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79
December 2020
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Solar Stik
®
, Inc.
SYSTEM SETUP AND OPERATION GUIDE FOR THE SOLAR STIK USAF G-BOSS MEDIUM AND HEAVY HYBRID POWER SYSTEM
PRELIMINARY DRAFT
Terminal (End-of-Life) Battery Performance
When a LiFePO
4
battery has reached the end of its service life (“health” is less than 50%), it loses
its ability to retain electrical energy in its cells, and the cycle performance will be severely degraded.
Symptoms will include:
• Voltage will rise and fall in very short periods of time.
• Very short durations of inverter and generator run-times.
• Circuit breaker tripping.
There is one major rule to remember when using a Expander Pak:
NEVER STORE THE EXPANDER PAK IN A DISCHARGED STATE
Storing a discharged battery will cause it to “brick” (See 24VDC Expander Pak 2400 Manual)
Discharging the Expander Pak Battery to “EMPTY”
For longest service life, Expander Paks should only be discharged to 80% depth of discharge
(DOD). This means that 80% of the power stored in the battery can be used to supply a load before
recharging is recommended. The smaller the DOD%, the longer the battery will last.
Charging the Expander Pak Battery to “FULL”
Expander Paks should be charged until in “FLOAT” stage at least once every 15 cycles.
Scaling Expander Paks in the System
“Expanding” the size of a battery bank accomplishes three things:
1. It decreases the burden of repeated deep discharges on the Expander Pak battery during
periods of heavy cycling, thereby extending battery life
2. It reduces generator cycling (on/off) frequency
3. It provides the operator with additional appliance “run-time” capability when the generator is not
a desired option due to noise or generator failure
