Inverter Questions

[Bilito]

Just found there is a date stamp on batteries my trojans are marked A 6, almost 5 years old?

[camaroluvz28]

Correct ... A= January ... 6= 2016

[Bilito]

They show the correct volts when testing, average is 6.4 volts or better, the hydrometer test shows they are almost in perfect shape, but I am suddenly having these issues with the sound bar and Christmas lights cutting out, could my inverter be demanding too much from them or are they really starting to go bad?

I cannot find much info on the T 605 Trojan, is it a specialized or odd ball battery

[JohnnieB]

Must not have looked very hard.
Trojan is one of the most popular brands of cart batteries and the T-105 is the most commonly used one.

Attached are a spec sheet and user guide.

Here are some videos: https://www.trojanbattery.com/multimedia/#TrojanTips

[JohnnieB]

Oops!

You said T-605. It is the economy (lower AH) version of the T-105.

[Bilito]

I am sorry to drag this link out so far but I am learning so many things about batteries, for some reason I thought the T 105 was the low end and the T 605 was the high end battery.

I charged the pair to the inverter with my 12V charger until it shut off, after 2 hours. Start voltage was 6.25, finish voltage is 6.50 on both batteries.

I am now charging the remaining 4 batteries as pairs with the 12V charger, from what I have learned here the batteries should end up with a better % of charge and I can probably get another 6 mos to a year out of them before I have to replace them all.

The date stamp on the battery is the date it left the factory and not the date electrolyte acid was added, so it could have sat on a dealers shelf for months before it was filled and charged up. I have been in a local golf cart shop and saw many dozens of Trojan batteries on the shelf.

Another question, what is the epson salts treatment I hear about? Does it work? How do you use it?

MY Inverter is a 1000 watt Jupitor from Harbor Freight and it says to use 2 AWG cable 6 ft long, how can I tell what size the wires are? If I have the wrong size cable is it possible they are not sending enough juice to the inverter

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Bilito

1. I am sorry to drag this link out so far but I am learning so many things about batteries, for some reason I thought the T 105 was the low end and the T 605 was the high end battery.

2. I charged the pair to the inverter with my 12V charger until it shut off, after 2 hours. Start voltage was 6.25, finish voltage is 6.50 on both batteries.

3. I am now charging the remaining 4 batteries as pairs with the 12V charger, from what I have learned here the batteries should end up with a better % of charge and I can probably get another 6 mos to a year out of them before I have to replace them all.

4. The date stamp on the battery is the date it left the factory and not the date electrolyte acid was added, so it could have sat on a dealers shelf for months before it was filled and charged up. I have been in a local golf cart shop and saw many dozens of Trojan batteries on the shelf.

5. Another question, what is the epson salts treatment I hear about? Does it work? How do you use it?

6. MY Inverter is a 1000 watt Jupitor from Harbor Freight and it says to use 2 AWG cable 6 ft long, how can I tell what size the wires are? If I have the wrong size cable is it possible they are not sending enough juice to the inverter

1. Trojan has 4 grades of 6V Lead-Acid, Deep-Cycle, Wet-Cell batteries.
Economy = T-605 - 210AH
Standard = T-105 - 225AH
Premium = T-125 - 240AH
Super Premium = T-145 - 260AH

2. The pertinent question is what is the voltage 12 hours after charger shuts off. Should be 6.37V.

3. Back-to-back charging (initiating a new charge cycle without having used batteries) will often improve storage capacity lost due to plate sulfation. (aging)

4. Most battery manufacturers post date their batteries by a month or so to offset the supply chain delay. A Trojan battery marked A6 probably left the assembly line in November or December 2005.

When you get new batteries, charge them fully before their first use.

5. At best, it is a fun while it lasts fix. At worst, it is instant battery failure.

Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) causes the outer layers of the plates to slough off, exposing less sulfated, but physically thinner, lead and lead dioxide plates, so the battery may work better, but for a short period of the. On the other hand, the sloughed off material is conductive and a bridge can form between plats as it s3ettles to the bottom of the cell, or at any time in the future when the electrolyte is agitated, IE cart is driven.

6.The manual says 2Ga UP TO 6ft long. Short lengths of 2Ga cable can be used.

Unless there are some identifying markings on the insulation, it is difficult to tell without a know sample for comparison.

[Bilito]

I think I have found part of the reason for my bluetooth sound bar cutting out and my Christmas lights shutting off and both coming back on when I take my foot off the gas pedal.

All the info I have learned here about batteries and batt wires is priceless, thank you.

I took a real close look at the wires from the batteries to the inverter and noticed that one wire is heavier then the other. The inverter instructions say to use #2 AWG wire.

I cut all the tie wraps on the wire bundle so I could see the writing on the wires and here is what I found. The positive wire is 6 AWG the negative is a much smaller wire and there is no ground wire attached from the inverter to the frame

I am not an electrical engineer, but my best guess is that the inverter is just not getting the full battery power it needs to put out a steady 1000 watts. A secondary guess is that the batteries are approaching 5 years of age.

I can still ride the cart around for hours, I do notice it does not accelerate as fast as it used to, and I don't drive it as much as I did when we first got it almost 3 years ago

How do I do the epson salt thing to give the batteries a little boost in their old age, Do I mix up a solution in a container and then just add it to the water?

TO sum it up here are my readings, What shape are my 5 year old batteries in?

Pack voltage 37.6
Voltage at inverter 12.47
batt #1 6.23 batt #2 6.23 batt #3 6.33 Batt #4 6.33 batt #5 6.28
batt #6 6.33

Hydrometer reading is 1225 they are just about all the same

[JohnnieB]

The voltages on the attached chart are taken 12 hours after the charger shuts off and before they are used.

Your batteries are a bit over 80% SoC and if that is after a full charge, they are at or near the EOL.

[Bilito]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

The voltages on the attached chart are taken 12 hours after the charger shuts off and before they are used.

Your batteries are a bit over 80% SoC and if that is after a full charge, they are at or near the EOL.

SoC state of charge ??
EOL End of life ??

You are very very helpfull, thanks

How do I do the epson salt thing??