How do L16's fare under heavy inverter loads?

There's a 5 hr spec for L16's but you have to specify the exact model. Mine are 303 Ah (L16E-AC). L16's range from 370Ah-435Ah.


EDIT: I would like to experiment, but I don't have a large enough inverter for testing. I'd like to get some idea before I purchase one though.

mena661 wrote:

12thgenusa wrote:
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.

I believe they are 1.17. There is a formula for calculating this and that's what I got for an answer.

If they are 1.17, that is really quite good. The Peukert corrected amps for a 150 load with a 740 Ah bank is 190 amps. For a Peukert of 1.3 it is 228 amps. A 190 amp load for 25 minutes is 79 Ah (95 Ah for 1.3) or slightly over 10% of your capacity. At lower SOCs the effect is more pronounced. What you want to do seems feasible but sounds like an experiment is in order.

mena661 wrote:
I have 4 L16's, 370Ah each. ... I want to run a combo MW/convection oven (~150A while running) for a good 20-25 minutes a pop. We don't use the MW portion. Probably once a day while camping. We're not full timers so it's just going to be for a 3-4 day weekend, once a month max. So that's why I'm concerned about voltage drop.

It sounds like you have the batteries and the convection oven. Have you tried it? Are you getting low voltage inverter shutoff?

I noticed that Trojan specs a 5 hour capacity for their T-105s, but not for the L-16. I don't have experience with them, but I'm surprised if they hit 10.5v pulling 50-60AH out of a 740AH bank, even if the rate is high at 150A.

BFL, I was second guessing for a bit but not anymore. I 'm not sure your thread can be used for my batts as the plates are thicker than yours. To add some info...I have 4 L16's, 370Ah each.

MEX wrote:
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.

This is the issue, the reason I'm asking is I want to run a combo MW/convection oven (~150A while running) for a good 20-25 minutes a pop. We don't use the MW portion. Probably once a day while camping. We're not full timers so it's just going to be for a 3-4 day weekend, once a month max. So that's why I'm concerned about voltage drop.

12thgenusa wrote:
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.

I believe they are 1.17. There is a formula for calculating this and that's what I got for an answer.

Inverter alarms sounds at 11v but keeps running and shuts down at 10.5v

Those voltages are what the inverter "sees" that can be earlier than when the battery gets there if the inverter to battery wiring isn't adequate.

ktmrfs wrote:
for heavy inverter use you WILL care when the battery voltage drops below the inverter cut off and the inverter shuts down.

Agreed. I've just never gotten to the inverter cutoff voltage, even with my 4xGCs. (I thought about L-16s, but couldn't fit them.) Surely somewhere there's a voltage drop chart as a function of current and SOC for L-16s.

What's a typical low voltage cutoff for inverters?

"She's good looking but she can't cook worth a damn"

Decisions

Decisions

DryCamper11 wrote:
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.).

for heavy inverter use you WILL care when the battery voltage drops below the inverter cut off and the inverter shuts down. The drop is caused by the much higher internal resistance of a GC vs. most 12V batteries. Which for 6v GC WILL happen much sooner on the discharge curve than a 12V. And will happen while the batteries are still very high on the state of charge curve, like near 75% SOC with a 75A draw, probably even higher with a 125+A draw.

I'm going to take a SWAG that the a pair L-16's are going to be similar to a bank of four T-125's for high current load drop. My experience is that while two T-125's will handle 80A or so to 75%SOC before tripping the low voltage, 4 T-125's do so down to about 50% SOC. Still they are grunting and groaning more than a pair of good 12V and maybe even more than a single good 12V even with it limited to 75-80A. 150A load Uggg....

And we tend to run such loads for 5 minutes or less.

But then, Menna, don't you have 4 L-16's?? Thats a bank of 8 GC. Seems like that might get you into the territory of a pair of decent 12V for high current draw voltage drop. So for a 150A load, your pulling 75A from each L-16 bank. That's comparable to 35ish A from a bank of T-125's which doesn't give the T-125's much of a fit.

Since we only very occasionally draw that load and only for a few minutes when DW gets desperate for the microwave the 4 GC are ok. And even then my microwave is a true variable power, so I set it for only about 800VA draw, not the typical 1500VA or so of a microwave at full power.

If your planning on trying to run the microwave etc. for 15, 30 minutes or longer..... well, humm..... don't have a clue as to what effect it will have on L-16's.

But this is sure a limitation and tradeoff between GC and many good 12V.

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.).