My 24 volt solar system was installed on May 27, 2020. In June 2021, after waiting many months for the installer to check the system, he came, and after much investigation told me that my six AutoCraft Marine Deep Cycle (27dc2) were no good and they they could not hold a charge. Before I returned them to Advance Auto, I took them to another installer and to my auto mechanic who tested them and said all but one was good.
Despite that the one-year warranty had expired, Advance Auto gave me three new batteries. This time they were the brand Diehard and I bought one more to make 4 in total - I think four could hold me over while I figure to what went wrong. So now I have 4 new batteries and I kept three of the old ones- because my second opinions told me they were still good.
Here are my questions:
Link to photos with more information: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDgKkiJLfsTYdkGs8
Thanks, Kathy
Despite that the one-year warranty had expired, Advance Auto gave me three new batteries. This time they were the brand Diehard and I bought one more to make 4 in total - I think four could hold me over while I figure to what went wrong. So now I have 4 new batteries and I kept three of the old ones- because my second opinions told me they were still good.
Here are my questions:
- Do these batteries need the water checked every so often? Installer says NO- he says they are maintenance free! We did not check the water for a year. Everyone else says i need to add distilled water every few months. We can see low water levels in some of the cells. Could the lack of water have killed them?
- How do I know if they were bad from the beginning? Installer says the batteries were bad when I got them. I bought two in Oct 2019 and four more in Feb 2020. The six were installed on May 27, 2020. During the next year I noticed that the batteries were frequently being charged from the inverter/grid even though I beleive my daily use ir about 3.0-3.5 kwh. Some of the batteries had labels saying 2018 and some had labels saying 2019.
- Could the Controller settings have caused them damage? I called AIMS and they say that the setting of 1000 amp maximum on my MPPT 100 amp Controller was correct . The settings are set to SEALED. See the link to photo album.
- Can I charge the old batteries and maybe use them, if not together with the 4 new batteries, maybe two of the old batteries (after charging) can be used with with the one 315 watt panel I have in storage. I have been given instructions about how to charge them. Installer says only way to TEST them is to use them. Is that true?
- INFO: My array is four 315w polycrystalline panels. I have an AIMS MPPT 100 amp controlar and an AIMS 2000w Inverter. I live alone and my usage is about 3.0 - 3.5 KWH per day (I tested and my refrigerator uses exactly 1K per day). I use lights, fans, TV and computer.
Link to photos with more information: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDgKkiJLfsTYdkGs8
Thanks, Kathy