Your last generator Maintenance Run

[90cummins]

Patrick I’ve considered that for quite some time. There is a charge controller made for my system but I’ve hesitated because my system output is monitored remotely.
There could be serious issues if (I hijacked it)!!
On the other hand if SHTF & the grid was down indefinitely I would definitely tie into it.
The OEM part is pricy, I’d certainly be interested in a low cost solution as a backup.
Thanks
90cummins

 

[Patrick Herd]

question on chemistry...if I put a single large battery in my semi finished basement, same room as my hot tub, oil burner, washer/dryer, etc, in other words a living area,
are any of these battery types safer to keep indoors? In use, street power off, I'm very unlikely to be in basement though.
I'm concerned over outgassing from routine smart charging.

lead/acid is out. Then comes the alphabet soup of chemistry types.
What is the safest battery for me to put in my basement hooked to a sine wave inverter?

All gens are "outdoors" so different considerations.
But I do wonder what battery type, AGM or whatever, works best in cold weather.
At 10F, which is as cold as it gets here, what battery works best in the cold?
I know this is why there are battery warmers for gens.

so two questions. Safest battery for indoor use and toughest battery for cold weather use.
thanks Drew

Re: Lead chemistries, I'd be comfortable with Flooded lead acid in a basement situation provided they had recombination caps like these Recombination Vent Cap for Lead Acid Batteries | SBS Battery
The Yuasa AGM (20 years design life) pack in our solar system has a similar tech built in: That plus a small vent fan and maybe limit the amount of equalisation charging to an absolute minimum (every six months with the windows open maybe?) should see no H2 issues at all.

Re: Lithium chemistries, absolute safest and longest lasting is LIFePO4. I'd be 100% comfortable with such a pack inside my house (that said we park our Leaf in the garage)
You will need a BMS and possibly some form of pack heating if the space is likely to be be at or near freezing when you need to charge or discharge the pack, both of which are easy to sort.

For the ultimate un killable backup battery, have a look at Nickel Iron as an option: They do make H2 (from what I understand more than lead) but again venting and recombination caps can deal with that. Apparently the electrolyte in NiFe doesn't freeze.

 

[Patrick Herd]

Patrick I’ve considered that for quite some time. There is a charge controller made for my system but I’ve hesitated because my system output is monitored remotely.
There could be serious issues if (I hijacked it)!!
On the other hand if SHTF & the grid was down indefinitely I would definitely tie into it.
The OEM part is pricy, I’d certainly be interested in a low cost solution as a backup.
Thanks
90cummins

Is the solar system DC string or micro inverter based? When my friend's DC string inverter blew up, we connected some industrial 24V power supplies to the strings using a couple of MC4 leads: Not efficient but it was way better than getting 0W out of the panels while the grid was down.

 

[90cummins]

Is the solar system DC string or micro inverter based? When my friend's DC string inverter blew up, we connected some industrial 24V power supplies to the strings using a couple of MC4 leads: Not efficient but it was way better than getting 0W out of the panels while the grid was down.

I not sure.
I think it is a DC string with dc output up to 400+ volts. I’ll dig up the literature.
90cummins

 

[3930dave]

Transglobal engineering, via TBN

I'm familiar with FLA and AGM pricing, but don't know the other chemistries... I'd be interested to know that price/density matrix......

If you can set up a battery cable pass-thru (dryer vent area, or adding a panel to a sliding window), either FLA or AGM would be fine in an outdoor "doghouse" @ your temperatures.

At low charge rates, I've used AGM indoors with no issues.

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

I've spent most of my life in the insurance business, even taught risk mgmt at Travelers Ins, very tuned into
hazards of world. At least the physical ones...and then 10 years as volunteer fireman. I don't want anything in my basement other than my oil burner
that can catch on fire, melt down, and put off any form of toxic gas or smoke.
If I can reduce to almost zero the physical risks of battery charging in my basement, I really want to play around with a
battery/sine wave inverter set up.
Maybe it's because I owned a Radio Shack once but I find this kind of stuff fun. Motors that don't start are less fun.

