Battery Megastore quite disappointed!

[Richard10002]

Ordered 4 x Trojan T105 online on Wednesday night. Order said free next day delivery which I assumed would be today, (Friday), not yesterday.

 

Called them yesterday evening to see if they would be delivered today and was promised a call back which I did not get.

 

Got up early today so as to be around when they came. Called Battery Megastore just after midday and was told they had left the warehouse last night on a pallette on an Arthur Spriggs truck, and they would be delivered by 5pm.

 

At 5pm I called Arthur Spriggs who confirmed they had the goods and would check with the depot and call me back in a few minutes. No call back and at 5.30pm their ansaphone was on. I left a message but don't expect it to be listened until Monday morning.

 

So right at this moment I am not particularly happy with Battery Megastore. I've wasted a whole day in the house when I could have been on the boat... and I have no idea whether they might come later tonight, tomorrow, or Monday.

 

Do I wait in all day again tomorrow? Do I wait in all day on Monday?

 

If I had thought this was a possibility I would probably have paid more to Tanya who offer a tracking service.

[Richard10002]

Bit of an update:

 

Thought I'd try Arthur Spriggs again on the off chance, and the phone was picked up. I explained the situation and was told that the Battery Megastore paperwork said they were for delivery Monday! So not Arthur Spriggs fault, but they could have called me back when they knew, rather than than me having to call back.

 

If I had known they were coming Monday, that would have been fine but, having expected them today, and checked both yesterday evening, and had it confirmed this lunchtime, I am now more than a little disappointed at having had a day completely wasted.

[luggsy]

Just bought 6 x 6v Trojans of Tayna Batterys ordered Tuesday arrived Wednesday as promised

[dmr]

Sounds like a lot of Trojans are getting sold at the moment.

I also ordered a set from Battery Megastore last Friday. I asked for delivery directly to the boat, moored outside a pub.

They told me that sets of Trojans are not usually next day delivery and it would probably be two to four days depending upon when their own driver was in the area. I said this was inconvenient so they agreed to send an email early on the morning of the delivery day.

They sent the email Tuesday morning and the batteries arrived that lunch time. The majority of batteries in the van were Trojans!

 

I could not negotiate Tanya down to anywhere near the Megastore price.

 

............Dave.

[nicknorman]

 

I could not negotiate Tanya down to anywhere near the Megastore price.

 

............Dave.

They both seem to be quoting £105 delivered, did you get them for less?

Edited March 27, 2015 by nicknorman

[frangar]

And tayna also have a max carriage charge of about £35 ish when you are ordering.....worth bearing in mind when ordering a few batteries.

 

Used them a lot and more than happy.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Richard10002]

They both seem to be quoting £105 delivered, did you get them for less?

I got a one off 10% discount for downloading their Android app. This is what swung it Battery Megastore way for me.

[ROBDEN]

I've only used Battery Megastore three times but each time they've kept me informed by email, delivered when they said they would

and even had the driver phone when an hour away.

I ordered over the phone and each time got a better price than advertised on their website.

 

Rob....

[dmr]

They both seem to be quoting £105 delivered, did you get them for less?

 

£400 for 4, free delivery. Wish I had got 6 now!

Plan was to keep the best two of the old set to go up to a total of 6 in a semi split bank arrangement.

However when I took them out there was quite obvious bulging at the ends so not sure if it's wise to keep them.

 

I also asked Tayna about both their own brand and US2200 and interestingly they strongly recommended Trojans.

 

.............Dave

[bigste]

According to their website you can have 6 T105's for £600 plus they'll give you 10% discount if you take the smartphone app. So at £540 I'd be happy to get messed up for a day or two.

Edited March 28, 2015 by bigste

[blackrose]

All you chaps with Trojan T105s, do you have a 15.5v equalisation charge capability on your chargers or solar panels as required?

 

http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/datasheets/T105_Trojan_Data_Sheets.pdf

 

On another thread some forum members seem to think I'd be wasting my money on Trojan 12v batteries because I can't equalise charge them.

Edited March 29, 2015 by blackrose

[Phil.]

All you chaps with Trojan T105s, do you have a 15.5v equalisation charge capability on your chargers or solar panels as required?

 

http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/datasheets/T105_Trojan_Data_Sheets.pdf

 

On another thread some forum members seem to think I'd be wasting my money because I don't.

I have the option to use the mastervolt by way of some dip switches but have not found this method very good as the equalisation process does not seem to last long. I also have outback charge controller which I can programme voltage and time so just need a sunny day for that. I think the solar will be better because I can keep the process going longer if needed.

[Jambo]

I have the option to use the mastervolt by way of some dip switches but have not found this method very good as the equalisation process does not seem to last long. I also have outback charge controller which I can programme voltage and time so just need a sunny day for that. I think the solar will be better because I can keep the process going longer if needed.

 

Yeah I can never get my Mastervolt Mass Combi to hold an EQ charge. It drops out of EQ after only 10 minutes or so. So I use our Outback for it on sunny days too.

[DaveGood]

All wet lead acid will benefit from an occasional eq charge, not just Trojans, it's not essential, but will increase battery life.

 

Same goes for gel and sealed batteries but it is NOT SAFE, due to the way they are constructed, to do so.

[oarfish]

Yes batterymegastore messed me around a few weeks ago with a bunch of Trojans, if it wasn't for the discount code for installing the terrible mobile app they wouldn't be cheap either. Intending to use my new Tracer MPPT (which has an equalise mode now).

