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Winterizing Your Solar Battery Bank

If you live in an area that experiences below-freezing temperatures in the winter, it’s essential to know how those temperatures will affect your solar equipment, including your battery bank. This is something you should keep in mind when designing and installing your battery storage, as well as at the beginning of every winter after you’ve established a battery bank. Here are a few tips on properly storing and preparing your solar batteries for the colder weather.

Appropriate Storage Location

If the winters in your area are especially frigid, it may be a good idea to find an indoor storage location for your battery bank. While it is possible to store solar batteries outdoors, freezing weather could damage your batteries, so they should be protected from below-freezing temperatures. Look for space in your garage or a well-ventilated shed to store your batteries.

It’s also a good idea to store the batteries in a sturdy, well-ventilated battery box or cabinet. These structures can be insulated if necessary to provide additional protection from cold weather. However, you should make sure to consult a professional on this matter so that your insulation efforts don’t interfere with ventilation needs.

Perform Essential Maintenance

Certain types of batteries require occasional maintenance. Be sure that you are aware of your particular battery’s needs, and perform that maintenance as needed. Winterization is an excellent time to go through those maintenance tasks, like checking and cleaning the terminals and double-checking that the connections are secure. Check for any corrosion on lead-acid batteries, and check the water level on flooded batteries. Performing these checks will make sure the batteries are in the best condition possible to withstand the harsher weather coming.

Leaving on Vacation

If you’re going on an extended vacation, or if the batteries are connected to a vacation home not used in the winter, you’ll need to take further precautions for the season. You’ll likely want to turn off your inverter and all DC loads, but be sure to leave your charge controller on. If the system will be unattended for a very long time, be sure to charge lead-acid batteries fully before disconnecting them from the network. Lithium-ion batteries should be discharged to 40% then disconnected.

The good news is, cooler temperatures are ideal for long-term battery storage. Just make sure that the area they’re stored in will remain between 40 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit while you’re gone.

If you’re looking for a battery storage solution that will help protect your solar batteries in winter, Generac PWRcell offers a battery storage cabinet that is sturdy, reliable, and weatherproof.