Author Topic: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?  (Read 8320 times)

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Offline WooferHound

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What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« on: January 09, 2012, 10:15:24 pm »
Should I use hardware made from a certain kind of metal when making electrical connections to the batteries. Or maybe I shouldn't use a certain kind of metal. Seems like I heard about some metals that cause or prevent corrosion in the electrical connections. Does it matter?

I guess this is the best area for a battery question . . .
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Offline A of J

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2012, 10:32:18 pm »
My personal preference is for lead plated terminals crimped with a "proper" tool with stainless steel bolts combined with some kind of battery terminal treatment to prevent corrosion (most important with flooded batteries.

A of J

Offline rossw

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2012, 11:23:58 pm »
My personal preference is for lead plated terminals crimped with a "proper" tool with stainless steel bolts combined with some kind of battery terminal treatment to prevent corrosion (most important with flooded batteries.

Allan is probably right. Flooded cells seem to be hell on battery interconnects.

That said, I've been very very happy with the solid copper interconnects I made for my sealed AGM cells:

A handfull. These are about half of one bank. (I have 72 cells in 3 banks)


One important consideration is to torque them up to the manufacturers specifications.
I've had no problems of bad connections or things heating up at all.


The first two banks in place and running.

Offline bj

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2012, 06:05:42 am »
   Hey Woof--pretty much the same as A of J, but I solder after crimping, and cover with the glue type heat
shrink.  Clean, bolt it up, and give it a coating of silicone grease.  Seems to keep corrosion at bay.
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Offline tomw

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2012, 08:51:44 am »
My Absolyte Bank has "tinned" copper bars for the interconnect straps with stainless bolts into lead posts.

A big factor is not Using metals too far apart on the periodic table together to minimize galvanic corrosion.

I know for a fact (don't ask) that aluminum will simply disappear when used with flooded lead acids.

Some kind of connection treatment / coating like "NoOx or even gun grease will help seal oxygen out of things which is needed for oxidation (corrosion). No oxygen no corrosion more or less and oversimplified.

Just from my experience.

Tom
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Offline Wolvenar

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2012, 10:08:59 am »
I use copper with a spray on corrosion resistant product. This stuff sprays on like a purple gel
and is stays wet and sticky. Its a nasty staining mess though when you need to work on things.
Tom, I like the idea of possibly tinning the copper, does it seem to help?
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Offline tomw

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2012, 10:20:39 am »
Wolv;

I think it just keeps the copper from going green and I think the tinning is more compatible with more metals than copper?

Not sure but never see any crud on them and they were all clean of corrosion when I disassembled it to move the cells inside.

These are sealed batteries with lead posts so it mates to those perfect. Not sure but the "tinning" may be lead it is very soft.

Tom
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Offline WooferHound

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2012, 12:53:16 am »
When I got my two new T-105 batteries, they gave me a jumper to go between them that looks like aluminum terminals crimped on there. I added a mystery washer from my hardware stash and used the nuts that came with the battery to hold it all down. For the connections to the outside world, I used some Side-Terminal lugs from the auto store. These aren't exactly made to do the connection on a T-105 but it works. There is a deep depression on the lug that the battery's nut would screw down into, So I put another mystery washer into that pit so the nut would not mess up the lead when it's all being wrenched down.

I just got concerned that these mystery washers might cause problems with corrosion. Everything else should be fine.
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Offline Wolvenar

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2012, 01:19:51 am »
Just a thought, information on the galvanic series may be beneficial to place up somewhere here
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Offline rossw

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Re: What kind of hardware for battery connections ?
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2012, 01:25:53 am »
   Hey Woof--pretty much the same as A of J, but I solder after crimping, and cover with the glue type heat
shrink.  Clean, bolt it up, and give it a coating of silicone grease.  Seems to keep corrosion at bay.

Thanks for reminding me. I posted the interconnects, but not the cables.

I used 1200-strand superflex cable and the correct crimp lugs, and heatshrink.