jimlouisesophie
Ladysmith, BC, Canada
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I have 4 trojan t 105 batteries and 3 120 watt solar panels. One of my batteries has a dead cell. The batteries are 5 years old and the other 3 specific gravity are up to par. Should I replace all 4 batteries, or just the defective one which has a dead cell. Thanks.
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Economical Handyman
S. California
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I would replace all four.
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Bob & Arlene
DOMICILE Seaford, Delaware
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Replace all 4 and be done with it for another 5 years.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Two choices. 5 years is not long for trojan's (10 is more like it) so you can either replace TWO of them (Think of them as 2 pair, each pair = 1 12 volt battery, so you need to replace the failed battery and it's partner as each battery in a pair needs to be it's other's twin)
Or replace all 4.
If you replace only 2 you are going to have this problem again and there is some slight risk If you replace all 4 you MIGHT have this problem again.
NOTE: difference between WILL and MIGHT
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
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pulsar
Lewisville, NC
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Moved from Technology Corner to Tech Issues.
2002 Adventurer 32V - Workhorse chassis
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bill h
el segundo
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Have you considered trying to save the bad cell by doing the EDTA thing? Do a little Googling, paying particular attention to articles in Home Power Magazine.
Quite honestly, the fact that one cell failed would temper my optimism on EDTA saving the cell, but the cost/benefit ratio could make it worth trying before committing to 4 new batteries.
Another thing to consider is replacing the bad battery with a cheaper battery, like from Costco or Sams. A mismatch, whether series or parallel, is never ideal, but a cheaper mismatch might be easier to live with.
You could also replace the bad Trojan by buying a matching Trojan and making it an "old" Trojan by repeated discharge and charge cycles. At work we did that with our golf carts, fork lifts, manlifts, etc. We used a conductance tester to match the batteries.
* This post was
edited 07/14/08 12:19pm by bill h *
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smkettner
Southern California
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If the pack is performing well I would replace just the one. The remaining batteries will not be damaged by the new battery. In five years when the others wear out replace all four.
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retired4fun
Colo
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Always read it was taboo not replacing all the batteries, but when I went from 2 batteries to 4 I wasn't about to throw out 2 one and a half year old batteries! They seem to be doing just fine.
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bill h
el segundo
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retired4fun wrote:Always read it was taboo not replacing all the batteries.
Taboo is an exaggeration. It is not textbook-theory perfect, but it works OK for many applications. I had two non-matching banks for awhile, and started out charging and discharging them separately. I grew weary of the management involved, and put them together. The difference was not a big deal, and it was much more convenient. Every so often, I would do discharge, charge thing separately, and it improved them a little.
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balvert
Windsor, Ontario
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I recommend to replace all four. As a previous poster mentioned however, Trojans should last a long time. Check the voltage settings on your controller and charger and try not to cycle more than 50 percent if you can help it to insure the maximum life from the new set.
Casey
Casey & Karen, Border Collies, Polly & Babe
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