Using VRLA Batteries in my Precedent?

[Volt_Ampere]

I don't like the idea of charging Sealed batteries in series!

[utjmac]

Yes, he says they use them in golf carts all the time. They had other batteries they could have sold me, but pointed to these as a great bang for the buck. They are 12v batteries, and yes, from a reputable major brand that gets 300-300/battery new.

I believe when these are installed in backup battery banks they are wired/charged as 48v banks, but likely with a lot higher amperage.

Jjance - thanks, hadn't really thought about that. Can you think of. Reason a charger wouldn't be comparable with a sealed battery? It being sealed is just a function of the acid being suspended in a different media and not producing gas or evaporation during charging. I'll look into seeing if there is any issue with charger. I certainly wouldn't pursue this if I had to change chargers.

Kgsc- that's my concern too. Just looking for someone to evaluate the discharge rates and see that its comparable to others or doesn't notice a red flag.

Scooter man - I know it may seem like a waste for me to save a couple hundred dollars in purchase price, but I'm not planning on doing it if I'm not confident it will work. Not everyone has a supplier of these, but I have a ton of neighbors with carts. If I found a reliable source of batteries, that have the same performance of a flooded cell battery, but never had the need for adding water, no issue with acid overflow, gasses created during charging, and still be cheaper than a set of new batteries! Seems like its worth the effort, and may open up a less expensive option for others if this works. $400 for a set of 12v batteries with a 1 year warranty that will work as well or better than a Trojan equivalent would be great!

Apologies if the questions are looked at as pointless, but with trying to learn and share some info in case others pursue a similar approach. Thanks to you for your feedback!

Still looking at if there are charger issues, and anyone have opinion on the discharge rates? I don't know the correct way to calculate the AMP HR rating with all the data provided. Thanks!

John

[jjance]

Jjance - thanks, hadn't really thought about that. Can you think of. Reason a charger wouldn't be comparable with a sealed battery?

Well it's still a lead acid battery w/o any caps. It relies on a chemical reaction to recombine the Hydrogen and oxygen back in water. It also has a a 2psi relief valve should the pressure become to great. The way that the CC charger overcharges the battery it's almost like an equalization charge which causes excess gassing. In the Wiki article I referenced earlier it stated they were prone to exploding. From gas pressures I guess. Google it and read it. This is all my opinion no references to back it up but the Wiki article.

[BBailey]

These batteries are usually wired 20 to 40 in series with up to 545VDC. The batteries will work, they are not rated for long term discharges, the plates are thinner, more like a car battery than a deep cycle or golf cart battery. I don't have the amp hour rating for this battery, but it should be 100 - 120 amp/hr at 20 hrs at 10.5VDC, UPS batteries are designed/rated at 15 minutes. The only other thing is ,this sealed battery is designed for a service float of ~13.65 which you might want to adjust the charger, not sure how yours work, 60VDC will be too high.

[jjance]

These batteries are usually wired 20 to 40 in series with up to 545VDC

Now I see why each battery is only rated at 500 watts

[utjmac]

Ahh...there's a point that wont work with my setup. I've got a Powerdrive 3 charger, which when finishing up a charging cycle is around 60V. The battery manufacturer indicates 50V as the maximum charging voltage. In jjance's reference to gas production more than the factory intended, this additional voltage would be running outside of mfr specifications towards the end of the charge cycle as BBailey mentioned. Also, BBailey, I didn't realize these were thinner plate type batteries, or more similar to car batteries, obviously now we are talking about reduction in real world run time, and shortening the remainder of battery life. In the big scheme of things, I could risk having the batteries run a shorter life if I'm paying hundreds of dollars less, but battery explosion, or limiting run time, is a concern on which I'm not willing to sacrifice. Safety and performance are not something to compromise on, so I guess I shall move on to the standard replacement.

Thank you all for your comments and discussion, I greatly appreciate it!

John

[scooterman]

It can't hurt using them, see how the run time is and if you like these batteries. If so I'd use an electronic charger that can fully keep them charged.