I live in the SF bay area, I have 24 kct450 lead-cad batteries. One battery case is cracked, hairline, but I need to fix, who does this ? or how do I do it myself. Also I am missing some venilator/flame arrestor caps, where to buy ??
Fixing a battery is usually not recommended. But there are some DIY stuff on the internet. Be very careful with the acid.
I think your battery looks like this. You might want to contact C&D technologies and buy a new cover for kct-450. Just unscrew the top and replace the cover.
Bigdog thanks for this question. Due to the difficulty of fixing cracked lead-cad batteries you might want to look at replacing the batteries. We carry a large selection of options. https://www.greentechrenewables.com/wet-solar-batteries
The previous posters all have good input here. The fact is that the battery can be repaired - there are plenty of guides available to walk you through the process of emptying a battery and taking it apart or even fixing the case while it is assembled. You don't say whether it's the cover (thermoplastic) or the jar (polycarbonate) in this case, but there are instructions and materials for both parts. I even called the manufacturer, C&D Technologies in Pennsylvania, and they said that they could ship a new jar or cover for this battery. So if you're determined to take on this dangerous and messy task, here are a couple questions to ask:
1. Why did the battery break? The answer to this question will be the most influential in the rebuild decision. Was the battery highly sulfated and blew out its jar (lower case) from the inside? If so, you need to look at the other 23 and see if they are about to suffer the same fate. Is the racking adequate? This battery weighs about 100 lbs., the racking for a bank like this needs to be very strong and you need to determine whether the racking has warped, rusted or swollen due to an electrolyte leak or corrosion. Was the battery dropped? Just a small drop to the corner can crack polycarbonate and you need to make sure that the plates were not damaged. Also, any repair needs to be secure enough to survive the refill and replacement in the rack or any other handling of this very heavy package. 2. How old is this bank of batteries? Do a thorough inspection of all the batteries and determine whether it's time to replace the whole bank at once. If the bank is fairly new, maybe it's better to play it safe and just order a replacement battery. Conclusion - If you have a well maintained, older bank of KCT450's and you are constrained by location or budget from upgrading the whole system, then contact the manufacturer and order a new case or single battery from their closest distributor. If you wish to take this opportunity to learn battery rebuilding and save even more money, then take the proper precautions and make the repair.
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Fixing a battery is usually not recommended. But there are some DIY stuff on the internet. Be very careful with the acid.
I think your battery looks like this. You might want to contact C&D technologies and buy a new cover for kct-450. Just unscrew the top and replace the cover.
For DIY resources; here are two links.
Building Lead Acid Battery
Battery Rebuilding Manual also check the videos on the bottom.
Bigdog thanks for this question. Due to the difficulty of fixing cracked lead-cad batteries you might want to look at replacing the batteries. We carry a large selection of options. https://www.greentechrenewables.com/wet-solar-batteries
Also, here is a link regarding recycling disposal of batteries in California https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/reducewaste/batteries
You might also find this video on reconditioning batteries to be interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaAM7tWES0A&feature=emb_err_woyt
The previous posters all have good input here. The fact is that the battery can be repaired - there are plenty of guides available to walk you through the process of emptying a battery and taking it apart or even fixing the case while it is assembled. You don't say whether it's the cover (thermoplastic) or the jar (polycarbonate) in this case, but there are instructions and materials for both parts. I even called the manufacturer, C&D Technologies in Pennsylvania, and they said that they could ship a new jar or cover for this battery. So if you're determined to take on this dangerous and messy task, here are a couple questions to ask:
1. Why did the battery break? The answer to this question will be the most influential in the rebuild decision. Was the battery highly sulfated and blew out its jar (lower case) from the inside? If so, you need to look at the other 23 and see if they are about to suffer the same fate. Is the racking adequate? This battery weighs about 100 lbs., the racking for a bank like this needs to be very strong and you need to determine whether the racking has warped, rusted or swollen due to an electrolyte leak or corrosion. Was the battery dropped? Just a small drop to the corner can crack polycarbonate and you need to make sure that the plates were not damaged. Also, any repair needs to be secure enough to survive the refill and replacement in the rack or any other handling of this very heavy package. 2. How old is this bank of batteries? Do a thorough inspection of all the batteries and determine whether it's time to replace the whole bank at once. If the bank is fairly new, maybe it's better to play it safe and just order a replacement battery. Conclusion - If you have a well maintained, older bank of KCT450's and you are constrained by location or budget from upgrading the whole system, then contact the manufacturer and order a new case or single battery from their closest distributor. If you wish to take this opportunity to learn battery rebuilding and save even more money, then take the proper precautions and make the repair.