Album: Battery Bank

     Album:Electrical System:Battery Bank

My battery bank is pretty massive. It weighs in just short of 3/4 of a ton. I'm using 10 DEKA AGM Group 8D batteries. Each battery is 12V and 245Ah, I've wired them up 5x2 to get 24V at 1225Ah, or 29.4kWh. That's enough to power a couple of houses for a full day if I wanted to run them dry.

I was having serious trouble figuring out how to fit them all into the right side of a bay (across from my genset) because they wouldn't all fit just sitting flat (this is an example of where a properly sized forklift battery would have saved a great deal of effort). I was considering how I would make a super-sturdy platform for the batteries (having the batteries fall would be a catastrophic and dangerous failure), when my Uncle Jerry realized that AGM batteries could be mounted in different positions. We checked with DEKA, and sure enough we could place the batteries sideways, making enough room to fit them and still have room for the inverter in front. Thanks Jer!

Update to Gels
(and repair of genset fan)
16 images
The back frame
of the battery box, with 2x4 supports. ( comments)
Set into the bay
with the floor. ( comments)
Added some walls
with cutout for fuel lines to genset and 2x4 supports on one side. ( comments)
I make 2x4 channels
in the floor to hold the batteries, this is a depth spacing test. ( comments)
About to load the troublesome
fifth battery in the back lineup. ( comments)
The back row,
mostly wired, and with the "fence" verticals in place. ( comments)
The fence complete.
( comments)
The second row of batteries!
( comments)
Now wired up.
~30kWh of battery power! ( comments)
The front fence.
( comments)
The inverter
temporarily installed with the main switch and 400A fuse block ( comments)
After my crappy o-ring connection fails
and leaves me without power, I put together this junction box for a little more electrical security. ( comments)
The battery bank diagram
( comments)
Powered by album from David's Marginal Hacks on Wed Jun 22 14:24:01 2016