i have a freind that works at a cable company he told me when thay check these batteries if thay are any thing below the factory amps thay give them away was woundering if thay woud be good for a solar battey bank and i can get them for free thay are 12volt 900amp but no cold cranking amps not sure what that means. what information do i need to find out about these batteries thay dont look like regular batteries thay are skinny and tall ill get a picture in a few days and post it

yeah, those things work. I had a friend that used them on his system for several years.

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Don't worry that there is no data for "cold cranking amps". That really only applies to car batteries anyway, which suck for deep cycle use on a homestead with wind or solar.

The 900 number probably refers to amphours. In a perfect world, that would mean you could draw one amp out of the battery bank for 900 hours, or 900 amps for one hour. Realistically, if they are used but in decent shape, maybe you can get 1/2 or 2/3 of that amount. Also, you don't won't to discharge them 100% anyway if you can avoid it, as it shortens the lifespan considerably.

there are ways to test the individual batteries that make up the bank, and test the whole bank.

HTH,

troy

I need some batteries soon myself. What cable company is it and what are the batteries from? I wonder if other companies do that. I could sure use some ultra cheap/ free batteries right about now.

most of the time thay have a contractor come and get these batteries i just happen to have a freind that work their the comany name is cox thay sale them to the contractor my friend said he thinks for about 10cents a peice not sure how you would go about asking for them thay are made for when a cell tower goes down thay are for back up and a bank of them 8 i think he said cant remember will keep up a tower for three days

yea, I found a guy on craigslist whose company replaces UPS batteries at cell sites after 2 years regardless of condition, they are pretty much new but he doesn't give them away. $100 for one or $90 ea for 2 or more. The new ones are over $400 each. 12V 200AH Sealed Type, no ventilation required. Just look around, I'm sure you can find someone.

In many cases you can get free batteries from golf courses from their carts. These are deep cycle batteries that are ideal for an off grid house. They think that the batteries are bad but in most cases they can be rejuvenated using a desulfator that you can build(google plans)

Mr Moore that is great to know

My pleasure