Well the batteries are out and I'm feeling good about that   After all I abused them with several mistakes  over the years and did, after all, add 4 used batteries roughly the same year and 'maybe' similar usage after the intial 3 years (1st 6 batts, then 1yr later 2 more, then 2 years later 4 more)....so with 12 all new GCB's and the information and knowledge I now have I think I can make them last a lot longer

Specially if I add these: http://sunelec.com/solar-panels/24v-solar-panels/astronergy-310w-solar-panel.html

With 4 of those I'd more than triple my solar charging but I doubt I'll add them until next year now since I need a place to mount them and a controller etc etc...though I've toyed with the idea of trying to mount them on the rack I have now after removing the 3 that are there.  If I could offset them by 1/2 of a panel on each end I could probably get all 4 up there, or maybe just add some aluminum rails across the rack to mount them too.  After all, that would double my capacity immediately and I'd only need to install the 3 205w panels onto the roof of the porch....I'll give it some thought -- oh and I could probably then use the same MPPT controller for the new panels for the time being.  I'd just need to add a set of cables since the voltage would be too high with all 4 in series.  I've already got a combiner box so I would just have to run a set of new cables to the rack through the conduit and add 1 breaker to the combiner box and I'd be set.

Sure would beat spending all the money to do it all at once so I'm going to seriously consider it -- and the extra 20amps of charging power might make a whole heck of a lot of difference.

After 5 days with no charging and after pulling the batteries around noon (so at least two hours of bulk charging and some trickle charging -- early morning to 10am still charges off solar but not the amps needed to boost) the batteries show 6.2v (one at 6.1 and one at 6.3) which is about 75% of cap (Trojan shows 6.19v as 70% and 6.25v as 80%). However the batteries were showing over 91% capacity so it is telling to see them at only 6.2vdc.

Wish I'd brought my SG tester with me!  It would be nice to see what the batteries are showing now since they've had lots of time to settle.

Either way I'm getting new batteries and will get them installed and charged and see how they perform with me paying a LOT more attention to them

Note: for the meter to show that it means I used 60+ amp hours since last full charge.

Picked up 12 Costco (Interstate now) GC2 RC107 batteries today   Interstate shows them as 208AH batteries at the 20hr rate so I'll have to change my meter to read 624AH@24vdc


That's from Interstate -- now I can be sure I have the right charging specs (I was using a Trojan spec before which was pretty close actually).

It is good to have the manufacturers exact charging specs as thy do vary a little between brands. Do they also spec the specific gravity... there can be differences there at times too? 

Quote from: MountainDon on August 09, 2015, 09:26:21 AM
It is good to have the manufacturers exact charging specs as thy do vary a little between brands. Do they also spec the specific gravity... there can be differences there at times too?

Haven't found that yet but I'm thinking I'll email them to get that info

Eric,  I do hope you nail this solar stuff good.  I'm still trying to figure out a way to get to the 'hood and will likely need a ton of help when it's time to set mine up.

So far I've managed to do pretty well and while I certainly abused the battery bank I don't think what I did was out of the ordinary for non solar-techy types.


New batteries waiting to be delivered (yes crappy pic but they are just strapped into the back of the pickup for now).

Plan is to get them up to the cabin later this week and put them back where they were before with a few mods in the setup (moving the bus bars for example and stair stepping the batteries).

I still need to get a battery room worked out but for now they'll go back onto the porch.

The RC 107 seems to denote a 208AH battery but I must admit Interstate doesn't have the best online resources that I can find.

For those interested I found this on Interstate's site which seems to say that Costco GC2 batteries that have an RC of 107 Minutes (at 75Amps) are a 208 AH capacity battery.

http://www.flowsystemsusa.com/water-miser-vent-cap.html
Last post for a while   Got work to do.

Anyway, anyone using these?  Will cost me $200 to get them but I'm thinking they've got to be worth it.

I've seen them advertised, but have never been tempted enough to purchase them.

I question their claim of a reduced need for equalization. That, and the cost, are my main stumbling points.

