Battery bank transport and storage
Thursday, November 13th, 2008
Hi Jeff.
You have given me advice in the past and it was much appreciated.
I have a small home solar setup which uses two MK/ DEKA 183 Ahr gel cell batteries. If I am moving what is the best way to transport the batteries? MK/DEKA does not make terminal boots to cover the terminals; this pretty much means I can’t set anything on top of them that would risk creating an ‘arc’ between the battery terminals. Also, I might be living in an apartment for awhile and have to store my PV equipment. Any advice about keeping the batteries healthy while in storage (w/ out a steady supply of sunshine)?
Thanks again for your sage advice.
Respectfully,
Matt H.
Matt:
Almost all deep cycle batteries are shipped with a protective plastic insulator “cap” over the positive terminal. I am sure any battery supplier in your area would give you one as they throw them away by the bucket load.
Once a battery has been in use, its not good to let it discharge and stay that way for long periods. You could hook up a portable battery charger about every 3 months to replace the charge that will be lost just sitting around.
An easier way might be a small battery maintainer charger. These are about the size of a pack of cigarettes and cost about $15. They are electronic and put out a very tiny charge which you leave connected all the time. These are designed for things like a generator starter battery which may sit idle for months but needs to stay fully charged.
Good luck!
Jeff Yago
