Deka AGM Batteries - Will they work?

[OffGridKid]

Hello all and thank you for taking the time to read this post.
Looking into building an off grid DIY solar set up and I ran across these batteries. Was wondering if they would be suitable for solar usage.

Deka 12avr100et

They are new but a few years old.

 

[snoobler]

Welcome to the forum.

I would not pay for these batteries unless I KNOW with 100% certainty that they had been kept on float for the last three years OR were fully charged at least once every 3 months. Even then, I wouldn't offer more than 50% of the lowest new price I could find.

Additionally, I'm not certain these are deep cycle batteries designed for high cycle life. They read more like UPS batteries where they're designed to sit for extended periods at full charge with occasionally high current discharge ("high power capacity") while providing backup power for a relatively short duration before the mains returns.

 

[OffGridKid]

Welcome to the forum.

I would not pay for these batteries unless I KNOW with 100% certainty that they had been kept on float for the last three years OR were fully charged at least once every 3 months. Even then, I wouldn't offer more than 50% of the lowest new price I could find.

Additionally, I'm not certain these are deep cycle batteries designed for high cycle life. They read more like UPS batteries where they're designed to sit for extended periods at full charge with occasionally high current discharge ("high power capacity") while providing backup power for a relatively short duration before the mains returns.

Thank you for the reply. I may be able to get them for under $120 each but if they are a risk I won't get involved. Just found a youtube video where a guy was running 10 of them. The research continues. Thanks again.

 

[OffGridKid]

 

[snoobler]

Lead acid batteries self-discharge. Once they drop below 70-80% charge, they start eating themselves. AGM suffer from this the least, but without knowing that they were properly stored (on float or fully charged every 3 months), I wouldn't touch them. It's possible that they've degraded significantly if not properly stored.

 

[snoobler]

"10 year life cycle" is almost a guarantee these are not a good choice for cyclic loads. They are almost certainly designed for standby use as I described in my post above - a UPS-type of application.

 

[Brett V]

Those are telecommunications "telco" batteries. Even if they are in great condition, they're not designed for frequent cycling. They are meant to spend their life sitting at float voltage with a load and charger connected...only to come in to play when there is a power outage. And even then as a UPS to keep the site up and running for a minute until the generator starts. I've worked with this type of battery for years at radio towers.