I've gone from maintaining 22 engines on my NC farm to only a few now. Generator, snow blower, car. The rest is battery.
I know I can go EGO for a nice battery snowblower, and for sure with a new line run to garage, I could drive an EV.
So now we are left with the generator motor.
Hmmmm.
until they miniaturize that new fusion generator they are working on, hopefully without blowing up the world,
seems that storing electrical energy carefully makes sense.

so much progress being made on battery tech. Sooner or later we might run out of lithium...think of the current demand.

Dave, thanks for letting me go astray.
Have we decided what the ultimate generator start battery is?

 

[Jims1025R]

I think about this topic when it comes up form time to time. As the big storm was forecast (and happened!!) I pulled out my Honda 5KW for a test run. I bought it used 30 years ago, and ran it extensively building my house back then. From time to time since, but not so much. I think the gasoline in it is probably a year old (probably filled the last time I changed the oil), and the spark plug is original (I have no recollection of ever having it out). I checked the oil, good, turned on the fuel, switched it on, choked it, and second pull, it was running! You gotta like Honda small engines! I ran it for five minutes, turned the fuel off to stop it, switched it off as it stopped, and put it back in the warm garage satisfied it will run if needed. Not needed this storm, thanks! ( I did put 9 hours on the tractor snowblowing though!).

 

[Patrick Herd]

*snip*
Dave, thanks for letting me go astray.
Have we decided what the ultimate generator start battery is?

I'd argue that the most reliable way to start a generator would be a spring starter Spring Starters - SureStart

Actual battery wise, at least early on in my career while working in telecommunications (very remote sites with "has to work" levels of reliability) flooded NiCD was considered the ultimate starting battery due to ultra low internal resistance and low temperature performance.

I'm starting to see manufacturers offering ultra capacitor based starting solutions now: Insane power density, good at low temperatures, essentially lasts forever. It just needs to be starting a motor that's reliable
This guy has done a lot of DIY experimentation with ultra caps for energy storage and starting purposes

I got as far as ordering some of the PCBs but financial needs in other places have prevented me from getting some capacitors to populate them.

I'll reply to the "in the house" battery risks when I've had a bit more of a think about it.

 

[3930dave]

Dave, thanks for letting me go astray.
Have we decided what the ultimate generator start battery is?

You weren't far astray IMO....... but so long as people remain polite/civil, No Issues with some thread wander from me....

Ultimate for Starting.... probably the arms/shoulders I had from haying, long ago

More seriously..... regular batteries do all-right..... just change them out at the intervals grs ballparked, 3 or 8-15 pages back. And/Or: have at least one good high-capacity jump pack charged @ All Times, with dollar-store tool(s) zip-tied in a bag to the generator in case (dead-shorted battery) you have to disconnect the on-board battery RIGHT NOW.....

...... Like When..... you get Home, find No AC power, and realize your sump-pump is about to flood the basement......

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I think about this topic when it comes up form time to time. As the big storm was forecast (and happened!!) I pulled out my Honda 5KW for a test run. I bought it used 30 years ago, and ran it extensively building my house back then. From time to time since, but not so much. I think the gasoline in it is probably a year old (probably filled the last time I changed the oil), and the spark plug is original (I have no recollection of ever having it out). I checked the oil, good, turned on the fuel, switched it on, choked it, and second pull, it was running! You gotta like Honda small engines! I ran it for five minutes, turned the fuel off to stop it, switched it off as it stopped, and put it back in the warm garage satisfied it will run if needed. Not needed this storm, thanks! ( I did put 9 hours on the tractor snowblowing though!).

You checked/Ran It.... so Murphy is not interested .

Hondas usually start well/easy, but even they have their limits....... ultrarunner had some problems (California gasoline), and 90cummins (I think it was him..... somebody on here anyway....) overhauled a small Honda, but that one had mondo hours on it, running non-stop for environmental monitoring (no, I didn't make up that story, though it might sound that way...... ).

One place I've seen those 5kw Hondas is on a few curbside food-trucks.... plenty of power, decent fuel consumption, quiet.

Rgds, D.