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Battery data Flood Lead Acid

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lighthunter:
"mine is in better condition I think"

yes, this one is fairly spent. The self discharge is what kills this one, it takes 4-5 amps of continuous charge just to offset self discharge, 1-2kwh in 24 hrs. I was pretty bummed about the performance until i learned that batteries arent to charge up and look at. Just work it and dont worry about it and ive gotten along with it much better. Everyone has a little different situation though. Sounds like you guys have systems that work for you. I never tried 12v but 24v did work for me for a time. 48 with large battery helped the grid tie a lot, i never see it trip out anymore because of volt instability.

LH

Pete:
Hi LH, I have read enough here to agree that 48 volt seems the way to go. I started using solar about 40 years ago, so 12 volt was it, I stuck with 12 volt until last year when I changed to 24volt. I mainly did that as I did not want to have to run my generator to use my air compressor on rare occasions, and also to lower battery current.
So far it is great, I can even use my MIG welder for small jobs.
We had grid power when we moved to the mountain we live on , but did not like power bills so got rid of it and cut the poles down.
Being and off grid person for so long, I could not come to grips with paying bills for power when there is a great big thing in the sky that supplies it free.
Cheers
Pete

lighthunter:
Hi Pete, i couldnt agree more. We do have the grid still and i do pay enough of a bill to keep em happy. My old man warned me not to get rid of power company for resale value of realestate. HA! i do agree with him  however a working solar setup also boosts the price of property. At least my insurance agent thinks so. Once i described the solar install they had the appraisal near ten times what i paid for it. I didnt go for as i couldnt have paid the premium.

24v actually worked fine for me. I had only two 40AH lithiums for the 24 so very undersized but we are usually between 500-2000 watts and usually under 1kw so backcharging is higher than use.
Nothin wrong with usin what you have!

LH

Pete:
Hi LH, yep as far as we are concerned resale value is not an issue. My partner and I plan on leaving here in a box. That is unless our government approve home cremation (Indian Style) then we will burn whoever croaks it first.,May have to work on a timer ignition setup the the other one.
Cheers
Pete

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