Inverter Batteries

Aroy · 26th September 2011, 13:36

If your batteries are not lasting beyond two years, please check the inverter. Its charging circuit may be faulty. Any way next time get a full tubular battery designed for Inverter work, not the normal or "semi-tubular" type.

Method for rejuvenating batteries :
. Discharge the battery fully, preferably on a 10 hour discharge cycle, that is not more than 15A for a 150AH battery. Use 2 100W bulbs as load.
. Charge it at 20 hour rate, that is 150AH battery should be charged at max 7.5A current.

Carry out the above for 2 or 3 cycles. Your battery should rejuvenate.

In order to carry out the above properly
. You will need to monitor the charging and discharging current. Let them not go beyond the values as stated above
. You will need to monitor the water level in each cell. Better still get a battery maintenance person to check the water level and acid density before you start the process.

Gansan · 26th September 2011, 13:46

^^Do you mean to say the current battery can be revived by the above method? What should be the specific gravity for this method to work?

Which tubular battery is the best? Are there any maintenance-free types available?

Aroy · 26th September 2011, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^Do you mean to say the current battery can be revived by the above method? What should be the specific gravity for this method to work?

Which tubular battery is the best? Are there any maintenance-free types available?

Normally battery cells go bad due to the material falling off the grid and shorting. At times carrying out the above procedure may restore some capacity for 3-6 months. Hence there is no harm in trying.

For tubular batteries get one which meets the following criteria the best
. Designed for Inverter and deep discharge cycles
. Warranty of 5 years+ (yes there are some with this warranty)
. Good after sales service

Gansan · 26th September 2011, 14:05

Let me see if any of the battery shops will carry this out for me. They will be more interested in selling me a new battery! This battery has been perfect till now. Initially I checked the water level once a month, then once in two months and finally settled to a quarterly inspection. The level was stable and it would take very little water to top up the battery. The last check was on 3oth June. The charge/discharge voltages were checked while installing the current battery and were found to be correct.

abhi3284 · 26th September 2011, 14:42

Thank you Guys for your reply. I had some more Queries though.

1) As i quoted before, I am getting the Sukam 180Ah Tubular Battery for 11800 which seems rather Cheap. But i have not heard very good things about Su-kam Batteries as Su-kam is mainly into manufacturing Inverters. And it also has only 2 Yrs. Warranty.

2) I got a Quote of 14000/- for Exide Invatubular IT500 with 4 Yrs. Replacement Warranty. Is this a fair price or is it costly ?

3) I was going to go for the Exide Invared 500 Tubular Battery for 11500/- with 3 Yrs. Replacement Warranty. But i found out later that Invared is a Semi-Tubular Battery and not fully Tubular as Quoted by Exide.

4) Are there any Fully Tubular Batteries that are not Tower Type ? As i will have to buy a separate Trolley for a Tower Type Battery.

5) I am going to choose between Sukam Falcon or Shiny Inverter. Anybody has any experience on Sukam Falcon and Shiny Inverter. Which is better and problem free among the two. Falcon has been around for some time while Shiny is newly launched.

6) I am getting 2000/- as Exchange Price for my current working 5 Yrs. old Luminous Inverter & 3 Yr. old Prestolite Battery. Is this a fair price ?

7) Any other suggestions for a good fully Tubular Battery ? I am not considering Non-tubular or Semi-tubular batteries.

I have to finalize it this week. Suggestions please.

Gansan · 28th September 2011, 06:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chipz

isidhn; in my recollection invaqueen is a semitubular, so is invared.

the true tubular from exide is the EL series. The second in line is the IT 500.

Is this true? It is written "Tubular" on the Invared battery. I am contemplating this battery as replacement. The tower type (tall) tubular batteries from Exide may not fit inside the inverter trolley.

