A Beginner’s Guide to Solar Battery Care and Maintenance

So you are new to renewable energy storage. You considered solar batteries uk together with solar panels and inverter because you do not want your power bills to break your bank. With the help of solar batteries, you can use it to store excess energy for later – whether at night or on overcast days.

When it comes to solar batteries, your main goal is to ensure that you prolong their life. You must keep in mind at the onset that one of the best ways to prolong the life of your batteries is to take good care of it. Battery care and maintenance will surely improve the performance and life of your battery.

Here are some care and maintenance for your solar batteries:

Check the fluid level

Checking the fluid level is crucial but this only applies to flooded batteries. You can check the fluid level by opening the battery cap and looking inside. If you see metal lead surfaces, it is high time to add distilled water. Make sure that you do not see metal lead surfaces before closing the cap or just follow the fill line.

Check the charge level at all times

You can check the state of charge by determining the voltage and the specific battery. There should be a gravity table provided for you to help you identify the state of charge. It is vital to check the charge level because it can lead to significant sulfation.

Sulfation is a process where sulfur crystals form on the lead plates of the battery. This is not good as it can prevent chemical reactions from happening. It is also dangerous that is why you need to monitor and maintain it especially if you have flooded batteries.

Learn how to charge batteries

As an off-grid solar homeowner, it is important that you are acquainted with three charging phases – float, bulk, and absorption. Float charging means charging the battery at the same rate it is discharging. Bulk charging, on the other hand, allows voltage to rise towards the maximum level.

Absorption charging then follows. In this phase, the voltage is held constant at its maximum level then starts to decrease until such time that the battery is fully charged. Understanding this, you can charge accordingly. The easiest thing to do is to follow what the manufacturers recommend.

Learn how to clean the batteries

Put in mind that the terminals of the battery need to be cleaned regularly. You can clean it with a mixture of distilled water and baking soda. While you are at it, you should secure a battery terminal cleaner brush. After washing, rinse the terminals with water then make sure that the connections are tight. Do not forget to put high-temperature grease or commercial sealant on the metal components.

Avoid mixing old and new batteries

If you plan to replace old batteries, you should avoid mixing it. If the old and new batteries are used together, the newer ones will degrade quickly. For this, mixing is a waste of money.