Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

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Joeboy
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#11

Post by Joeboy »

Moxi wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:03 pm Joeboy

Are yours sat on individual shelves rather than held by the front flanges?

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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#12

Post by Moxi »

:shock: Kit arrives Wednesday :shock:

wasn't expecting it to be that quick - got to fint an electrician and sort out the final resting place !

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Stan
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#13

Post by Stan »

I agree with Gus. I’d rather it was in a shed, separate from the house.
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Stinsy
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#14

Post by Stinsy »

Sorry to be late to this:

19" server racks are standardised, any will do. However lots of the people who make racks assume you're putting £100k worth of servers in them so price them accordingly.

My batteries are in the loft. I sandwiched a piece of PIR insulation between two pieces of OSB "loft board" and separated the batteries with "sticks" cut from a loft board...

The batteries aren't particular about orientation but they should have an air gap between them to allow cooling. Basically you can build/buy what you like, just bear in mind they are *HEAVY*!
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Stinsy
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#15

Post by Stinsy »

Mr Gus wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:31 pm Under the stairs? is that not going to represent a big potential fire hazard, building escape restriction toxic fumes & smoke damping down & removal if the cack hits the fan?

Whilst I haven't read the thread we've encountered this dilemma in a thread before. (in a galaxy far away)
Is there no small steel lined rack sized outdoor cludgey type building on the horizon?

H&S will be an inevitable factor of home battery when it (govt) finally catches up.. one of those will likely be exterior access fire brigade approval, especially where semi's / traditionally close built UK housing estates are concerned.

Likely a H&S £££ "inspection" never mind certification from a sparky.

What thermal runaway precautions are planned / will be legally required 6-8 years down the line, what ought be pre-empted now?

Remember the on wheels server racks of the Norwegian Nissan home battery guy? I like the idea of *possibly* being able to separate, cover, & wheel away in the event of a home fire, either occurring because of other home ignition causes or bad bloody battery luck.

(fireproof sleeved poncho, & 3m capable mask nearby naturally)
LiFePO4 batteries are considered safe from fire. They're not the same chemistry as the phone/laptop batteries you sometimes see catching fire in spectacular fashion.
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#16

Post by Mr Gus »

All batteries will be open to scrutiny, look at "bans" on the underground because of the "unknowns" ...it's a scooter so it's a risk, so it's not getting on, regardless of UK specced & designed, like a heavyweight "pure" brand unit versus a cheap chinese unit.

With so many potential changes within the battery market, its going to be another broad sweep stinsy, you can try & argue a toss to govt after the event, they will be so far behind picking up the ball & running with it ...in the right direction no less!

Oh yeah, grenfell type fire incidence aversion too.
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martinW
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#17

Post by martinW »

Stan wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 5:19 pm I agree with Gus. I’d rather it was in a shed, separate from the house.
Would cold weather have any effect on batteries in a shed, or outside cupboard for that matter... Assuming the inverter is in the same location will it provide enough heat to keep it above freezing?
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AlBargey
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#18

Post by AlBargey »

If building your own rack it's possible to buy all the parts yourself, especially if it's for a fixed install.

https://www.canford.co.uk/Rack-accessories-and-hardware

Otherwise, if happy with a birch ply rack then an amp rack would be a good option.

Do the US3000 have rear rack ears? not all racks have rear rails for mounting rack ears onto at the back.
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Tinbum
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#19

Post by Tinbum »

AlBargey wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 6:53 pm

Do the US3000 have rear rack ears? not all racks have rear rails for mounting rack ears onto at the back.
No and you also have to make sure the racks are deep enough. I bought some 1U blanking panels to put at the back to support the rears of the US2000C
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AlBargey
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Re: Suitable Battery Racks and what do others do

#20

Post by AlBargey »

Tinbum wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:41 pm
No and you also have to make sure the racks are deep enough. I bought some 1U blanking panels to put at the back to support the rears of the US2000C
Yep! Always make sure they're deep enough, I've had deep amps that don't fit in standard racks. Not all racks are the same though! Many pro or heavy 30Kg+ amps will have removable rack ears attached to a rear rack strip for supporting the rear, but this is more important for when an amp rack falls down the stairs.. :oops: If they're not specced by Pylontech then I assume they're not necessary for a fixed install. (assuming the front rails are standard quality steel, not cheapo thin ones or aluminium)
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