Chipz · 28th September 2011, 16:43

abhi3284@
1. Go for branded tubular batteries only with 4+ year warranty.
2. IT500 is a good buy, there is a lot of confusion regarding whether it is tubular or not. (if it was fully tubular, they wont write invatubular). It is not mentioned in the warranty card, but it has good life and good warranty, with less complaints and one of the best battery in market. That price is fair. It can cost up to 16500/-
3. Dont got for invared.
4. Exide says EL tubular is their fully tubular battery. (they dont say it for IT500). I think you wont get Amco tubular non-tower type
5. Check with your friends about the brand of inverters they use. Make sure sukam has a service center in your area.
6. 2000 for exchange is a good price (usually they increase the new battery price and give good exchange for old, so you think it is a good deal, just marketing gimicks)
7. Exide EL tubular and Amco tubular is good.

Gansan@ Exide EL tubular is good with 4 year warranty it comes around 12000 ( it is not tower type).. amco tubular is good too, but I think you wont get non-tower type.

Dont go for invared, heard it has complaints.

Gansan · 28th September 2011, 21:49

^^I am taking my time to choose a battery. The current battery is heating up but since I noticed the problem early on, the water had not gone below the plates. So I got it topped up first, and am currently connecting the inverter only at night.

BTW I don't see any EL tubular battery on the Exide website? What does EL denote?

Chipz · 29th September 2011, 18:18

Heating battery means most probably your inverter charging has gone kaput, so that means you wont have to buy a new battery after all. Have it checked.

Just ask any exide dealer for exide el tubular, they will know. Google it out.

abhi3284 · 1st October 2011, 14:41

Has anybody heard about Exide CEIL Tubular Battery. It is exactly similar to Exide Inva Series. Exide Inva Tubular IT 500 is for 14000/- whereas Exide CEIL Tubular CT 500 is for 12500/- Both are exactly the same except the name Inva and Ceil.
CEIL has 6 months less Warranty of 30 Months compared to 36 Months of Inva Tubular.

Gansan · 1st October 2011, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chipz

Heating battery means most probably your inverter charging has gone kaput, so that means you wont have to buy a new battery after all. Have it checked.

Same problem occurred when the last battery failed as well. They checked the charging parameters while installing the Amaron battery and it was found to be correct. After the new battery was installed, the charging light went off within a few minutes. There was no heating issue afterward, till now.

civic-sense · 4th October 2011, 12:56

I want to replace the batteries of my APC 1kV. It currently has two 75AH Exide SMF batteries which lasted hardly 1.5 years. Looking at tubular or flat plate this time around. Power outages are quite frequent (2-3 times a day). What are the best options?

Also, need pointers to reliable dealers in Bangalore.

RajeswaranK7 · 4th October 2011, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^I am taking my time to choose a battery. The current battery is heating up but since I noticed the problem early on, the water had not gone below the plates. So I got it topped up first, and am currently connecting the inverter only at night.

BTW I don't see any EL tubular battery on the Exide website? What does EL denote?

@Ganesan,
you can checkout exide tubular range in the below link

http://www.exideindustrialbatteries....%20Tubular.pdf

but they are bit hard to find as not many people opt for it.

I have to IT500 running for more than 2 years now, their build quality is not very great compared to the EL range, but their performance is commendable. Have endured many 12 hour power cuts with them powering the APC BI 1000 in my home.

Last month I got a quote of 13500 from a dealer in mount road(got thorugh the exide site) for IT500, but forgot his details.

P.S: I was about to check with you on the amaron shield performance when I ran into this thread :-)

ramanan.skr · 9th October 2011, 19:18

I am planning to purchase an inverter for my home and met a dealer.
He suggested to go for Crompton 800VA + Exide Maintanence free battery(135ah). Since I have seen details about Tubular batteries.
Can someone throw light on tubular battery. Should we get 2 batteries for 800VA inverter.

abhi3284 · 10th October 2011, 15:53

Just got a new Inverter Battery Setup installed today in my house.

