10kWh LifePO4 DIY Battery Addition..... Here is my write up.

mcmorrowg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121242650#Comment_121242650

The active balancer is a good extra. I've been talking to EEL on Alibaba and they can deliver a full kit with the active balancer and EVE 16 * 280K Grade A for €2,350 ($2,445). The lead time is 6-7 days to Ireland from their EU warehouse. Sounds good? I might be able to get a little extra off it!

Its a bit more expensive than the Seplos kit and cells separately $2,135.

What do you guys think?

BorneTobyWilde

This thread is so whoosh

https://sd-windenergy.com/small-wind-turbines/sd6-6kw-wind-turbine/

Would this work to fully run a rural home/business, and does one use it with a battery

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121246359#Comment_121246359

Have a read of this: Are wind turbines worth it? — boards.ie - Now Ye're Talkin'

ddonq1412

Sent you a pm

bullit_dodger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121246359#Comment_121246359

I looked those SD6 babies up. Approx installation cost £35,000. So you'll have to be using a fair whack of power to make your money back.

And back to batteries we go......(the thread that is) :-)

Has anyone used Seplos batteries? The large battery bank. I think it's 14 or 15 kW.

Or alternatively, any suggestions of a plug and play alternative that is good value and that sort of capacity?

Thanks

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121253174#Comment_121253174

The Seplos Mason kit is the best value out there. Mind, it's not plug and play, it's a kit. You have to build it up yourself.

But if you don't need the fancy case and you are able to build the pack yourself anyway, you'd save a lot of money by just buying cells / BMS / other parts directly. And remember, the more you spend on the battery, the less you save from it working for you.

hexosan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254174#Comment_121254174

have you a ballpark on what the full kit costs ?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254353#Comment_121254353

@graememk posted a link to where you could pick one up in Nothern Ireland for about £2100 iirc. That's the cheapest I've seen a kit for a 14kWh battery (280Ah cells * 3.2V nominal * 16 cells in series)

He'll come on here to re-post the link shortly!

hexosan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254380#Comment_121254380

It’s not a bad price. I paid close to that for the cells & BMS

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254390#Comment_121254390

Aye. And that includes the whole kit, including fancy case with terminals, castors, fuses, etc. Getting just a case like that shipped from China wouldn't give much change from €500

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254353#Comment_121254353

https://www.fogstar.co.uk/collections/seplos-mason-kits

Comes on a pallet, and has to be delivered to NI, [I only know my local one, postal pickup. But I think there is ones in Newry etc too.]

Approx €2300 when you do the conversion.

unkel

The vertical kit on castors with the 305Ah B grade cells for £1999 would be my pick. 15.6kWh for about €2345 allowing for just €40 FX / transfer charges

That's just over €150 / kWh and as good as it gets now for kits

on_the_roots

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254407#Comment_121254407

Any recommendation for a location/service to receive something as big/heavy as this, for ROI residents?

slave1

try deliverme.ie, literally a few yards across the border towards Newry

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255361#Comment_121255361

It will fit in a car, if you take the boxes off the delivery pallet.

Mate got this delivered to him (in the north)

on_the_roots

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255418#Comment_121255418

Thanks for the suggestion! deliverme.ie has closed its business but now this is parcelcollectiondepot.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255530#Comment_121255530

Thought it would come with the cells already mounted inside. So in separate boxes it makes handling much easier to load into a car, good to know!

SD_DRACULA

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255418#Comment_121255418

That ended.

oaklands

Make sure to confirm any service can handle both weight & size. Some cells can be 5+kg times 16!

Mine were ~90kg for the cells, excluding packaging. (from memory 5.6kg per 305ah envision cell)

unkel

All these pre-made batteries and battery kits are not really in the spirit of DIY building batteries that this thread is about, or are they lads?

Maybe have a separate thread on them?

ddonq1412

Had a few of those cases delivered if anyone is looking a black seplos case and 200amp BMS. Also have a wheel base for it. You just need the cells. Also got the power cables and switch if anyone is looking for it. Reasonable money will put a post under the correct thread with pictures..

bullit_dodger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121256625#Comment_121256625

Maybe your right - it's not as if a separate thread costs money - LOL.

Still there's a fair amount of work to assemble it, wiring, balancing, stressing over flicking the switch on the inverter that first time that you don't hear BANG(tm) and a slight smell of ozone....even if all the parts come in a nicely sealed package. Sharing my own reluctance to go into the full DIY battery route, the kits are sort of a half way house for me, and plan on getting one of those Fogstar jobbies once I find the spare wonga.

I think anyone who's built a battery already will quite happy go down the DIY route again as "they know their arse from their elbow" but for many like me, I think a kit is a good compromise.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121259405#Comment_121259405

I see your point and if you have no interest in batteries and you are certain you will never enjoy building them or doing it as a hobby, then the pre made packs or kits are a good option (and you can afford them of course)

But I get the impression you are interested, just a bit out of your comfort zone. Remember we all were too. Some of us just went straight for it and built the damn thing. Others started small and less risky with just very small batteries or even just charging up your phone or your car battery with a tiny little solar panel and eased into the bigger and more dangerous (physically and financially) stuff later on. I was in the second group!

bullit_dodger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121259431#Comment_121259431

I think you hit the nail on the head there with me and comfort zone. Many others are probably in my boat I'd say.

Generally I'll quite happily take on projects (such as self-installing my own panels on the shed) cause I can visualize how the thing will be put together and what the final product will look like. For the (full DIY) batteries - while I'd be somewhat confident that I could get it to work, I must say I like the look/feel of the "shiny box". I know. Others couldn't give a monkies about that, it's how it performs not how it looks out in the shed (and I get that). Different folks - different stroke. Yeah, I could give the full diy route a lash, and then if I didn't like my "offspring" LOL - get an empty box and transfer the cells/bms - but I know I'd probably go there down the road. So that's where my head is.

This thread has been great though. Even for people not building (irrespective of DIY or kit) , it's been super informative/helpful/encouraging. Respect.

on_the_roots

I personally don't see much of a practical difference between the traditional DIY way and the kits. Only difference is that the old school option will look ugly 😅

You still have to think about the cells you are going to use, check BMS capacity/features, understand how all the components are supposed to work, connect everything carefully, fine tune the BMS, balance cells and potentially improve the system adding more protective devices not present in the original kits. And in the end I have something that looks decent to be placed in my utility room and safe from wife/kids/pets.

munsterfan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121259537#Comment_121259537

I like my rosewood drawer which I used as a case - the rustic look :-)

jasgrif11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121259537#Comment_121259537

Are you saying my baby looks ugly😂😂

I went the DIY route, even though I’m a fan of clean lines and shiny boxes. To be honest i’d have never done it if it weren’t for this forum and patience everyone gave me with what seems like very silly questions I was asking at the beginning.

I liken it to a Golf membership. It has been my outlet for the last 8 months.

big_show

As someone with a 5kw dyness battery already, can I add a 15kw "DIY kit" battery to my setup and have both work along side each other?

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121260875#Comment_121260875

Depends on the dryness if it's 15s or 16s

The kit is 16s, and I'd connect them up with a bit of a bus bar type system, and only have 1 talking to the inverter.

slave1

I'd sell the Dryness and go 100% DIY, it's the best financial decision