I've been taught that equalizing is needed to help reverse any sulfation build up and to bring any low drifting sp. gr. readings back into line with the other cells. Equalizing also helps rid the cells of any stratification; where acid in the cell bottom is more concentrated than at the top. That is more of a problem in tall batteries than short ones (like GC-2's).

Now, I understand how the water miser caps can eliminate, or greatly reduce, the electrolyte misting that causes battery tops to be moist.  They contain plastic beads that provide a large surface area for the mist / vapor to collect on and then drip back into the cells. But I fail to understand how water miser caps can stop sulfation or stratification. If you have any ideas on that I am interested in hearing.

One more thing. I have no data to support this. If you had these caps installed and if you wanted to run an equalization cycle, would the water miser caps potentially be a problem? The are supposed to stop all misting of fluid out of the battery. Does that mean they would restrict the escape of the extra amounts of hydrogen and oxygen that is produced during equalization? If you had to remove the water miser caps if you equalized then you lose much of what they do as without a cap in place there is plenty of "bubble splash" out the cell openings.   


There are also Hydro Caps. They have a catalyst in the cap that causes the gaseous hydrogen and oxygen to recombine into water.  They have their own set of issues. They are even more money. They wear out eventually. And their instructions clearly state they must be removed to equalize.


I generally have only had to add water 2 or three times a year. I do spring and fall for certain and maybe half way through the summer, depending on fluid levels. I plan on peaking in the cells this week when I take and record the sp. gr. of all cells a few times a year anyhow. So when I have the cell caps off it's a simple enough matter to add water using the auto stop dispenser.  That's an additional reason I have not felt compelled to buy either system.

I'm hoping to get another couple of years out of our GC-2's. Then I hope to be able to find LFP's (lithium ferrous phosphate) cells have become a little more reasonable in price.

QuoteYou can keep them closed. They are engineered to vent the additional pressure during equalization.

This from the manufacturer.

I think the part that I like the most and may pay the money for is that they retain more electrolytes and you have to fill and check less often.  With the sun we can get up here I find my batteries can need water often enough to be a pain   Just something I have to always check and while I would still check it sounds like I'd lose less with the extended version of these things.

Extreme water use / loss is a sign of old, crapped out batteries. The new ones should use a lot less water. 

Excessive water use / loss is also indicative of overcharging.   

The caps can't hurt anything but I'm just not convinced they are necessary. But that is just what I think about my situation.

I always wonder about over charging but I think the MPPT controller isn't over charging them.  After all, I only have 20amps of charging power (max) for a 600AH battery bank so I'm thinking it was because of the abuse I gave them.

No word from Interstate yet on SG readings but I did order the 2000ex watermizer caps for my batteries.  Yes the $200 for all 36 (after shipping) is a bit steep IMHO but I'm thinking these will be a good addition as they should help retain more of the water in the batteries, prevent the loss of electrolytes, reduce venting and help keep things much cleaner.  They will also make it easier to check SG readings I think since you just flip up the top (no more removing caps and laying them on the batteries etc).

I also ordered propane for the tank which is down to 20%.  Cost today is $1.90/g so better than last year and as I need 300 gallons it isn't as bad as we'd planned so the savings bought the caps

Now to get up there and re-install the batteries.  It's supposed to rain a lot this weekend (we need it!) so my plan is to run the genny for 3 to 5 hours after installing the bank to get it charged up.  Then I can reset the meter to the 608AH of cap and fully charged (after the charger hits float) and will be able to see how things go over the weekend with little sun etc.

I hope to get some road work done too as it will be damp and that's the best time.

Finally I plan to haul back as much wood as I can to make paneling at home in my new shop between cabin trips with the plan of getting it all done so I can bring it back and finish off the paneling this late summer/fall.

Back at the cabin

First thing I noticed was the bear tracks in the driveway right up to the gate (leaving)



Here he cross the driveway right between two game cams but just enough between them that they didn't catch him!  I moved one after that!


I have big hands....those are pretty good sized prints!

Once I was at the cabin and was done looking at bear tracks I got busy moving the bus bars for the batteries (one to either side instead of right above each other) and got the batteries installed so I could get the power going and cool the fridge down.  I was about 95 outside in the shade so that was the priority!