Following is the Break-up:-

Sukam Shiny 850VA Sine wave Inverter :- 5000/- [2 Yrs. Warranty].
Exide Inva Tubular IT 500 150ah Tall Battery :- 13500/- [4 Yrs. Warranty].
Sukam Tall Battery Trolley :- 1000/-
Buy Back of Old Inverter & Battery :- 2000/-

Can anyone using IT 500 tell me what is the frequency of Distilled Water topping up needed ?

@ramanan.skr :

A Sine Wave Inverter coupled with 1 150 ah Tubular Battery would be your best bet.
Tubular Battery is a bit expensive compared to SMF or Non-tubular ones but it turns out to be beneficial in the longer run. Lasts a lot more than normal batteries.
And, 1 150 ah Battery should suffice for a 800 VA Inverter.

26th September 2011, 13:36	#316
Aroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Delhi Posts: 2,582 Thanked: 2,741 Times View My Garage	Re: Inverter Batteries If your batteries are not lasting beyond two years, please check the inverter. Its charging circuit may be faulty. Any way next time get a full tubular battery designed for Inverter work, not the normal or "semi-tubular" type. Method for rejuvenating batteries : . Discharge the battery fully, preferably on a 10 hour discharge cycle, that is not more than 15A for a 150AH battery. Use 2 100W bulbs as load. . Charge it at 20 hour rate, that is 150AH battery should be charged at max 7.5A current. Carry out the above for 2 or 3 cycles. Your battery should rejuvenate. In order to carry out the above properly . You will need to monitor the charging and discharging current. Let them not go beyond the values as stated above . You will need to monitor the water level in each cell. Better still get a battery maintenance person to check the water level and acid density before you start the process.
	(1) Thanks

26th September 2011, 13:46	#317
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,560 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries ^^Do you mean to say the current battery can be revived by the above method? What should be the specific gravity for this method to work? Which tubular battery is the best? Are there any maintenance-free types available?
	() Thanks

26th September 2011, 14:05	#319
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,560 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries Let me see if any of the battery shops will carry this out for me. They will be more interested in selling me a new battery! This battery has been perfect till now. Initially I checked the water level once a month, then once in two months and finally settled to a quarterly inspection. The level was stable and it would take very little water to top up the battery. The last check was on 3oth June. The charge/discharge voltages were checked while installing the current battery and were found to be correct.
	() Thanks

26th September 2011, 14:42	#320
abhi3284 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 279 Thanked: 438 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries Thank you Guys for your reply. I had some more Queries though. 1) As i quoted before, I am getting the Sukam 180Ah Tubular Battery for 11800 which seems rather Cheap. But i have not heard very good things about Su-kam Batteries as Su-kam is mainly into manufacturing Inverters. And it also has only 2 Yrs. Warranty. 2) I got a Quote of 14000/- for Exide Invatubular IT500 with 4 Yrs. Replacement Warranty. Is this a fair price or is it costly ? 3) I was going to go for the Exide Invared 500 Tubular Battery for 11500/- with 3 Yrs. Replacement Warranty. But i found out later that Invared is a Semi-Tubular Battery and not fully Tubular as Quoted by Exide. 4) Are there any Fully Tubular Batteries that are not Tower Type ? As i will have to buy a separate Trolley for a Tower Type Battery. 5) I am going to choose between Sukam Falcon or Shiny Inverter. Anybody has any experience on Sukam Falcon and Shiny Inverter. Which is better and problem free among the two. Falcon has been around for some time while Shiny is newly launched. 6) I am getting 2000/- as Exchange Price for my current working 5 Yrs. old Luminous Inverter & 3 Yr. old Prestolite Battery. Is this a fair price ? 7) Any other suggestions for a good fully Tubular Battery ? I am not considering Non-tubular or Semi-tubular batteries. I have to finalize it this week. Suggestions please. Last edited by abhi3284 : 26th September 2011 at 14:55.
	() Thanks

