Servicing An Old Forklift Battery Pack For Off Grid Solar Home Use

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10 years ago
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I got a scrap 36 volt forklift battery that I plan to experiment with to see if I can put some of the cells into service for my off grid solar homestead.

I have read that forklift batteries are the ultimate best in solar power use. The problem with them is their weight. This battery weighs 2,000 pounds and it is nearly impossible for a home owner to move something like this around. This is what keeps most off grid solar homes from using forklift batteries.

Price per Amp hour and for the years of service life it seems that you cannot beat a forklift battery. These can last up to 20 years or more. Even tired, used batteries like this one can last up to 20 years in solar power use.

I am hoping to get a couple banks of usable cells from this huge battery. I do expect to find a few dead cells. That is to be expected from an old battery. It was no longer holding enough of a charge to run the forklift so it was scrap to the warehouse owners.

I first opened up all the caps and topped off the water levels with distilled water. Only use distilled water in a battery or you can damage the battery.

Next I wanted to check the voltage of each cell but the lead was dirty and I had to get my cordless drill and a wire brush to clean off all the battery terminals.

Next I checked all the battery cells for voltage. I found that most of the cells were not looking too bad. One was physically broken at the terminal and two more were flat out dead. This is exactly what I expected so I was not surprised at all.

I chose the two 12 volt battery banks that I wanted to save and got out the reciprocating saw.

Part II of my attempt to bring a forklift battery into service for my off grid solar tiny house on wheels is on the way.

Follow my daily progress on the path to self sufficiency on my off grid solar homestead.
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