I've recently retired and moved back to the country. Nice rolling hills, big trees and no shop. So my first major job is to level off
some of the rolling hill and add a workshop. This means that my alternate energy equipment is in semi-storage in the barn.
I have the battery banks in one corner, and the control panel upright on a wall close by, with 2x4s holding the panel in place.
Sort of a hillbilly tech arrangement. To charge the batteries i use my small wind generator pole strapped to the barn (more highly
technical temporary engineering) and the occasional dose of diesel generator input. To cycle the batteries I've hooked the barn
lights into the system. Not a lot of load but it stirs the batteries some and makes me feel like the system is being used.
This morning I noticed that funny hot electrical smell. Everything was working, but my bat amp gauge needle was quivering, and
the battery voltage was slowly drifting a small amount. After a quick check and finding nothing, I finally got wise and broke out my
el cheapo Harbor Freight IR temperature sensor. By scanning the batteries and cables I found one connection that was about 15
degrees hotter than the rest. After taking apart the connection I found a darkened arc pattern between the post and the cable
lug. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning cable connections.
I have now added to my checklist a chart for each cable connection temperature after cleaning. Just add a good load for 15
minutes, shoot the connection, and jot down the temperature. Hopefully it will save me grief in the future.