28th September 2011, 16:43	#322
Chipz BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Trivandrum, Thrissur Posts: 160 Thanked: 6 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries abhi3284@ 1. Go for branded tubular batteries only with 4+ year warranty. 2. IT500 is a good buy, there is a lot of confusion regarding whether it is tubular or not. (if it was fully tubular, they wont write invatubular). It is not mentioned in the warranty card, but it has good life and good warranty, with less complaints and one of the best battery in market. That price is fair. It can cost up to 16500/- 3. Dont got for invared. 4. Exide says EL tubular is their fully tubular battery. (they dont say it for IT500). I think you wont get Amco tubular non-tower type 5. Check with your friends about the brand of inverters they use. Make sure sukam has a service center in your area. 6. 2000 for exchange is a good price (usually they increase the new battery price and give good exchange for old, so you think it is a good deal, just marketing gimicks) 7. Exide EL tubular and Amco tubular is good. Gansan@ Exide EL tubular is good with 4 year warranty it comes around 12000 ( it is not tower type).. amco tubular is good too, but I think you wont get non-tower type. Dont go for invared, heard it has complaints. Last edited by Chipz : 28th September 2011 at 16:46.
	(1) Thanks

28th September 2011, 21:49	#323
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,560 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries ^^I am taking my time to choose a battery. The current battery is heating up but since I noticed the problem early on, the water had not gone below the plates. So I got it topped up first, and am currently connecting the inverter only at night. BTW I don't see any EL tubular battery on the Exide website? What does EL denote? Last edited by Gansan : 28th September 2011 at 21:50.
	() Thanks

29th September 2011, 18:18	#324
Chipz BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Trivandrum, Thrissur Posts: 160 Thanked: 6 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries Heating battery means most probably your inverter charging has gone kaput, so that means you wont have to buy a new battery after all. Have it checked. Just ask any exide dealer for exide el tubular, they will know. Google it out. Last edited by Chipz : 29th September 2011 at 18:20.
	() Thanks

1st October 2011, 14:41	#325
abhi3284 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 279 Thanked: 438 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries Has anybody heard about Exide CEIL Tubular Battery. It is exactly similar to Exide Inva Series. Exide Inva Tubular IT 500 is for 14000/- whereas Exide CEIL Tubular CT 500 is for 12500/- Both are exactly the same except the name Inva and Ceil. CEIL has 6 months less Warranty of 30 Months compared to 36 Months of Inva Tubular.
	() Thanks

4th October 2011, 12:56	#327
civic-sense BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 895 Thanked: 1,659 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries I want to replace the batteries of my APC 1kV. It currently has two 75AH Exide SMF batteries which lasted hardly 1.5 years. Looking at tubular or flat plate this time around. Power outages are quite frequent (2-3 times a day). What are the best options? Also, need pointers to reliable dealers in Bangalore.
	() Thanks

9th October 2011, 19:18	#329
ramanan.skr BHPian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 208 Thanked: 46 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries I am planning to purchase an inverter for my home and met a dealer. He suggested to go for Crompton 800VA + Exide Maintanence free battery(135ah). Since I have seen details about Tubular batteries. Can someone throw light on tubular battery. Should we get 2 batteries for 800VA inverter.
	() Thanks

10th October 2011, 15:53	#330
abhi3284 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 279 Thanked: 438 Times	Re: Inverter Batteries Just got a new Inverter Battery Setup installed today in my house. Following is the Break-up:- Sukam Shiny 850VA Sine wave Inverter :- 5000/- [2 Yrs. Warranty]. Exide Inva Tubular IT 500 150ah Tall Battery :- 13500/- [4 Yrs. Warranty]. Sukam Tall Battery Trolley :- 1000/- Buy Back of Old Inverter & Battery :- 2000/- Can anyone using IT 500 tell me what is the frequency of Distilled Water topping up needed ? @ramanan.skr : A Sine Wave Inverter coupled with 1 150 ah Tubular Battery would be your best bet. Tubular Battery is a bit expensive compared to SMF or Non-tubular ones but it turns out to be beneficial in the longer run. Lasts a lot more than normal batteries. And, 1 150 ah Battery should suffice for a 800 VA Inverter.
	() Thanks