Maintaining a System
What should I know?
What major components of your system require maintenance?
Your BackupPower system has three major components:
Power Storage - batteries
Power Conversion- inverters/chargers
Balance of System – safety disconnects, fuses, other electric accessoires
Only one of these components – your Battery Bank – may require some maintenance.
Power Conversion equipment is maintenance-free!
Power electronic eqiuipment used in backup power systems does not require any maintenance. Power inverters/cahrgers are a safe, convenient and maintenance-free solution for your system.
What type of batteries requires maintenance?
We recommend only high-quality deep cycle batteries in Wet, Gel or AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) technologies to be used in your Backup Power System. Wet cell batteries include 6-volt (golf cart) batteries and require some maintenance. Gel cell batteries and AGM batteries are sealed and typically require very little maintenance.
Do not use starting batteries for inverter applications.
Never mix old batteries with new ones in the same bank. While it seems like this would increase your overall capacity, old batteries tend to reduce the new ones to their deteriorated level.
How should I maintain my Battery Bank?
Which type of battery is used in your Backup Power system- Wet, Gel or AGM - depends on your application, your budget, and your willingness to trade convenience for cost. Some advice applies to all types of batteries. The following advice is not meant to supersede specific product instructions or cautions supplied by the battery manufacturer.
Gel and AGM batteries
Keep batteries clean, cool and dry.
Check terminal connectors regularly and clean in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid loss of conductivity.
Regulate charge voltages based on battery temperature and acceptance (manually or with sensing) to maximize battery life and reduce charge time.
Wet batteries
Add distilled water to flooded lead acid batteries when needed. It is important to adequately submerse the plates in solution, and also not to overfill which will cause loss of electrolyte when charging due to the volume expansion of electrolyte due to gas bubbles generated within the acid electrolyte. Most flooded batteries have a piece of plastic sticking down from the vent cap/filler opening inside the cell a certain height above the plates, which provides a visual depth indication when to stop filling with distilled water. Using a flashlight, watch for the acid solution’s meniscus forming when the liquid level hits this level. Don’t overfill much past this point.
What major components of your system require maintenance?
Your BackupPower system has three major components:
Power Storage - batteries
Power Conversion- inverters/chargers
Balance of System – safety disconnects, fuses, other electric accessoires
Only one of these components – your Battery Bank – may require some maintenance.
Power Conversion equipment is maintenance-free!
Power electronic eqiuipment used in backup power systems does not require any maintenance. Power inverters/cahrgers are a safe, convenient and maintenance-free solution for your system.
What type of batteries requires maintenance?
We recommend only high-quality deep cycle batteries in Wet, Gel or AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) technologies to be used in your Backup Power System. Wet cell batteries include 6-volt (golf cart) batteries and require some maintenance. Gel cell batteries and AGM batteries are sealed and typically require very little maintenance.
Do not use starting batteries for inverter applications.
Never mix old batteries with new ones in the same bank. While it seems like this would increase your overall capacity, old batteries tend to reduce the new ones to their deteriorated level.
How should I maintain my Battery Bank?
Which type of battery is used in your Backup Power system- Wet, Gel or AGM - depends on your application, your budget, and your willingness to trade convenience for cost. Some advice applies to all types of batteries. The following advice is not meant to supersede specific product instructions or cautions supplied by the battery manufacturer.
Gel and AGM batteries
Keep batteries clean, cool and dry.
Check terminal connectors regularly and clean in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid loss of conductivity.
Regulate charge voltages based on battery temperature and acceptance (manually or with sensing) to maximize battery life and reduce charge time.
Wet batteries
Add distilled water to flooded lead acid batteries when needed. It is important to adequately submerse the plates in solution, and also not to overfill which will cause loss of electrolyte when charging due to the volume expansion of electrolyte due to gas bubbles generated within the acid electrolyte. Most flooded batteries have a piece of plastic sticking down from the vent cap/filler opening inside the cell a certain height above the plates, which provides a visual depth indication when to stop filling with distilled water. Using a flashlight, watch for the acid solution’s meniscus forming when the liquid level hits this level. Don’t overfill much past this point.