Hi,
As a Solar "Fanatic" (just ask my wife), previously with AGMs, and now (well 4 month badge), a user new to NiFe: I say "Hello" to all other users of NiFe batteries.
LONG MAY THEY RUN!!!! (with minimal electrolyte changes) ;D
dRdoS7
Welcome, been running my set since Oct 2011. Still doing OK on initial electrolyte .
Hello!
My son has set of 500 Ah cells @ 24V that run his off grid home. They have had 2 electrolyte changes and are now 30 years old. They came from a Chinese company that got bought out by Changhong battery company years ago. They were from a previous customer who had to small of a PV array and thus he thought the battery was bad when all he had to do was charge them up. His loss!
So please do not tell me a nickel iron Chinese battery does not last! They do last if taken care of and sized properly! Some people in this industry say a Chinese nickel iron cell is a piece of crap. Not so! Sure as with anything you can have defective cells or manufacturing defects but t over 30 years of selling nickel iron cells to customers all over the world we have only had handful of cells that were defective.
John D
BeUtilityFree, Inc
Hi,
This is my goodbye to NiFe post.
I bought mine in 2016, in early 2019 I started seeing some failures (voltage < 0.6, some -0.02) when cells were discharging, and some cells had gunk in the bottom of the case. By early 2020 I was seeing a lot of gunk in the bottom of most cells.
The seller sent me some KOH to make up new electolyte, but after a lot of flushing, and replenishing of 6 cells, I ended up with 2 cells that I could still use, and another 2 that were not so good, but better than nothing. Ended up with a 2 litre container full of gunk.
Efficiency has dropped from near 80% to > 50%, partly due to only using 37 cells, instead of 40, and the higher minimum cell voltage that entails. Also need to charge at a higher voltage to get current into the cells. Using lots of water at the moment!
The seller has agreed to take the cells back, I've already received 50% of my purchase cost, with the other 50% when I return the 40 cells.
Hoping to have them crated up early next week. Luckily, I must have had a premonition, I kept the original crates, which have been used as a table for 4 years.
Seller is arranging collection of the crates, but apparently there's some Dangerous Goods paperwork to be completed first.
I did have 2 1/2 very good years of use. All I needed to do, was the occasional water top up.
The NiFe is dead, long live the LFP!
dRdoS7
Well that's too bad 😒
I guess not all comes up roses.
You gave it a good try anyway.
Thank you for the report at least.
Too bad they failed on you.
I replaced my electrolyte a couple years ago
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2113125788760863.1073741849.120212794718849&type=1&l=1988b7f97a
(the link may work, facebook is shuffling things)
and all has been well since