rotate batteries?

[Sunrisemike]

I have 4 six volt rolls batteries in series. They are 8 years old and fitted with hydro caps. Apart from now having to top up the water every 6 weeks instead of 12, they seem in good nick. I have never rotated them, bur am wondering if it might be a smart move to do so. A quick search seems to not recommend it. Any thought?

Cheers,

Mike

[Stinsy]

There is nothing to be achieved by rotating series battery packs.

You should consider how much energy the batteries are losing. Lead batteries get less efficient as they age, you're losing water faster because the batterie are generating more heat.

Maybe time to switch to Lithium?

[Sunrisemike]

Thinking about it. Downside is cost, the need for more electronic controls to keep them stabilised. They are in the living room behind the sofa, kinda dodgy.

[AE-NMidlands]

Thinking about it. Downside is cost, the need for more electronic controls to keep them stabilised. They are in the living room behind the sofa, kinda dodgy.

Wouldn't a cabinet containing solid-state lithum cells be safer than wet lead-acid cells anyway? That would be an up-side...

[Lincs Robert]

Thinking about it. Downside is cost, the need for more electronic controls to keep them stabilised. They are in the living room behind the sofa, kinda dodgy.

Er, why so?

[Stinsy]

Thinking about it. Downside is cost, the need for more electronic controls to keep them stabilised. They are in the living room behind the sofa, kinda dodgy.

Er, why so?

Lead Acid batteries are horribly dangerous! They can explode spraying boiling acid into your face. While the fire-risk concerning Lithium batteries is well-publicised they are much safer than Lead, and LiFePO4 batteries in particular are exceedingly safe.

[Countrypaul]

Thinking about it. Downside is cost, the need for more electronic controls to keep them stabilised. They are in the living room behind the sofa, kinda dodgy.

Er, why so?

Lead Acid batteries are horribly dangerous! They can explode spraying boiling acid into your face. While the fire-risk concerning Lithium batteries is well-publicised they are much safer than Lead, and LiFePO4 batteries in particular are exceedingly safe.

Where do you get that "Lithim batteries are much safer than Lead", a search on deaths and injuries from batteries brings up lots caused by Lithium batteries, and also button batteries swallowed by children, but I didn't find anything directly implicating lead batteries.

[Oliver90owner]

There is nothing to be achieved by rotating series battery packs.

You should consider how much energy the batteries are losing. Lead batteries get less efficient as they age, you're losing water faster because the batterie are generating more heat.

Maybe time to switch to Lithium?

More likely they are gassing off by being over-charged - if all are losing the same amounts of electrolyte.

The electrolyte SG had presumably been checked regularly?

[AE-NMidlands]

Er, why so?

Lead Acid batteries are horribly dangerous! They can explode spraying boiling acid into your face. While the fire-risk concerning Lithium batteries is well-publicised they are much safer than Lead, and LiFePO4 batteries in particular are exceedingly safe.

Where do you get that "Lithim batteries are much safer than Lead", a search on deaths and injuries from batteries brings up lots caused by Lithium batteries, and also button batteries swallowed by children, but I didn't find anything directly implicating lead batteries.

Isn't it obvious that (while button cells of any type can be swallowed by kids or pets) we are talking about fixed installations here?
I would chose a dry cell over a big wet sulphuric acid battery any day, especially as it has been explained to us many times that RE Li batteries have a different chemistry to the ones used in cars and don't suffer the same runaway overheating (fire risk) in the event of a failure.

[Countrypaul]

Lead Acid batteries are horribly dangerous! They can explode spraying boiling acid into your face. While the fire-risk concerning Lithium batteries is well-publicised they are much safer than Lead, and LiFePO4 batteries in particular are exceedingly safe.

Where do you get that "Lithim batteries are much safer than Lead", a search on deaths and injuries from batteries brings up lots caused by Lithium batteries, and also button batteries swallowed by children, but I didn't find anything directly implicating lead batteries.

Isn't it obvious that (while button cells of any type can be swallowed by kids or pets) we are talking about fixed installations here?
I would chose a dry cell over a big wet sulphuric acid battery any day, especially as it has been explained to us many times that RE Li batteries have a different chemistry to the ones used in cars and don't suffer the same runaway overheating (fire risk) in the event of a failure.

Since Tesla Powerwalls , for example, use the same sort of battery as the Tesla cars that the press loves to show on fire, generalisations that RE Li Batteries use different chemistry is an over simplification. I have not seen any reports of Powerwalls catching fire yet though.There is also the option that repurposed EV batteries will be used in home storage.