Big Batteries

[Tengu]

Got given a couple.

they are huge MOD square ones, UK6TN No 4 Mk 3

says 12v 100w-hour (what does that mean?)

unused, just need acid in to go.

any idea what they are, and what can be used for?

Id take a pic but they are nearly too heavy to move

 

[British Red]

They are 12V batteries - as in the type used with solar systems etc. 100Wh is pretty low power - it basically means they can draw 1 amp for about 8 hours

A watt is a measure of electrical power derived by multiplying amp (current) by volt (power)

So a one amp current drawn from a 12V battery is 12 watts. run that for 8 hours and you get 96 watt hours (12 watts for eight hours). Draw eight watts for one hour - same result - 96 watt hours.

So how much power? Well you could run an electric fan heater (2,000 watt) for 3 minutes, or a powerful filament light bulb for an hour or a low energy (11watt) light bulb for 9 hours.

My most powerful batteries for off grid energy are 1320 watt hours (110AH). Shame they aren't 100 aH or 1,000Watt hours - that would be a good freebie!!!

Red

 

[Tengu]

I misread the label

Amp hour not watt hour.

I think they are truck batteries,

 

[locum76]

didn't you have a solar trickle charger? you could use the two together maybe...

 

[British Red]

100AH are stonking large batts - they sound like lead acid types rather than deep cycle gel so yeah, vehicle abtteries of a sort. Useful power backup coupled to a mains battery charger and inverter or hook in a decent solar panel and charge controller

Red

 

[Brendan]

They sound similar to leisure/carvan type, a leisure battery is designed to store power and release it over a much longer period of time than a normal car battery which is designed to give out a lot of power in a very short space of time.
Charge them up with mains power then connect your trickle charger to keep them topped up, get a cheap inverter and you could plug in some low power household appliances, lights, tv etc if you get a power cut.

 

[dean4442]

If they are big square ones then you shouldn't add acid to them ONLY DISTILLED WATER!!! they should already have the acid in granular form already.

 

[ANDYRAF]

If they are big square ones then you shouldn't add acid to them ONLY DISTILLED WATER!!! they should already have the acid in granular form already.

And wear goggles when you do add the water they sometimes spit back, they sound like the old Bedford MK or MJ batteries very tough, good luck with them.

 

[Tadpole]

Got given a couple.

they are huge MOD square ones, UK6TN No 4 Mk 3

says 12v 100w-hour (what does that mean?)

unused, just need acid in to go.

any idea what they are, and what can be used for?

Id take a pic but they are nearly too heavy to move

If they are the British UK6TN 100Ah ‘flooded-cell units’. ie 'wet' They are/were commonly used as Tank starter motor batteries. Mostly by Hawker under the brand ‘Oldham’ (now Enersys) they have a 600 cycle life. Which I am told is about an average of two years life/use, so need to be replaced quite often.
As it happens at work we have just had to replace our UPs system, 15 tonnes of batteries

http://www.worldsecurity-index.com/details.php?id=341

 

[ANDYRAF]

I think they used eight of them in the RAF to start a Hercules transport when the kick start was broken.

 

[Tadpole]

I think they used eight of them in the RAF to start a Hercules transport when the kick start was broken.

Being automatics, you can't bump start a Hercules

 

[ANDYRAF]

Being automatics, you can't bump start a Hercules

Good one I like it.