Affordable deep cycle gel batteries

[Steamy Tom]

Are modern car batteries different from old car batteries? Because I remember my grandparents running their TV off a car battery when they lived in Port St Johns without electricity. (Pre-1980's). I think they literally just had a lead from the battery to the TV although I never really asked or looked exactly how it was set up. I just remember the battery sitting on the floor directly behind the TV. I also have zero idea about where or how often it was recharged, but it certainly wasn't often.

the tv must have been 12V then surely, i think more there is a better understanding now. it is not to say it wouldnt work, just it would last over a long period, i.e many cycles of deep discharge

 

[Swa]

Are modern car batteries different from old car batteries? Because I remember my grandparents running their TV off a car battery when they lived in Port St Johns without electricity. (Pre-1980's). I think they literally just had a lead from the battery to the TV although I never really asked or looked exactly how it was set up. I just remember the battery sitting on the floor directly behind the TV. I also have zero idea about where or how often it was recharged, but it certainly wasn't often.

Yes, they're bloody more expensive. Otherwise not much has changed as you can't do much to change the reaction of sulphuric acid.

 

[Swa]

the tv must have been 12V then surely, i think more there is a better understanding now. it is not to say it wouldnt work, just it would last over a long period, i.e many cycles of deep discharge

Old black and white CRTs could run off 12V.

 

[Zoomzoom]

Yes, they're bloody more expensive. Otherwise not much has changed as you can't do much to change the reaction of sulphuric acid.

Tell me about it. Ridiculous how expensive they have gotten.

the tv must have been 12V then surely, i think more there is a better understanding now. it is not to say it wouldnt work, just it would last over a long period, i.e many cycles of deep discharge

Honestly no idea, it was a regular giant old CRT TV to my eyes.

 

[bromster]

Normal car batteries are designed to supply very high current for a very short period, then immediately get recharged by the alternator.

If you use a normal car battery and drain it over a long period to below 70%, you'll likely wreck the battery after 10 or 20 charge cycles and you will have thrown that money away.

Deep cycle is a must.

 

[Crush]

Normal car batteries are designed to supply very high current for a very short period, then immediately get recharged by the alternator.

If you use a normal car battery and drain it over a long period to below 70%, you'll likely wreck the battery after 10 or 20 charge cycles and you will have thrown that money away.

Deep cycle is a must.

Fully agree. Car batteries rarely go down to less than 90% (or 10% DoD). You will kill them within a month of loadshedding.

If you weren't in CPT, I could have helped you out. I can get really good branded 105ah deep cycle gel batteries for R2600. I actually bought 2x200Ah top of the line Narada Gel batteries this weekend for R5k each, but think i'm gonna sell them and bite the bullet with a 3.5kwh LiFePO4 battery... but thats like R20k+... yikes. But the wife and I agreed that we will invest now and start building capacity to go fully off grid in a couple of years.

These bad boys weigh 50kg each though! :O

 

[DeTector]

Ok now I understand. Yeah the money is an issue. If it wasn't for your circumstances and that you could have gone for a R10k system that would pay for itself. No the gels are about 60-70% drain before damage occurs where ordinary lead acids are about 30% so you'll need at least 4. With the price of car batteries it would cost you about the same with no benefit so go with the gels rather.

Thanks for the advice will stick to gel then. But seems loadshedding will soon be forgotten again and prices might fall then so will give it a month and see what happens first

 

[DeTector]

Fully agree. Car batteries rarely go down to less than 90% (or 10% DoD). You will kill them within a month of loadshedding.

If you weren't in CPT, I could have helped you out. I can get really good branded 105ah deep cycle gel batteries for R2600. I actually bought 2x200Ah top of the line Narada Gel batteries this weekend for R5k each, but think i'm gonna sell them and bite the bullet with a 3.5kwh LiFePO4 battery... but thats like R20k+... yikes. But the wife and I agreed that we will invest now and start building capacity to go fully off grid in a couple of years.

These bad boys weigh 50kg each though! :O

Jeez! Now thats what I call a battery. 400ah is overkill for me but what are you planning to run with those if I may ask?

 

[Crush]

Jeez! Now thats what I call a battery. 400ah is overkill for me but what are you planning to run with those if I may ask?

Its just to minimize impact of loadshedding. It will be connected to all lights, TV, router garage door motor (which will first use its own battery before failing over to the inverter if it runs out) and I might add the fridge and chest freezer and/or microwave.

Without the kitchen appliances, this should easily run the lights tv and internet for well over a day. Adding in the fridge and chest freezer will reduce it to about 4 hours of "safe" battery usage. My freezer only uses 110w. Double-door fridge/freezer is a bit more.

Also, its not 400ah - it will amount to 200ah @ 24V once connected in series

 

[DeTector]

Its just to minimize impact of loadshedding. It will be connected to all lights, TV, router garage door motor (which will first use its own battery before failing over to the inverter if it runs out) and I might add the fridge and chest freezer and/or microwave.

