I have a 280Ah EG4 indoor wall mount battery that provides 14.3kWh of energy. I mainly use it as a backup during outages, and it typically lasts around 12-15 hours before dropping to 51V or about 20% capacity. I've read that for inverter algorithms and the battery management system to function properly, the battery needs to be cycled and shouldn't just sit unused. Given that I have a generator that can fully charge the battery in about 2 hours at half load, should I keep the battery stored at 50% like it arrives from the factory? Or, should I charge it to 100% before a power outage? It has a lifespan of 15 years with up to 8000 cycles. Would I really gain anything by keeping it at 50%?
2 Answers
You’ve got it right! If you want to maximize the life of your battery, cycling it roughly once a week should be plenty. Bringing it up to 100% in the morning and letting it run down during the day seems like a practical approach. Just be sure to reset it to about 50% after use for the best long-term storage.
It sounds like you have a solid plan with your battery! Since you mentioned waiting for solar panels, once you have those, you might consider configuring your system to automatically discharge during the day and charge at night. That way, you can take advantage of cheaper nighttime electricity. But for cycling your battery, yes, it's generally good to discharge and recharge it regularly, even if it's mostly for backup. Keeping it around 50% is a safe bet, especially for longevity.
Great point! I’ll definitely look into making the most of those solar panels once they arrive.
Haha, I like the once-a-week plan! I’ll give that a shot—I just want to make sure it’s as efficient as possible.