Battery Storage and Maintenance
Batteries must be maintained during storage using battery chargers. However, the type of charger you need will largely depend on the number and type of batteries you have.
Lead acid (AGM) vs Lithium (LiFePo4)
We work with two types of batteries:
Lead Acid AGM - what most people are used to
Lithium Iron Phosphate - for colder weather
Importantly, these chemistries Do not mix! That means, no wiring them in the same circuit. That means, we need multi-bank battery chargers.
Battery charging banks
Battery charging banks are essentially separate charging circuits, meaning they can charge batteries that have different voltages or chemistries.
The number of battery charging banks you will need for battery maintenance is 2, but it's a good idea to get 2 more for charging batteries that come in from the field.
Do not mix batteries with different charging states on the same bank. Also, Do not mix battery chemistries on same bank!
Voltage and Amperage
All our batteries are 12-volts so you don't really need a charger that works at a higher voltage. The more important thing to consider is how much Amperage it outputs, per bank. You typically need about 0.5 Amps at 12 volts to maintain a single battery. So if you have 30 batteries, you'll need 15 Amps at 12 volts. If instead you have a 24 volt charger, you will only need 7.5 Amps as long as you wire two batteries in series per bank.
Don't bother getting a 24 volt charger since it only allows you to charge an even number of 12 volt batteries.
Parallel vs Series wiring
When wiring together your batteries in a single battery bank, you want to put all the batteries that are in the same bank in parallel. That means they all share the same positive and negative terminals.
Where to buy Battery Chargers
Here are a few options I found online, but there are many options which may suit your needs:
Charges both Lead-acid and LiFePo4 batteries
Each bank can hold 20 batteries
Charges both Lead-acid and LiFePo4 batteries
Each bank can hold 30 batteries
Accessories
Bus Bars
These are needed for connecting cables from batteries to the same terminal, making cable management a lot simpler
Dual bus bar, 10x2 connections: https://www.amazon.ca/Blue-Sea-Systems-2702-Dualbus/dp/B000277JB4
You will need 1 of these for every 10 batteries.
Cables
Ideally, you can use the same cables that come with the batteries to connect them to the bus bar.
Importantly, you must have a separate fused positive lead for each battery.
Battery Shelves
As we all know, lead-acid batteries are heavy! But it's also a pain how they take up so much room. Here are a couple of racks you can get at a decent price which can hold X batteries per shelf, turning floor space into vertical space.
Model
HBR782478W4C-R
HBR652454W3C-R
Weight limit per shelf
2,500 lbs
2,500 lbs
Number of batteries per shelf
20
16
Number of shelves
4
3
Total battery capacity
80
48
Dimensions
77.0 (L) x 24 (W) x 78 (H) in
64 (L) x 24 (W) x 54 (H) in
Price
248
$228
Link
Battery Specs
Model
GP-AGM-100-12V
GP-ADV-LIFEPO4-100
Type
Sealed lead acid, AGM
Lithium Iron Phosphate
Capacity
100 Ah
100 Ah
Voltage
12 V
12 V
Dimensions
12.0 (L) x 6.6 (W) x 9.0 (H) in
12.4 (L) x 6.9 (W) x 8.7 (H) in
Weight
24.2 lb / 11 kg
67.5 lbs / 30.6 kg
Link
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