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Get Powered Up! Certified Energy Manager Jeff Yago answers your alternative energy questions



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7 year old AGM Deep Cycle Batteries

Jeff:

I have about 20 batteries from a solar power unit that was installed in 1999. These are from Concorde Battery Corporation, 12 v, capacity of 255 AH @ 20 hr, and seriously heavy, 162 pounds. Could they still be good? How do I find out? Do you know who could use them?

Thanks,

Jimmy

Jimmy,

Based on your battery description and age, this is a Model #PVX-6220 Concorde “Sun-Xtender” VRLA sealed Battery. This is a “maintenance-free” absorbed-glass mat (AGM) battery, which means the acid is absorbed and cannot be re-filled.

Any quality lead-acid battery, sealed or open, will have several things that will affect its life. If it was maintained near a full charge most of the time, it should last 6 to 8 years. If it was located in an area that did not get too hot or too cold, it will last longer. If its normal charge and discharge cycle did not cause the depth of discharge to exceed 20% (80% charge remaining), it will last longer. If it regularly was discharged down to a total discharge state, or was left totally discharged for months, most deep discharge batteries will fail years before their advertised life.

If your batteries meet any of these conditions, I would say they are worthless by now. In addition, the “maintenance-free” sealed batteries are very sensitive to charging voltage since a lower quality charger that does not measure battery temperature can re-charge to quickly and over-heat them. Since they are sealed, this can cause a venting of gasses through the over-pressure safety valve and this loss of moisture cannot be re-filled since they are sealed. Sealed batteries usually dry-out and fail much faster than open type lead acid batteries (batteries with fill caps), even if they were properly maintained.

I suggest taking these to a battery re-cycler who may pay you something for the scrap lead which has really going up in price nationally in the past few months. In fact, battery prices have increased over 50% in many cases due to the high overseas demand for scrap lead.

Good luck!

Jeff Yago

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