My Exide 6s Are OK
I have been saying my two year old Exide GC-135 6s (226AH) are not holding up as well as my two and a half year old Interstate GC2 XHD 6s (232Ah) this summer, and that the Exides draw up black stuff in the hydrometer after four sucks (clear with one suck)
I tested the Exides sort of by leaving them dis-connected for a week after a full charge a week ago. They showed 6.38v and 6.39v after a week of "resting" and an SG of 1.280. In combo with the GC2 XHDs there was no actual drop in total AH capacity. Just this black stuff showing when batt voltage was high and no black stuff same way with the GC2 XHDs.
So I shook up Exides back and forth and got grey in the hydrometer with higher SG in the grey of 1.285 . No black stuff.
Mystery. That black stuff must be down there somewhere, but everything indicates that there is nothing really wrong with my Exides
I do not wish to say anything bad about Exides, in case I have been bad-mouthing them unfairly. I cannot shake up the Interstates in their location for similar grey stuff.
Based on all this, I have included the Exides in my new bank of six batts : two pairs of 6s and one pair of 12s for a total est AH capacity of 715AH (232 +226+ 257))
I have treated them as three 12s with the two 12s in the middle and the 6v pairs on the ends, with the loads and charging on the outside ends same as if they were two pairs. The two 12s might get an easier ride in the middle, but eventually they will be brought to 100% SOC separately so they do not languish.
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I tested the Exides sort of by leaving them dis-connected for a week after a full charge a week ago. They showed 6.38v and 6.39v after a week of "resting" and an SG of 1.280. In combo with the GC2 XHDs there was no actual drop in total AH capacity. Just this black stuff showing when batt voltage was high and no black stuff same way with the GC2 XHDs.
So I shook up Exides back and forth and got grey in the hydrometer with higher SG in the grey of 1.285 . No black stuff.
Mystery. That black stuff must be down there somewhere, but everything indicates that there is nothing really wrong with my Exides
I do not wish to say anything bad about Exides, in case I have been bad-mouthing them unfairly. I cannot shake up the Interstates in their location for similar grey stuff.
Based on all this, I have included the Exides in my new bank of six batts : two pairs of 6s and one pair of 12s for a total est AH capacity of 715AH (232 +226+ 257))
I have treated them as three 12s with the two 12s in the middle and the 6v pairs on the ends, with the loads and charging on the outside ends same as if they were two pairs. The two 12s might get an easier ride in the middle, but eventually they will be brought to 100% SOC separately so they do not languish.
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