I realize that I'm probably the only one with these batts here but maybe someone has some in an off-grid home and are familiar with how they run under heavy load? 6V seem to exhibit more voltage drop under heavy inverter loads (ex: microwave use) than 12V's due to design differences. This can be made up with by using more batteries. We know how 6V GC's perform. How do larger 6V's like L16's perform under similar loads?

Mena, can anything be learned from putting L16 numbers in my post today instead of T-125s? Not sure anything can be learned using that method though, till the experts give it a look.I would not sweat the voltage drop numbers as such, as long as you can stay above inverter alarm. It only matters when you want to go low SOC, but run into inverter alarm issues if you do, so you can't.IMO you chose well getting those batts and their huge bank capacity for the type of camping you do. I don't follow all this second guessing on battery type etc.

Tradeoff Mena.You are trading longevity and abusability for CCAI'll say it again - If you have an inverter high loading issue, purchase (3) group 29-31 AGM batteries and connect them for charging purposes via a "smart" paralleling solenoid, and disconnect with topping or equalizing via a switch.I can produce EIGHT KILOWATTS of power with 3 AGM group 31 batteries for around 15 minutes. A longer run time would be umm not intelligent with batteries. My 2-volt cells can do it but it takes an F-650 stake truck to haul them.L-16 batteries are built for 20 hour discharge rates not 5 hour or 5 minute.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:Tradeoff Mena.You are trading longevity and abusability for CCAI'll say it again - If you have an inverter high loading issue, purchase (3) group 29-31 AGM batteries and connect them for charging purposes via a "smart" paralleling solenoid, and disconnect with topping or equalizing via a switch.I can produce EIGHT KILOWATTS of power with 3 AGM group 31 batteries for around 15 minutes. A longer run time would be umm not intelligent with batteries. My 2-volt cells can do it but it takes an F-650 stake truck to haul them.L-16 batteries are built for 20 hour discharge rates not 5 hour or 5 minute.I kinda learned this through the school of hard knocks when I switched out our little C's batteries for two X group 31 AGMS. We are heavy power users with everything from Microwave to Keurig coffee maker use when dry camping. TV, hair dryer, laptop etc etc etc. Nothing seems to kill them and the voltage only drops slightly. We have 320 watts of solar helping things along but we notice a definite difference with the new batteries. The only thing that skews it a bit is we changed every light in the unit for LED's al mismo tiempo. The best thing is the AGM's never need water. Expensive puppies though and heavy.

Is the Peukert exponent published for your batteries? This will tell all. Some 6-volt batteries have lower Peukert than some 12-volt batteries. Ballpark number that most articles refer to is 1.3 for deep cycle FLA. It can range from 1.1 to 1.5.A lower number generally means less battery internal resistance so two things become apparent.Less voltage sag at higher loadsLess apparent capacity loss at higher loadsWith your bank size I can't imagine either being a problem.

For heavy inverter use, I'm not sure why you'd care much about voltage drop. The inverter will compensate and hold the output AC voltage constant. I suppose your other appliances running on 12v will notice (fans slow or lights dim), but I wouldn't expect the voltage drop to bother typical low power 12v devices (control circuits etc.).

How do L16's fare under heavy inverter loads?

24 Replies

mena661
Explorer
Sep 29, 2013
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Mix up some 1.300 electrolyte for those puppies. That'll get 'em madder n hell.
I thought about doing this but just not warm enough to justify it.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Sep 28, 2013
I will make it fairly easy.

Let's say you put together a bank of batteries totaling 1,000 amp hours.

It does not mater if they are GC-2, L-16 D-8 or something else.

SO LONG AS THEY ARE ALL the same type and class

Type: Flooded wet, Maintenance free, AGM

Class: Deep cycle, Marine(deep cycle as an afterthought) Starting.

So long as they are all the same type and class

Six or 12 volt

So long as they are all the same type and class.. It matters not..

The larger capacity batteries will have fewer terminals to clean come cleaning time.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
Mix up some 1.300 electrolyte for those puppies. That'll get 'em madder n hell.
mena661
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
pianotuna wrote:
Hi mena,

The L-16 is taller and has more surface area exposed to the acid. I'll predict that voltage drop will be in a ratio based on the percentage difference in size between the total plate area in the L-16 vs total area in a six volt golf cart battery.
Thanks PT. That seems to be along the lines of what ktmrfs is saying too.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Sep 28, 2013
Hi mena,

The L-16 is taller and has more surface area exposed to the acid. I'll predict that voltage drop will be in a ratio based on the percentage difference in size between the total plate area in the L-16 vs total area in a six volt golf cart battery.
mena661
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
BFL13 wrote:
Mena, stop whining and get back to that other thread where I already posted that. Chop, chop! (= andalay andalay in Mex talk--also that mouse in the cartoons)
LOL ok ok!!
BFL13
Explorer II
Sep 27, 2013
Mena, stop whining and get back to that other thread where I already posted that. Chop, chop! (= andalay andalay in Mex talk--also that mouse in the cartoons)
mena661
Explorer
Sep 27, 2013
BFL13 wrote:
Mena, please use that Peukert to get the AH for a 12a rate instead of a 18.5a (20hr)rate for that 370AH and post it in the other thread where I wondered about your L16s. Thanks
You need the hour "number" (like 5 hr, 20 hr etc) for that equation to work. Not sure how to figure that out.
BFL13
Explorer II
Sep 27, 2013
Mena, please use that Peukert to get the AH for a 12a rate instead of a 18.5a (20hr)rate for that 370AH and post it in the other thread where I wondered about your L16s. Thanks
mena661
Explorer
Sep 27, 2013
See page 9 for the Peukert calculation formula.

http://www.victronenergy.com/Manuals/BatteryMonitor/UKBMV501ISM010030000.pdf