project: my house to island mode

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lol Yeah, I've done similar with other heavy equipment. Ratchet straps are great tools for other things than just holding stuff down. They are also great for lifting things up.
Only thing better would be a pulley system. But then you either need 2 ppl or constantly keep tying off the rope every time you need to change/adjust something
 
My AIMS and SGP 12,000w weigh a whopping 175lbs or 79kilos! and I wish I had an overhead hoist point like you have - very nice.
I went with a scissors table, raised them up and slid them in horizontally to shelving - kind of leveraging/sliding instead of brute force trying to pick them up vertically. Fortunately they work/keep-cool OK horizontally (instead of vertically).

When designing a 'battery/inverter' shed, it's good to think about hoist/installation - it makes life easier on heavier equipment especially when working alone.
 
Great points on considering weight and planning ahead for lifting needs when possible! We're all occasionally guilty of thinking about that "after the fact" or when it's "too late." I built my 14s14p Nissan Leaf pack in a rolling computer server rack cabinet, thinking I was so smart to have it on wheels. And yes, that was smart. But I never considered that where I built it in my workshop was a half-mile from where I needed it in my barn -- with no way to roll it between the two! Fortunately I have forks for my ranch tractor / loader, and was able to lift and move the assembled unit between the sites using that. I haven't ever weighed it, but at ~8.5 pounds per module plus the cabinet, it's in the 900-1000 pound range!

Cheers, John
 
that is also the reason i made my concrete floor so strong, 360 cells times 5.5kg!
30 pv on the roof with all having weights against wind ~25kg... yeah it adds up very quickl, for the grand total..
 
I finally got time to make a ground rod.
My groundwater is approx. 1.8 meters deeper than the top of my concrete floor.(dry period)
Bought a 2-meter galvanized rod, drilled a hole and pounded the rod in...

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this is the first out of two needed, the other one will be for the grounding by the house fuse/breaker box.
I am not really comfortable with that one....if there is one btw...
All grounding is saved now, solar, inverter mppts and fuse box in the shed are good now.

For my whole dc side i did not wanted grounding, lucky me it is not needed....
all of my dc side is insulated and no change of open contact, or metal cases ect.

So lightning protection is active, breakers are active grounding is active, inverter is working...
All good, but not perfect
Need to expand
Need to test cells(found a really bad one)
Need to give the cells more room for expansion...
 
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install them with thick pieces of paper when second handed.
When new it is advised to compress them to get some gas bubbles to the top and after 5 cycles space them with 2mm each to allow them to expand during charging.
Now as i noticed the expansion is a real thing and not something to thing light about.
When those cells dont have room to expand they can not hold 100% of there capacity.
Basically, as i found out probably you can even damage your cells and shorten there lifespan.
In this thread i have a picture were i am taking out a single cell with a crowbar.
That whole pack was 280ah, after testing each cell was a average of 240ah is left, after 3 years, and one cell i can throw away.
So they really need room for expansion, eve states even 2mm, i will look for that paper and upload it here
 
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Small update:
All is working like expected, testing bank per bank, so far so good
Not really need to dubbel up my main busbars 300mm2/600MCM is good enough, but to be future ready i will just add a second for a total of 600mm2/1000MCM, more for expansion in the future.
No losses in the cables found when pulling 10kw.
Grounding is done: just 22ohms.
Lightning breakers and grounding switches are all connected also solar boxes.
All fuses are added to "break" a 60kw bank into 3 parts of ~20v.
Connection to the house is "save" meaning i must instal a extra 2x40a ground breaker in the shed.
In the house is done.



Yeah: testing all the cells (for warranty and decay over the years) adding some more safety: like covers, heating protection connected with bms and shut off relais/breakers.

Making a ventilation system that will work on rh and temperature control.
Coating the floor against dust.
Extra ground rod by the house fusebox, the old one is there from the 80's....
Making the grid charger work on the inverter
Adding more solar when roof is done.(3-5kw)
Adding 160+kw on storage extra.....(280-300ah are getting rare, so 314ah*160=160kw, DONT stop me now)
Adding water boiler--->BYE BYE gas connection
Lowering my main grid fuse from 35a to 10a (from 800e a year to 40 euro a year)
They wont be happy with this.....

For fun set up my wind gen that is laying in the shed for over 3 years now unused...
For fun set up ~20kw on NiMh with it.


:( garden work.....



Squeeze on the top shelfs some more storage? i can fit in 128 cell more....
Make a cabinet in the middle for extra 0.5mw
I must stop now...heavy breathing, drooling......several man in white coats just arrived........i must go now






With best regards Igor
 

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It is highly recommended to test the capacity of all your cells.

I found several underperforming ones and even a few completely dead cells.
The weakest cell (or 2P group) determines the maximum usable capacity of the entire pack.
Even one bad cell in a 2P configuration can drag its partner down to its level… which is obviously not good.

Replacements (12 so far) have been made.
Slowly but surely, the battery is becoming a grown‑up pack.

That tester is absolutely worth spending serious money on.


Regarding placing the cells in a holder or enclosure
You really need to give them a bit of spacing.

I use a simple A4 sheet of paper folded double when the cells are at 3 V and above 15C.
I fold the paper triple when the temperature is below 15C.

The cells don’t expand much, but with 32 cells in a row, you definitely want that extra spacing.

And please test your cells, even when they’re new. Don’t assume you have 30 kWh.
Know it for sure.

Now testing the last 128 cells, a cell at a day....sigh....
When this is done i will buy next year the last 128 cells.....

With best regards Igor K
 
Testing cells, even 'new ones', is good advise :)

As examples, I just finished up processing a large batch of 'like new' 18650s and there were so amazing I was tempted to skip basic tests - capacity and self-discharge. But to my surprise...

1) I found a handful (4 out of 3000) with corrosion so advanced you could see the discoloration thru the cell wrapper.

2) My 3-4 week self-discharge test revealed a handful (20 out of 1400) below 4.05v from full charge (4.18v) in just 3 weeks. Surprised me as they were all 3.55v out of the unused medical packs just like the ones that were OK. I had extras and... I want my batteries to last 10yrs+ with no hassle if I can so they got tossed.

One reason to test is to reduce risk / have a better chance at hands-off longevity.
 
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