AGM still needs an annual check if you want your sites to stay up. We started a maintenance routine after we got caught with our pants down. We load tested them once every year and always ended up replacing 4 or 5 across all the sites. Maybe 50 or so sites or roughly 100 batteries. So maybe a failure rate of around 5%. Maybe I was just buying crappy AGM but they weren't cheap.
On Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 10:20 AM Christopher Tyler <ch...@totalhighspeed.net> wrote: > On a side note, most AGM batteries are also DOT approved (at least the > Northstar brand is), so you can "legally" carry them in your vehicle > without worrying about hazmat. > > -- > Christopher Tyler > MTCRE/MTCNA/MTCTCE/MTCWE > Total Highspeed Internet Services > 417.851.1107 <(417)%20851-1107> > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: ch...@wbmfg.com > To: af@afmug.com > Sent: Friday, January 5, 2018 10:16:31 AM > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Sealed or flooded batteries for DC backup? > > AGM are great, unless you are cheap... > > From: Jeremy > Sent: Friday, January 5, 2018 9:07 AM > To: af@afmug.com > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Sealed or flooded batteries for DC backup? > > Gave up flooded years ago. Had a few sites where the APC exploded the > batteries. Even when that didn't happen, I got tired of the yearly battery > check and fill at all the sites. When I started my own company I switched > to AGM and never looked back. They are amazing. Also, we don't use APCs > anymore except at a couple of large sites where we use the 3000XL, which > has a much better charging system. > > On Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 6:38 AM, David M <dmilho...@wletc.com> wrote: > > there is always an evaporation issue with flooded.. > > They have to be maintained on a regular schedule in order to have > extended life beyond 5 yrs > > AGM/GEL expensive but reliable with little maintenance. Give em a good > home and little venting and get > > 7 to 10 with those. > > > > > > On 1/4/2018 3:47 PM, Robert Andrews wrote: > > Sounds like a problem with the Charge controller being incorrectly > set. If this is on-grid, I would lower the voltage the charge controller is > maintaining and make sure it is set to NOT do any equalize cycles. > > Then flooded should be better. Of course if the environment is > causing evaporation that is a different problem. > > I didn't find telecom batteries were worth the expense. So if I > dumped wet, I would probably go with sealed Marine.. > > Best, > Robert > > On 01/04/2018 01:38 PM, TJ Trout wrote: > > I have been really liking flooded batteries over the last 10 years > or so because I am able to service the battery and extend the life but I am > finding that on sites that I forget to add distilled water at least twice a > year sometimes the batteries dry out due to the charge controller over > gassing the batteries. > > Right now I'm trying to decide between Walmart deep Cycles, rack > mount telecom batteries or just sealed RV Marine deep cycle batteries. > > What is the best bang-for-the-buck currently considering the life > span and capacity ? > > Thanks > > TJ > > > >
