Keeping battery warm enough to charge

[stephenoachs]

I am installing a solar-powered gate for year-round use. The gate is far from an AC power source, thus the need for solar.

Question is -- how do I keep the battery warm enough to take a solar charge during temperatures below freezing?

 

[Supervstech]

I am installing a solar-powered gate for year-round use. The gate is far from an AC power source, thus the need for solar.

Question is -- how do I keep the battery warm enough to take a solar charge during temperatures below freezing?

Dig a deep hole below the frost line...

 

[SolarRat]

Use a lead acid battery.

 

[erik.calco]

Leverage the natural heat generated from biomass decay from the leaves that fall from trees every fall.

 

[rblane]

Use a lead acid battery.

Won’t the liquid in the battery freeze in extremely cold environments?

 

[SolarRat]

Won’t the liquid in the battery freeze in extremely cold environments?

Has your car battery ever froze?

It needs to be really cold, like -90 degrees F for a charged battery (warmer if uncharged) to freeze. Just keep it out of the elements, and use a bit of insulation if needed.

 

[Deleted member 783]

50% charge will keep your SLA battery fine down to 5 degrees farenheit.

 

[erik.calco]

Finally found something online saying that biomass can be used to heat...

https://www.backwoodshome.com/build-a-heated-germination-bed/

The second method is the “old-fashioned way.” As you might already know, decomposing plant material can create a good amount of heat. This is especially true if the plant material has been processed through some type of livestock first! To utilize the benefits of this decomposition, remove enough soil from your planting bed so that you can replace it with about a foot of fresh livestock manure. As the manure decomposes, it will create steady even heat for your sprouting seeds.

 

[bulrush]

In Michigan we dig a hole 3 ft deep to be below the frost line when installing fence posts. If you're in a colder area, like Alaska, you might need to dig deeper. This is why I make a mark on my shovel handle 3 ft from the tip of the shovel point. YMMV.

Tip: I spray painted my new treated wood mailbox post with Plastidip so we'll see how it goes. I think I gave it 3 coats to make sure it's sealed. Even though in my yard it's all loam, and has excellent drainage, treated wood doesn't last forever.

 

[Buzzard Bait]

Dig a deep hole below the frost line...

This advice may be a whole lot more useful than you might think.

 

[kernel]

An insulated battery box and an oversized battery is how we usually do it. Lead acid of course.

 

[Maast]

Leverage the natural heat generated from biomass decay from the leaves that fall from trees every fall.

Or horse manure, unbelievable just how hot the inside of a big pile gets even in extreme cold.

 

[Deleted member 783]

Or horse manure, unbelievable just how hot the inside of a big pile gets even in extreme cold.

Seriously. Your suggestion is for him to pile horse s**t on his battery? I'm sure he would love to smell the decomposing manure evert time he goes through the gate. That's straight up stupid.

 

[erik.calco]

Seriously. Your suggestion is for him to pile horse s**t on his battery? I'm sure he would love to smell the decomposing manure evert time he goes through the gate. That's straight up stupid.

I think you mean "that's horse s**t".

You would obviously seal it in a plastic bag. No need to sniff your battery.

 

[Maast]

Seriously. Your suggestion is for him to pile horse s**t on his battery? I'm sure he would love to smell the decomposing manure evert time he goes through the gate. That's straight up stupid.

Anybody with even a little bit of imagination could come up with something more than piling manure on it. I was thinking of something like a IBC tote and a thermosyphon loop. But hey, if piling shit is the best you can come up with go with it.

 

[erik.calco]

Anybody with even a little bit of imagination could come up with something more than piling manure on it. I was thinking of something like a IBC tote and a thermosyphon loop. But hey, if piling shit is the best you can come up with go with it.

It's become a green thing thing to convert poop to energy because it is so dense, available, and you are killing two birds with one stone. E.g., The Gates Foundation came up with a way to convert crap from port-a-potties to cooking fuel. In a third world country, you are lucky to be able to enjoy shitty bacon in the morning.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=turn+shit+into+fuel&ia=web

Never underestimate the power in a pile. One man's stupid is another man's rescue.

 

[John Frum]

Seriously. Your suggestion is for him to pile horse s**t on his battery? I'm sure he would love to smell the decomposing manure evert time he goes through the gate. That's straight up stupid.

You are obviously not horsey