sprinter batteries

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John_Conrad

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company where i work is going to replace sprinter batteries that are used for server back up...they do this every 4-7 years just depends on when batteries need it.

i usually take the old ones and scrap them myself. last time i did a quick nominal resting volt test to pick out a few and keep at home for projects, but they did not last long so off to salvage they went.

question is, can one test these under load like a car battery to better determine if any life is left? if not how would one test?

http://www.exide.com/Media/files/Downloads/IndustEuro/Sprinter S.pdf


we are using sprinter s12v 300 f batteries 40 of them.
 
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There are two legitimate ways to check batteries. First is a load test. Second is to measure the internal resistance (done with an instrument that passes an AC current through the battery and measures the resistance to its flow). A load test is cheaper.
 
a big problem with this type of battery is water loss.
if they dont show grid corrosion which is seen as bulging not related to internal pressure or positive terminals pushed up one can carefully open the vents and add a small amount of distilled water to each cell and retest.
i have some gnb telecom batteries i did that to 10 years ago and they are still in great shape.they are 20 years old now.due for another drink now.
dont over water them.i use an esr meter that has resolution to single miliohms.
add water,do an equalizing charge with the valves out,and retest.add more and repeat.when no more improvement is noted put the valves back,and use em.
if you have standing water in the cells suck it out as you added too much.the blotter material should appear moist not chalky white or wet.
i did this to a neighbors exide orbital that was failing at 2 years.it came back like new and still fine 2 years later.
i have a side job maintaining a large ups bank and the batteries are now 15 years old.still gets the speced runtime.
i have added water 2 times in this time.bad thing is i dont get the 2 year pulls free for changing them!
i always make it a stipulation on changeouts that i take the pulls.most are like new after treatment and serve well on my solar setup and radio gear.
i usually get 6 years of good use out of them before i turn them in for scrap.works to a lesser extent on wheelchair/scooter batteries.they have a lot of cycles on them though.telecom/ups batteries seldom get deep cycled.
 
Those are excellent batteries. Should be no need to ever add water as they are sealed and will not vent under normal use, 10 psi is usually the set point.

I have an old Hawker battery that size that was form a cash register backup. Built in 1987 and will still start my car today if I wanted to. Use to run it in my Taurus. Also have a 10 year old Odyssey for my lawn mower, it doesn't even need a boost in the spring.

GNB invented that kind of battery in the 70's.
 
Could be. All my batteries are AGM. Ranging from 29 years, 10 years, 8 years, 7 years and 7 years. None of mine have a way to open them up. You would have to cut the plastic tops.
 
Read up on peukerts law. Look at sone spec sheets.

Notionally you know your average steady state and peak loads on your UPS. A load test like is done for a car is highly irrelevant, as UPS batteries should be sized to support an average deaw for a long period of time.

Optimally you woukd load test at a C/20 rate or whatever is the test conditions for defining the battery's new condition, and then see how many amp hours and watt hours you get. With a good dpec sheet and ups design criteria, you could constant power load test at the right values and verify that you meet the design requirement. Even better.

Are these ups designed to provide a few minutes? 30 min? An hour of uptime?
 
Originally Posted By: kc8adu
water loss is a real issue with agm.
many articles about this.
link
Those GNB batteries were probably made where I worked when I worked there. They are way bigger than the car style batteries. And I would assume +20 years of further development has skewed the old data.
 
for kc8adu:

Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
What do you mean by no more improvement? How do measure or define it?
 
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impedance/ir does not drop any further or is near spec.
your method will be to test with a load.look for higher voltage under load.
 



attached is pic of what i am seeing on these type batteries...this one was cracked on the side, so no loss. the cells appear to have a lead cap. i am hoping to see about removing this and looking in the cell if i have a chance this weekend.

do these look like anything you have seen guys?
 
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thats just a dummy terminal where an alternate terminal type would be.peel the top label and look for the valve retainer strips.
if its cracked on the case side its a good guinea pig.
 
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