Moving deep-cycle batteries regularly and charging after long storage

As we mentioned last year in this post, https://permies.com/t/28774/labs/Solar-Voltswagon#296072, we have 12 X 800amp 2v sealed deep-cycle batteries, which are about 50kg each. We bought them to go into a food trailer, but have had local "expert" (who also runs the market where we will use the cart - so it pays to keep on side with him) keep trying to convince us what a bad idea this is, and that we need to keep them at home as part of a home solar power system. Previous advise was that it would be dangerous in terms of fumes, and explosion risk, and to put them behind concrete. Now we are also told that he thinks that regularly moving deep cycles batteries is bad for them and would shorten their life. Is there any truth in this? I mean they run golf carts etc all the time. We would be taking them slowly 2-3km (1.5 miles) to the local market down a flat country road, and then home again.

We are currently thinking of leaving 6 at home, and taking 6 with us (so 300kg each). We could have them fitted into the food caravan, or we could put them in the back of our van for now (this vehicle is used almost solely for towing the food trailer) and have a little trailer made when we can afford it, and tow them separately (we could use our little 800cc Suzuki Alto for this probably) and we could then also pull them round the farm on a quad bike or ride-on when we can afford one.

They have also been sitting uncharged for over a year in storage, but we are getting them delivered here this week. (they have been used before we got them). How much damage could this have done? Is it best to recharge them ASAP? They are currently sit up in parrallel to make 12V. Could we put a normal 12V car charger on them and (VERY) slowly charge them from normal grid power? Could we also then just put a 2000W inverter that we have on them and use them that way till we can afford .

(When we can afford it, we will get a larger charger/inverter and solar panels etc that live at home, and charge both sets of batteries).

Annie Hope wrote:As we mentioned last year in this post, https://permies.com/t/28774/labs/Solar-Voltswagon#296072, we have 12 X 800amp 2v sealed deep-cycle batteries, which are about 50kg each. We bought them to go into a food trailer, but have had local "expert" (who also runs the market where we will use the cart - so it pays to keep on side with him) keep trying to convince us what a bad idea this is, and that we need to keep them at home as part of a home solar power system. Previous advise was that it would be dangerous in terms of fumes, and explosion risk, and to put them behind concrete. Now we are also told that he thinks that regularly moving deep cycles batteries is bad for them and would shorten their life. Is there any truth in this? I mean they run golf carts etc all the time. We would be taking them slowly 2-3km (1.5 miles) to the local market down a flat country road, and then home again.

I have never heard that moving deep cycle batteries in any way injures them. That said, I certainly wouldn't move 300kg of batteries unless I absolutely needed to. That is a lot of weight, and a lot of energy to move that weight. Fumes and explosion risk are small, and generally an issue when charging batteries. Most commercial charge controllers make this a pretty small risk. Have you done a energy use analysis to determine how much energy you need at the market. I can't help but think that those batteries are way overkill.

We are currently thinking of leaving 6 at home, and taking 6 with us (so 300kg each). We could have them fitted into the food caravan, or we could put them in the back of our van for now (this vehicle is used almost solely for towing the food trailer) and have a little trailer made when we can afford it, and tow them separately (we could use our little 800cc Suzuki Alto for this probably) and we could then also pull them round the farm on a quad bike or ride-on when we can afford one.

They have also been sitting uncharged for over a year in storage, but we are getting them delivered here this week. (they have been used before we got them). How much damage could this have done? Is it best to recharge them ASAP? They are currently sit up in parrallel to make 12V. Could we put a normal 12V car charger on them and (VERY) slowly charge them from normal grid power? Could we also then just put a 2000W inverter that we have on them and use them that way till we can afford.

Best to charge them ASAP. Assuming we are talking about lead-acid batteries here, they generally want to be fully charged as much of the time as possible, and never left discharged. An inverter is used to make AC from DC, both solar systems and batteries work on DC. Solar with a good charge controller would be where I started.

Thank You Kindly,
Topher

I wouldn't imagine any problem from moving them around, in fact I'd think it was good for them. However, if they have been discharged for a year, then they may have suffered serious damage. That depends on how low voltage they have been at/are at now. I would think charging with a car charger is certainly better than nothing, as long as they are in 12 volt banks, in fact a faster charge would probably be better than a slow one. You need to check the voltage now, and monitor it during charge.

What was the storage temperature? Recommended for most batteries is 15°C (59°F). You can store a sealed lead acid battery for up to two years if done properly. Since all batteries gradually self-discharge over time, it is important to check the voltage and/or specific gravity, and then apply a charge when the battery falls to 70 percent state-of-charge. This is typically the case at 2.07V/cell or 12.42V for a 12V pack.
Low charge induces sulfation, an oxidation layer on the negative plate that inhibits current flow. Topping charge and/or cycling may restore some of the capacity losses in the early stages of sulfation.
This means do NOT use a car battery charger. Get a charger that can apply an "Equalizing Charge" (forced overcharge) and charge all batteries separately.