Deck Box Battery Build

pfromero

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Joined
Jan 30, 2017
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Hi all,


In the next few weeks, I'll be putting together a deck box with LI-ion 24v batteries and a 6kw/24v DC inverter charger. Some unique things about this build is that the deck box will be using a ground loop circulation cooling system, a timer/relay from the local hardware store to tie it to the grid when charging and go to off grid mode when in use (it will also have an automatic transfer switch to kick in grid power, should the batteries wear down to far). Plus, it will be aetshetically pleasing part of the backyard, as are the solar panel mounts (stained pergolas). Here is a pic of some of the items I've collected to start the build, and a pic of the assembled deck box (pretty eh?).

Thanks,

Paul



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Here are some pictures of the batteries (7px28s) and how I plan on placing them in the deck box. They fit snugly inside, and I can put in 8 per level before I start cramping the inverter charger area. Also, I will have the space to put 4 levels of 8 batteries for a total of 32. for now, I"m starting with 6 batteries.

Paul
 
Very nice!! :)
 
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So,

Here is a few more photos of my deck box going together over the weekend. I placed 4x6 lumber on the concrete foundation and screwed them onto the metal anchors. Then, I added 1" plywood on top using screws and wood glue, creating a base to place the plastic deck box on. After centering the box on top of the plywood, I used 6 metal deck screws with washers to attach it permanently. The position of the deck box about 8" above the soil will keep it from flooding, and at 120' from the house, it should not be a fire hazard to the habitable structures.

Paul



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Here is some of the electrical materials going into the deck box. 7 each of 1sx196p battery packs to provide the power to the 24volt AIMS inverter charger, some DC bus wire stripped out of a 2/0 Aluminum cable, (2x 2/0 Al wire per DC run to the inverter)image_cfpdky.jpg


Also, what appears to be a high quality automatic inverter-controlled transfer switch from Asia. It appears to be capable of up to about #2 wire connections (60 amps), which is about what I'm running the AC side at.

Paul
 
Lookin good. Nice lookin inverter you got there :) How well does it work? Have you check the efficiencies of it yet?
 
Wow that's a lot of cells..
 
Hi all,

That is a Craigslist inverter, so its not new. From the website, it should be about 88% at peak efficiency, perhaps much lower in high/low temps or high/low demands. It is a true transformer as evidenced by the heaviness of the unit. I was going to get a new one from Asia, but this one is U.S. branded and their corporate office/technical support/repair shop is literally just down the street.

Thanks for looking,

Paul
 
Can't get much better than "just down the street" with any kind of tech support :)
 
You are the one who got me thinking about small ground source projects, nice to see your progress on this build.
 
Elmo,

Actually its Korshan (see post above) who came up with the idea of an earth cooling loop. I probably the first to put it in, as I'm digging it right now, but for now I'll just add a few pictures of the electrical components going in.

Thanks for looking,

Paul
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I don't think your wire is heavy enough. You might need to go to a 00 size :p

If you have it, use it, especially if what you have is bigger than what you need. :)
 
Nice buss wires! Like your Approach. Always safety first :)
 
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Hi guys,

I have had a couple of weeks now to work on the deck box. One thing that I hoped to put into place was the ground loop circulation system. Almost too funny...I dug a trench...placed flex pipe in it and filled it back in without considering the alternatives. I ended up with a squished pipe and $50 of wasted material. So, now theres an underground 3" conduit I'd like to place flex pipe in, but there seems to be a rock in it. We'll have to wait and see when I'll be able to get a backhoe to put in another trench or alternatively get the rock out of the existing conduit!

I've spent most of my efforts wiring up the loop to the house (all #6 wire) at 150', hooking up landscape feature pumps (2x 2hp), and installing subpanels and timer/relays for those pumps and the house loads (planned to be an electric heat pump water heater, a hobby shed, and landscape lighting/hot tube(at some point)).

The inverter charger works good, albeit, I accidentally disconnected some internal wiring which caused a delay. The Aims Power technical support shop is just down the street, and they had it back up and running in no time! Thats definitely an adveantage over getting the inverters straight from Sigineer Power in Asia.

Here are a few more photos. I hope to have the finished deck box project photos soon, with details about the cooling.

I have a little bit of extra room in the deck box. I'm planning on putting my Yamaha inverter/generator in their and hook it up to the transfer switch pictured in a previous post. I'll let you know how that goes too!

Paul
 
For ground loop, the recommended pipe to use is 3/4" HDPE pipe. Thats what they use in professional applications. Im going to use the same and its fairly inexpensive, compared with pex. Plus, it doesnt crush under weight ;)
 
pfromero said:
Here is some of the electrical materials going into the deck box. 7 each of 1sx196p battery packs to provide the power to the 24volt AIMS inverter charger, some DC bus wire stripped out of a 2/0 Aluminum cable, (2x 2/0 Al wire per DC run to the inverter)

I'm new to Solar and the world of18650s. My plan is to get a 48V AIMS 6000inverter charger and I was hoping to get your impression of how you like your AIMS. Which battery selection do you use and does it work well with the 18650 packs? I already have over 3360 batteries and am designing my system just like HBPowerall has his except that I'm going to make my battery buses like flyabiru11 did his. Any advice or lessons learned are greatly appriciated. (I'm also new to using forums)
Thank you,
Happy Camper
 
Hi all,

My Aims power inverter is OK. They are very good in the support department, which is just down the road from where I live, but they are very over priced. The inverters are more designed for wet cell batteries (think RV deep cycle), but there is a lithium battery maker here where I live (battle born batteries) that has been tested with their inverters. If you are thinking Aims, then your going to have noise on your lines....I use power line communication to control my micro inverters, and the inverter disrupts the operation of the system sometimes. The only alternative to the dumb inverters for grid connected systems is the Outback Solar Radium series which is ridiculously priced, and offers not much more than what you could brain storm at your local hardware store with timer relays. If I were you, I would buy an AiMS (or Sigineer ...their Asian manufacturer ..for 1/2 the cost) and a bunch of deep cycle batteries at Walmart. This would actually cost less than DIY lithium ion battery packs, but of course would not be as fun to put together.

Paul


Hi again,

I have 7 battery packs hooked up in series to my 24vDC power inverter, and it does seem like it takes a long time to charge them. Each is 1sx198p (4cells across by 28 cells deep). The charger on my Aims Power inverter is 85 amps max, but sometimes it takes all day and still the lithium cells are not fully charged. Is there a way to calculate approximately how long it should take to get the cells (apprx 1400 total of 1600mAH used laptop 18650s) from apprx 3.7 volts up to 4.2 volt? Thanks for any advice.

Paul


One more time....

Regarding the above mentioned battery packs...I've noticed a cell thats gets warm to hot to the touch when charging, and I'm looking at 'snipping' it off the grid. Remember, these cells are already soldered together, so I'm also looking at a way to test them to see which may be not holding a charge or to resistant to current. I have a standard multimeter, and would really appreciate a tip on how to 'bench' the packs and check for bad cells without taking them apart. I dont have a 24v charger, except for the Aims Power inverter, which cannot be used to bench test.

Again, thanks for any advice!

Paul
 
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