Meltdown averted, but only just

[Iceni John]

I've been using my old 8D start batteries as temporary house batteries to test my bus's house electrical systems before I buy the first set of golfcart house batteries  -  yes, I know a start battery is not a deep-cycle, but it didn't matter as the old 8Ds were long past their best and no longer able to reliably start the engine.   Each 8D was being charged by one of my Morningstar solar charge controllers, and the Deka / East Penn one finally carked a year or so ago when it stopped holding any charge at all.   The other 8D, a Chinese no-name generic, had recently begun getting slightly warm after a day's Float charging, but today it was much too hot to touch, its case was bulging, electrolyte was spitting and hissing from the caps, the air near it stank of acid fumes, and the charge controller was still pushing 17 amps into it on MPPT mode even at 4.00 PM (normally by that time they're on Float, taking just an amp or two).   Two hours after I disconnected the charge controller it was still bubbling!

Wow!   I'm curious why the Deka 8D died a noble death without protest, but the Chinese impersonator instead decided to make life interesting before its inevitable demise.   So, the moral of the story is, if your battery gets more than slightly warm under charge, watch it carefully, because one day it could go critical like mine did.   Thermal runaway is not to be taken lightly.

I wonder how much my 165 lbs 8Ds are worth as cores when I buy four golfcart batteries  -  I just don't want to be offered the same as a car battery, considering they each have almost 150 lbs of valuable lead in them.   When folk here trade in their old 8Ds, how much do you get for them when buying new batteries?

John

[buswarrior]

Take out the middle man and price the scrapper.

Do NOT accept regular trade in when others will pay more!!!

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[eagle19952]

most places it's one for one..
you'll need two more cores.
find a lawn mower shop....

[Jeremy]

Yes, weigh them in for scrap directly and you will get a price directly related to the amount of lead they contain, rather than just a nominal unit trade-in value. I scrapped several batteries recently and was very pleasantly surprised how much I  was paid for them

Jeremy

[luvrbus]

Prices vary I sold my 8D's for $.35 per pound but next week they may bring $.10 per lb ,core charge was only $12.00 for new batteries

[DoubleEagle]

Locally, my Interstate dealer gives $10 for car batteries, but $20 for 8D's. The 8D is more like 130-140 lbs, they just seem heavier if you are moving them by yourself. I did not know there were Chinese batteries loose in the US. Sounds like they are as good as their tires. (Not counting products made in China by US, Japanese, or Korean companies that oversee the production). 

[jraynor]

What's the best place to buy new start batteries that anyone has found? Im sure Napa or Interstate is on the list but just curious of what others might have found

[chessie4905]

You were maintaining proper water level in batteries?

[luvrbus]

What's the best place to buy new start batteries that anyone has found? Im sure Napa or Interstate is on the list but just curious of what others might have found

I get the best deal at Batteries +Bulbs ,the Farm and Ranch stores have deals also sometimes,I like Battery + they trust you to bring back a core and don't charge a core deposit,and they are nation wide for warranty issues if needed   

[jraynor]

I get the best deal at Batteries +Bulbs ,the Farm and Ranch stores have deals also sometimes,I like Battery + they trust you to bring back a core and don't charge a core deposit,and they are nation wide for warranty issues if needed   

I will have to check their prices.

Thank you

[Iceni John]

You were maintaining proper water level in batteries?

Oh yes!

I was given a complete set of the Flow-Rite battery watering system for my new batteries, so that's now my next project to get it installed.   I'll also put a small tank of distilled water next to the batteries, similar to what I made for my misters, and I've even made a hidden fill for that tank behind one of the side turn indicator lights that now hinges out to reveal a fill opening behind it!

John

[Iceni John]

The local metal recycling places here don't buy scrap batteries any more, saying that the price of lead has dropped a lot recently, but Powertron Batteries in Santa Ana CA has Trojan T-105s in stock for only $120, a good price.   Their normal core charge is $20, but they'll take my two 8Ds as cores for four Trojans.   Maybe if I spent ages on the phone and hours driving everywhere I could get a better deal, maybe, but Powertron is only a few miles from home, and they sell a lot of batteries so they should all be fairly fresh  -  he said he has a pallet of T-105s now and another pallet coming in a few days.   So, for $480 (plus tax) out the door I'll get my first set of real house batteries, and get rid of those  darn 8Ds once and for all.   Yeah!

Because I have two separate independent house battery banks, each with their own solar array and charge controller, I can buy the second bank later whenever it's convenient.   Each bank cannot backfeed into the other, so it doesn't matter if the banks are different ages, or even completely different types altogether.   Not having to buy all eight batteries at one time is also easier on the wallet.

John   

[Fred Mc]

Sounds like you morningstar charge controller screwed up.Do you have a temp probe hooked up to it.It should have sensed  a higher temp and stopped charging.

[Geoff]

If you are looking for group 31's, check out the group 29's at Walmart.  $89-99, 1-2 year warranty, same battery, and heavier than the 31's.  And have the same molding as Interstate batteries, both must be made by Johnson Controls, the biggest battery manufacturer in US.

[jraynor]

If you are looking for group 31's, check out the group 29's at Walmart.  $89-99, 1-2 year warranty, same battery, and heavier than the 31's.  And have the same molding as Interstate batteries, both must be made by Johnson Controls, the biggest battery manufacturer in US.

So $200 for a pair of start batteries compared to $300-400?