I need to get some new cables and move them all close to the cables to the breaker so they are all drawing pretty much the same at all times but for today this will suffice.

Next I went out to check the generator.  I'd forgotten to disconnect it's battery and discovered it was at 3.8v YIKES!  Ya I knew it was likely so I grabbed some jumper cables and charged it back up with the tractor...only the darn thing would not come to life! 

I checked everything out and the feed from the inverter was working, the ground was good and the battery was fully charged and on a jump...nadda.  Dead screen.  Never seen this before 

I put a call into the nearest Generac service place about 90 minutes away and am hopeful they can come out this weekend and service the unit and fix whatever is wrong.  Of course, it's supposed to cloud over and rain too which while excellent for this time of year is not so much when no genny is available to help charge the batteries up!  Let's hope I get some sun tomorrow because I'll use a good 60 AH tonight which will draw the bank down to 90% or so and while that's ok I can't do that too much or I'll drop to 80% and have to kill power as I DO NOT want to draw these new batteries down too far.

Nearest provider won't help but also says he wouldn't be much help and thinks the control board may have died   He advised I call Generac direct and see if they have any ideas....to replace the control board, which I'm told is pretty easy, will cost me a good $500!

yes OUCH!  FLIPPING OUCH! 

So far Generac hasn't been able to help me.  Their support has sent me to their industrial support to see if they can help but it sounds like the control board has quit.  It also sounds like they may replace it under warranty but want a service rep to go to the site...only the nearest says "NO WAY, too far too rugged, too busy"

So now I wait on hold to see what Industrial can come up with.  What I'm hoping is to get them to send me a new control board so I can swap it out and send back the old one if that works....we will see.

Quote from: OlJarhead on August 14, 2015, 12:09:34 PM
So far Generac hasn't been able to help me.  Their support has sent me to their industrial support to see if they can help but it sounds like the control board has quit.  It also sounds like they may replace it under warranty but want a service rep to go to the site...only the nearest says "NO WAY, too far too rugged, too busy"

So now I wait on hold to see what Industrial can come up with.  What I'm hoping is to get them to send me a new control board so I can swap it out and send back the old one if that works....we will see.

Their "Customer Support" has a lot to be desired.  It seems they want to go through their certified dealers to make all the repairs.  Don't give up.  A lot of telephone time to get your desired results.  They should develop a case # and all references will use this #.

The North Star fire is now just about 6 miles south of the cabin and still heading north albeit slowly (knock on wood).

I've cut some fire lines around the cabin and removed most of my tools but expect to go back soon in order to work some more around the cabin to try to ensure we don't lose our place in this fire!

Dang. That sucks!   That is very unnerving; been there, done that. Three times in total. We wish you all the best luck.

Last year the fires were close to me as well, this year (so far) they have been a fair distance away. A few weeks ago Cal Fire came by and gave me the thumbs up and thanked us for keeping our property clear.

Best of luck Erick - stay safe.  However if the winds are half way sane and you have disk for your tractor.  You  can lay down a lot of ground fuel and slow down or kill a fire. Trim up on your laddering fuel as high as you can with your chain saw and pile the brush away - a long ways away or laid out in low wind-rows work well as well...   

Have not seen anything around your digs in the photos that was real spooky.  Maybe the wood shed but so long as the fuel is pulled way back.....  Main thing man is stay safe and hope and pray for high humidity and low winds...

My renters they dumped out a bunch more cattle here hopping to eat down more fuel on the 180 acres that the house is built on. 

Got more dirt now around the cabin


Most of the area around the propane tank is now dirt, even on the far side and lots between and behind the generator and cabin (20 feet or so).


Literally threw stickers on a wood pile that I still need to move, in order to get more dirt between the cabin and fuel


Most of my tools are out and as you can see more dirt   Tractor and ATV parked amidst several yards of bare ground.  Need to do more but I'm getting there.


Taken from the top of the property.  That's 3 to 5 miles south of me and heading my way.


No hills between us and that but still a lot of valley and homes etc so I'm hoping they stop it there before it gets into the more populated areas.