Without the kitchen appliances, this should easily run the lights tv and internet for well over a day. Adding in the fridge and chest freezer will reduce it to about 4 hours of "safe" battery usage. My freezer only uses 110w. Double-door fridge/freezer is a bit more.

Also, its not 400ah - it will amount to 200ah @ 24V once connected in series

Well that is alot of stuff you can run with those badboys and I am truly jealous. Thanks for pointing out it will be connected in series. I somehow assumed parallel when I saw the batteries next to each other instead of behind each other

 

[DeTector]

Got my rig set up. Went with 2x 105ah AGM Deep cycle batteries from my local supplier. Connected in series to a 1.1kva APC 24v UPS. Can so far confirm that it is working quite good. Had the tv running and switched the plug off. Tv didn't even dim and kept playing. I have a 43" LED 4K tv connected to it along with a sound bar with sub, decoder and my fibre router. Will test how long it can run off the batteries only and post it here for those interrested...

 

[Steamy Tom]

Got my rig set up. Went with 2x 105ah AGM Deep cycle batteries from my local supplier. Connected in series to a 1.1kva APC 24v UPS. Can so far confirm that it is working quite good. Had the tv running and switched the plug off. Tv didn't even dim and kept playing. I have a 43" LED 4K tv connected to it along with a sound bar with sub, decoder and my fibre router. Will test how long it can run off the batteries only and post it here for those interrested...View attachment 639696

that's quite the back up for that small lot

 

[DeTector]

that's quite the back up for that small lot

Want to be ready when loadshedding returns, and worse too...

 

[The_Traveller]

that's quite the back up for that small lot

How so ?

1.1kva is around 900w and he has a 24v ups. He’s backed up components must be ~500w.

So he’s backup time with that 105ah battery bank will be ~3 hours if he uses at least 70% of that capacity.

 

[kolaval]

Want to be ready when loadshedding returns, and worse too...

To watch TV?

 

[Steamy Tom]

How so ?

1.1kva is around 900w and he has a 24v ups. He’s backed up components must be ~500w.

So he’s backup time with that 105ah battery bank will be ~3 hours if he uses at least 70% of that capacity.

Less than 300W. But your right actually it gives him 4hrs at 50%

 

[DeTector]

To watch TV?

So that Eksdom doen't affect me. I have 3x very bright led lights that last 50-100hrs, the ups system to be able to watch tv, listen to music, stream, use the internet (laptop fully charged), a 20000mah power bank for 6x full phone charges. My stove is a gas unit so we can prepare food and we also have a gas braai on the stoep if I wanna braai n tjoppie. I invested around R7k so loadshedding doesn't affect me and I am sharing this with everyone so they can see it can be done without having to break the bank

 

[RedViking]

So that Eksdom doen't affect me. I have 3x very bright led lights that last 50-100hrs, the ups system to be able to watch tv, listen to music, stream, use the internet (laptop fully charged), a 20000mah power bank for 6x full phone charges. My stove is a gas unit so we can prepare food and we also have a gas braai on the stoep if I wanna braai n tjoppie. I invested around R7k so loadshedding doesn't affect me and I am sharing this with everyone so they can see it can be done without having to break the bank

At home maybe to a certain degree.... However it will still affect you, specially if it is gonna come back worse.

We were without power for more than 12 hours a week ago. Just for one day (besides loadshedding)

Telkom stopped working. MTN stopped working. Vodacom stopped working. Grocery stores were a mess and meat went vrot. Shops were stinking. Spar. Checkers. PnP. Even fast food stores eventually closed.

The County is not prepared for it, and some businesses seem to also not really care.

Unless you have a couple of cows & sheep and a vegetable garden, longdrop, rubbish dump and recycle and big JoJo tanks.

3 or 4 hours of backup power is not much.

 

[kolaval]

Once we get to 12 hours X days X months/years we're stuffed in any case. The infrastructure to support being off the grid would not even have support any more.

We also have a gas stove.
But I had to have a conversation with my wife and explain nicely that I would not be spending money on generators/anything else just so that they can sit and watch TV during load shedding.

 

[DeTector]

At home maybe to a certain degree.... However it will still affect you, specially if it is gonna come back worse.

We were without power for more than 12 hours a week ago. Just for one day (besides loadshedding)

Telkom stopped working. MTN stopped working. Vodacom stopped working. Grocery stores were a mess and meat went vrot. Shops were stinking. Spar. Checkers. PnP. Even fast food stores eventually closed.

The County is not prepared for it, and some businesses seem to also not really care.

Unless you have a couple of cows & sheep and a vegetable garden, longdrop, rubbish dump and recycle and big JoJo tanks.

3 or 4 hours of backup power is not much.

That is very true and I hope it doesn't come to more than 3-4 hours of loadshedding at a time because then I will have to fork out more although even if you spend R200k to go off grid you would still be affected by such a scenario.

Vodacom and MTN immediately dies when the power goes off here but in keeping the router on I am able to use WiFi calling at least.

We also stock up on non perishables so load shedding doesn't affect us too much