteries. They give more consistent power where a car battery which is for high cranking amps to turn the motor over.

Deep cycle marine batteries are still not the best choice for off-grid power. Ther still provide high CCA to start boat motors. Not as much CCA as a car battery but not the design and reserve as a true deep cycle battery would provide. RV and golf-cart batteries are better choices. A group 31 RV battery is strictly for operating 12v items from it for a very long time... in fact most of them don't even state anything about CCA since it doesn't apply! Trojan builds an excellent deep cycle battery. Two of their 6volt models connected in series will provide oodles of reserve capacity. A bank of Trojans properly wired and controlled by a Trace Engineering charger/inverter is a very reliable setup that lasta for years and makes for an excellent interface to a renewable power source.

 

[Space Varmint]

Deep cycle marine batteries are still not the best choice for off-grid power. Ther still provide high CCA to start boat motors. Not as much CCA as a car battery but not the design and reserve as a true deep cycle battery would provide. RV and golf-cart batteries are better choices. A group 31 RV battery is strictly for operating 12v items from it for a very long time... in fact most of them don't even state anything about CCA since it doesn't apply! Trojan builds an excellent deep cycle battery. Two of their 6volt models connected in series will provide oodles of reserve capacity. A bank of Trojans properly wired and controlled by a Trace Engineering charger/inverter is a very reliable setup that lasta for years and makes for an excellent interface to a renewable power source.

Hey HiTech!

I was simply pointing out the fact that as far as lead acid goes, you have two choices. Though it would be fine to use a normal car battery, they are not recommended as highly as deep cycle varieties for solar backup systems. In all the documentation that I have read. The choice was deep cycle as opposed to a car battery.

 

[HiTech]

Yes, deep cycle is the choice for his app. I'm merely taking it a step further to point out that there are various levels of "deep-cycle" batteries as well.

 

[Sceadwian]

Thin plates will literally dissolve into the battery acid on deep discharge cycles, problem is when you recharge the battery, it generally precipitates out of the acid into a sludge.

Thick plates won't have has much surface area so won't have as many 'cranking amps' but will be more tolerable to deeper discharging as there is less surface area to dissolve into the acid from during chemical imbalance from discharge.

What Hitech is suggesting is industrial grade deep cycle batteries. Which are just bigger and beefier, and because the cranking amps aren't an issue because the physical size of the battery pack alone makes up for the loss of effective surface area they work better over the long term.

 

[HiTech]

The very high CCA motor vehicle batteries seem to grab the attention of a good many motorists looking for higher reserve capacity, but little do they realize that their choice in that type of battery often gives them one of a shorter lifespan. There's only so much room in those battery cases (according to Group #) and once the mfgr. decreases the distance between plates, the battery sulphates that much quicker and easier.