Energy Matters Forums

[manga]

I have sourced an Alco calcium car battery (Alco MF55457) that I'd like to use as my off-grid battery charged by solar.
The battery states on it 54Ah at the 20 hour rate, so I assume that they are ok for deep cycle use.

These batteries are maintenance free lead-acid with some calcium added for durability and from what I have found is that they require 14.8V for charging, rather than the 14.1V for regular lead-acid batteries.

Provided my charge controller (Powertech MP3129) can supply 14.8V, is there any thing else I need to be aware of ?

[Gordon-Loomberah]

Car batteries are designed to provide high currents for short periods, and then be immediately recharged. They don't generally last very long in off-grid applications, where they may be in a discharged state for extended periods.
With such a low capacity battery, I take it you aren't trying to run a house from it. If it is just running a small LED for a few hours each night it might be ok.

[manga]

Indeed, I won't be trying to run a house from it. It is purely an experiment and I will only be running LED garden lights at night time and possibly charging small appliance like my phone and various AA batteries, so no more than a 2A draw on the battery.

Longevity of the battery is of no concern as I got this battery free.

[australsolarier]

manga,
maybe you should change your header as it is misleading.