Edited March 30, 2015 by oarfish

[DaveGood]

Oarfish, I have mppt tracer controllers and don't seem to have a proper eq charge function on it. It doesn't hit a voltage higher then 14.8 volts which it describes as an eq voltage but is not.

 

Does yours go up to 15.5 volts?

 

DaveGood

[nicknorman]

For EQ charging, the voltage is not that critical, it is more a matter of controlling the current. Therefore a 50-100w panel designed for 12v systems (Vmp around 15-20v) connected direct to the already fully charged batteries, will push in 4-8 amps at whatever voltage is necessary (within reason) on a sunny day. Obviously one should turn off/disconnect equipment that might be damaged by high voltage. You could keep an eye on the voltage and if it was getting a bit out of hand (>16v or so, depending on temperature) you could partially shade the panel. A bit of a faff but not beyond the bounds of possibility, and free if you already have the panel.

[DaveGood]

Nicknorman,

 

That'll work for panels connected directly to the batteries, but won't if it goes through a controller that restricts the voltage to well below 15 volts.

 

DaveGood

[nicknorman]

Nicknorman,

That'll work for panels connected directly to the batteries, but won't if it goes through a controller that restricts the voltage to well below 15 volts.

DaveGood

Sure, and normally everyone's panels go via a controller (unless they are very small). But my point was that it is quite feasible to disconnect a panel from the controller and put it directly across the batteries for the purposes of doing an equalise. A bit of a faff perhaps, but nevertheless feasible and free!

 

You could even install the wiring and a switch permanently, so flicking the switch puts a panel directly across the batteries.

Edited March 30, 2015 by nicknorman

[DaveGood]

True,

 

But not in my case, I have 250 watt 37 volt residential type panels. I'm not certain exactly what would happen if I tried to shove a 37 volt supply into a 12 volt battery, but I suspect it would keep the fire brigade entertained, the chandlers in profit and my insurance company despondent.

 

DaveGood

[nicknorman]

True,

But not in my case, I have 250 watt 37 volt residential type panels. I'm not certain exactly what would happen if I tried to shove a 37 volt supply into a 12 volt battery, but I suspect it would keep the fire brigade entertained, the chandlers in profit and my insurance company despondent.

DaveGood

Yes whilst the voltage is not that critical (a panel's voltage can be pulled down as low as required, even to zero which is why a short circuit current is specified) a 250w panel could output enough current to raise the voltage to an extreme. That's why I mentioed a reasonable max panel size of 50-100w for my scheme. But even then with some judicious shading of one of your panels it would still be possible if not "fool proof" since as you say, putting one of your panels directly across fully charged batteries in bright sun would likely end in tears! I'm just making the point that there are many ways to do an EQ charge and a directly connected solar panel of the right sort of size, is one of them. Edited March 30, 2015 by nicknorman

[DaveGood]

Good thinking Nicknorman,

 

I'd overlooked shading out some of the panel as a means of controlling raw output.

 

Have a greenie.

 

DaveGood.

[dmr]

Yes whilst the voltage is not that critical (a panel's voltage can be pulled down as low as required, even to zero which is why a short circuit current is specified) a 250w panel could output enough current to raise the voltage to an extreme. That's why I mentioed a reasonable max panel size of 50-100w for my scheme. But even then with some judicious shading of one of your panels it would still be possible if not "fool proof" since as you say, putting one of your panels directly across fully charged batteries in bright sun would likely end in tears! I'm just making the point that there are many ways to do an EQ charge and a directly connected solar panel of the right sort of size, is one of them.

 

A proper controlled voltage would be much safer but it should be relatively easy to implement a stabilised voltage. Get a cheap multimeter on long leads out on the roof and an old blanket, then employ a local yoof to constantly adjust the blanket to regulate the voltage. A couple of pounds an hour plus a can of lager should be adequate payment. You could get many years worth of equalisation for less than the cost of a Vicron jobbie.

 

Mr Bizzard would approve of this too.

 

.............Dave.

[nicknorman]

A proper controlled voltage would be much safer but it should be relatively easy to implement a stabilised voltage. Get a cheap multimeter on long leads out on the roof and an old blanket, then employ a local yoof to constantly adjust the blanket to regulate the voltage. A couple of pounds an hour plus a can of lager should be adequate payment. You could get many years worth of equalisation for less than the cost of a Vicron jobbie.

 

Mr Bizzard would approve of this too.

 

.............Dave.

But is the voltage that important? The aim is to push more current through the batteries once they are fully charged. If the current is kept to a reasonable value (and assuming other voltage sensitive equipment is disconnected) does it matter if the voltage is 15.5, 16, 17 or even 18? So long as the current is kept at a few amps, say 1% of capacity, what would be the damage mechanism if the voltage rose to 18v?

[dmr]

But is the voltage that important? The aim is to push more current through the batteries once they are fully charged. If the current is kept to a reasonable value (and assuming other voltage sensitive equipment is disconnected) does it matter if the voltage is 15.5, 16, 17 or even 18? So long as the current is kept at a few amps, say 1% of capacity, what would be the damage mechanism if the voltage rose to 18v?

 

I think the yoof would want more than two pounds per hour if he had to monitor both voltage and current, that's skilled work.

 

Trojan say equalise at 15.5 but I think US say work at a fixed current and watch the voltage rise to 16.5, or maybe I am thinking of the Trojan end of charge "topping" ?

 

I can't answer your question and don't intend to investigate with batteries that are only 3 days old.

I suspect either

1 lots of gassing at higher voltage

or/and

2 It just won't happen, can't have high voltage without high current. Sort of Ohms law!

 

..............Dave