Why is Your Solar Battery Draining Too Fast?

Solar batteries give a lot more capability than ever, nevertheless, it feels like they drain even quicker than before. If your battery bank is exhausting apace, there could be an associated underlying downside in your solar battery system. This guide can show the foremost common reasons for speedy battery power loss and what to try and do concerning it.

Many people simply entering into alternative energy for the primary time conjointly don’t perceive the science and chemistry behind this comparatively new technology, and poor maintenance habits and resultant battery injury or failure may be the result. This passage can allow you to explain why your battery drains too fast and the way to avoid it.

Fig.1 Why your solar battery drains fast

Reasons for Solar Battery Draining Too Fast

• Insufficient Charge

Conventional knowledge says to ne’er absolutely charge or discharging A battery, which is true. Recharge at five-hundredths for lead-acid and 35%-40% for a lithium battery. Whereas most advocate not topping off at 100 percent, don’t prime it too low either.

For instance, if you recharge the associate AGM battery at 500th and prime it off at 75th, it’s only 25% usable power. If you utilize a microwave, star journeyman, or alternative power-hungry physics, that battery can drain quickly. Therefore whereas charging to 100% isn’t suggested, you ought to trouble to eighty-fifth to ninety-fifth, which will permit you to use the battery for extended periods with no need to recharge.

It is a necessity for balance is required. You ought to not charge or discharge star batteries, however, neither do you have to avoid filling it with power. As long as you retain it at eighty-fifth full, the battery ought to be ready to offer you the facility you would like.

• Too Long Between Battery Recharges

Batteries ought to be recharged among twenty-four to forty-eight hours in heat weather, and a couple of to three days for cool weather. Recharge star batteries as shortly as doable, particularly if it’s discharged.

Fully discharged batteries don’t seem to be recharged when an extended amount ends up in sulfation. The sulfur molecules within the battery get discharged and start to hide the lead plates. Sulfation makes it not possible for the battery to charge and discharge properly.

Charging and discharging tiny amounts also can result in the battery draining too fast. As an example, recharging and discharging by 100% will injury the battery therefore it cannot hold a charge like before. Even fashionable batteries area units prone to this condition. With lithium it’s less seemingly, however storing a completely discharged battery ought to still be avoided. All batteries can discharge at some purpose, and if there’s very little to no power left, it’ll injury the interior electronic equipment.

• Not Using Charge Controller

As several solar battery users can signify, employing a charge controller is one every of the simplest ways in which to stop sudden battery drain. A charge controller regulates the flow of power within the battery and prevents heating, one in every of the most causes of power drain.

There are unit two kinds of charge controllers, PWM and MPPT. MPPT controllers area unit dearer however permit you to use high voltage star panels with low voltage batteries. They’re conjointly a lot of economical compared to PWM. PWM controllers are unit cheaper and work well for little solar battery systems.

If you have got a tiny low system, a PWM controller goes to be enough. However, if you have got an outsized battery bank and a solar panel, an associate MPPT controller is needed to scale back energy loss. The larger the system, the lot of energy you would like to conserve because the price can add up.

Make sure the charge controller is large enough for your battery bank. The controller amp capability and voltage ought to be bigger than the battery bank for it to figure. If you have got a 12V 35ah battery, your charge controller ought to be 20A. Do check the charge controller specs to work out what battery sizes it’s compatible with.

Fig.2 Charger controller

• Putting Fully Discharged Battery in Storage

Batteries self-discharge over an extended amount. While not having spare charge, the battery can still drain its power till it’s empty. This may cause permanent injury and build recharging is not possible.

Suppose you have got a lead-acid battery and you store it with five hundredth capability. If you allow the battery in storage for many weeks or months, can it still be at five hundredths once you conceive of using it again? No, the charge would have borne below five hundredths, by what quantity it depends on the temperature and storage conditions.

But it’ll drop and be below the suggested discharge rate. This can make it tougher to recharge the battery and once it will charge, it won’t interfere yet as before. Currently, imagine leaving the battery with solely 100 percent charge or less. By the time you take it away from storage, the charge may be at 1/3. Therefore charge your battery before storage.

• Overheating

Do not store batteries in temperatures on top of 95F or 35℃. Doing, therefore, could lead to internal discharge and drain the facility. Heat isn’t smart for batteries particularly once carrying serious masses. Heaps of batteries, particularly lithium batteries, are designed to figure in extreme heat and cold. However, lithium batteries area unit costly therefore most solar energy homeowners use lead-acid.

Lead-acid batteries work fine with star panels as long as you properly maintain them. They’re a lot more prone to heat than lithium, therefore don’t place them close to hot or combustible objects. Doing, therefore, may apace drain its power albeit it’s not running.

Fig.3 Battery overheating

• Increased Load

Another doable reason your battery drains quickly is it’s a significant load. If you have been using a similar battery bank for a moment however enhanced the load, the system can lose power faster.

Conclusion:

So how do we avoid our solar battery draining too fast? Regardless of what battery sort you utilize, correct maintenance and use area units essential. Knowing when to discharge and recharge batteries is the key to extending their life cycle and saving greenbacks within the future. To learn more information about maintaining your batteries, please check what causes the lithium battery sweliing.