#2) Proactively Prevent Corrosion :

Even if you use the most expensive, high-quality batteries in your battery bank, it won’t be of much use if the batteries aren’t cared for and corrosion or acid is on them. Before you assemble all of the components of your battery bank, make sure to individually coat the terminals, wire lugs, nuts and bolts with a non-hardening sealant.

You can also apply a thin coating of petroleum jelly to the battery terminals for some extra protection.

Lastly, seal exposed wire at a terminal lug using submersible rubber splice tape or something similar.

The reason all of this has to be done before assembly is because it ensures that

all of the parts are equally protected. If you apply protective substances after you finish assembling the system, there is a good chance that dirt will get into small spaces that weren’t properly coated.

#3) Make Sure That the Battery Bank and PV Array are Correctly Sized :

If you’re using a solar panel or wind power system, you should make sure that your battery bank is big enough to carry six to ten days of load.

This ensures:

1.You’ll always have a nice back-up supply of power.

2. And you’ll also be able to use your batteries a little more gently so you don’t have to consistently drain them.

#4) Fully Charge The Batteries Every Three Weeks :

At the very least, make sure to fully charge your batteries every 3 weeks. This reduces corrosion on the inside and ensures equalization.

#5) Keep Your Batteries at an Ideal Temperature :

Because temperature extremes cause batteries to deteriorate much faster, it is important that you keep your batteries in a place where the temperature is relatively stable.

Aside from enclosed above-ground structures, you can also create a structure that is partially underground. This way the temperature in the structure will remain the same no matter what the weather is like outside.

In addition, make sure that the charge controller or inverter system has a built in temperature compensation feature. This is necessary because the charge voltage limit of a battery increases as temperature drops and decreases at temperatures increase.

#6) Don’t Install More Than Three Parallel Battery Strings :

Ideally, your battery bank should only be made up of a single series of cells. The more cells that are included, the higher the chance of there being random defects. There’s also a greater chance of losing equalization, resulting in cells failing prematurely.

If you can’t stick to just a single series of cells in your battery bank, limit it to three parallel battery strings.

#7) Install a Renewable Energy System Digital Monitor :

A renewable energy system monitor will help you keep track of the performance of your system (including the battery bank).

It will also help you troubleshoot any issue that comes up with your system so you can troubleshoot it before it turns into a bigger problem.

This will be particularly important if you are relying on the power from your off-grid power system and living in a remote area.

It will also help you maintain your batteries so you don’t have any surprise repairs that are costly and could have been avoided.