House Lifeline Battery Question (again) - Page 2

John Kalmbach · 09-17-2010, 12:56 AM

I believe that is correct. You do want to make sure you isolate whichever battery you're equalizing. If you have a battery that is not holding a charge like it should, it may be worth the effort to try to equalize it before replacing it.

John K.

Angel · 09-20-2010, 09:07 AM

My almost 3 year old AGM house battery is no longer holding a charge over night. In the AM the battery is at 10+ volts and the frig has shut off which it does when the volts are below 11. I have plugged it in for days with the battery charger on, unplug it one night and the frig is off in the AM.

I am going to SMBW as soon as I can get an apt and have them replace the one house battery and install a second house battery

Or do you thing I should do some thing else. If I went some place local--what if they do not understand the separator--or do you know of a place in So Cal that you would trust to do it?

Angel

Angel · 09-20-2010, 09:47 AM

John K,

Should I push the equalizer button on the solar controller that says equalize to equalize my battery? I was told never to touch it.

Angel

scatter · 09-20-2010, 11:46 AM

Angel - You can have your battery replaced by anyone with basic skills, which would be where you purchase your new battery. Me thinks 3 years is a little soon, but 3-5 seems to be norm.
I would try the equalize as what do you have to loose?
Adding a second battery will not extend the amount of time before you will need to replace them. However, it will give you twice as much available power before you need to recharge. If you have been happy with your battery up to this time - in other words, if you don't find yourself needing to plug-in or run your engine before you're ready to drive somewhere - a second battery won't be any advantage to you. If you've always been low on power in the mornings, the second battery will help there.
This make any sense??

Angel · 09-20-2010, 05:08 PM

Scatter,

You make sense. ( but where are the dollars? :-) ) I have been totally happy with my house battery until I went camping in Aug. I thought that the battery did not last the night because of the hot weather at night making the refrig work more at night than usual. But, I had the same problem when I got home. This has been the first time I have camped in the heat at night.

I picked up my SMB Nov. 2008 so my battery is almost 2 years old. I have 28,000 miles on it. I feel as if I have owned it a long time. "life before a SMB" (a long time ago) and "life with a SMB"

I will check with my local repair person tomorrow. Also, I will need to search this forum for the brand of battery to buy. The first apt I can get at SMBW on Oct 6.

I do not want to push the equalize button until I know how long to do it. I can monitor the temperature of my battery.

Angel

**daveb** · 09-20-2010, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angel

Scatter,

You make sense. ( but where are the dollars? :-) ) I have been totally happy with my house battery until I went camping in Aug. I thought that the battery did not last the night because of the hot weather at night making the refrig work more at night than usual. But, I had the same problem when I got home. This has been the first time I have camped in the heat at night.

I picked up my SMB Nov. 2008 so my battery is almost 2 years old. I have 28,000 miles on it. I feel as if I have owned it a long time. "life before a SMB" (a long time ago) and "life with a SMB"

I will check with my local repair person tomorrow. Also, I will need to search this forum for the brand of battery to buy. The first apt I can get at SMBW on Oct 6.

I do not want to push the equalize button until I know how long to do it. I can monitor the temperature of my battery.

Angel

PM sent

John Kalmbach · 09-20-2010, 10:52 PM

Hello Angel,

Yes you can push the equalization button on your Blue Sky 2000E solar charge controller. Make sure you perform the equalization when you're solar panels are receiving the greatest amount of sunlight to ensure adequate voltage to the house battery. You'll want to follow the instructions in your Blue Sky manual, make sure the battery is fully charged before attempting to equalize.

In order to isolate the house battery, you can remove the ground wire on your battery separator. Make sure all 12VDC appliances are off so that you do not damage any of them. To be on the safe side, pulling the fuses at the SMB fuse panel is not a bad idea.

John K.