Deka Unigy II AVR45 Series, Installation And Operation Manual

Battery Operation 

continued

   Discharging at temperatures less than 77°F (25°C) will reduce 

the capacity of the battery and require longer charging time to 

become fully charged. 

If operating temperatures are  

expected to be less than 50°F (10°C) contact East Penn  

for trecommendations.

The battery string must be located in a manner that the individual 

cells do not vary by more than 5°F (2.8°C) between the  

lowest and highest individual cell temperature.

Rectifier Ripple Voltage

FREQUENCY

   Ripple that has a frequency greater than 667Hz (duration  

less than 1.5ms) is acceptable, unless it is causing additional  

cell heating. 

Ripple that has a frequency less than 667Hz (duration greater 

than 1.5ms), must meet the following voltage specification to  

be acceptable.

VOLTAGE

   Ripple voltage shall be less than 0.5% peak to peak (0.177% 

rms) of the manufacturer’s recommended battery string voltage. 

Failure to comply can void the warranty.

RECORD KEEPING

Voltages, Temperatures & Ohmic Readings

   Record keeping is an important part of stationary battery main-

tenance and warranty coverage. This information will help in 

establishing a life history of the battery string and inform the 

user if and when corrective action needs to be taken.  

All measuring equipment should be in good operating condition 

and accuracy should be confirmed on an annual basis to NIST 

traceable standards. 

After installation and when the battery string has been 

on float charge for one week, the data as detailed in 

the “Maintenance Section” should be recorded. Battery 

Maintenance Report worksheet provided in Appendix E. 

Failure to maintain proper records including information as 

detailed below may result in voiding any applicable warranty.

Acceptance Testing

Each cell should be at 100% State of Charge prior to performing 

an acceptance test on the battery system. To ensure the cells are 

fully charged the following charge schedule should be followed.
Cells should be charged at the equalization rate of 2.40 volts per 

cell for 24 hours. Temperature compensated charging parame-

ters shall be applied as detailed in “Temperature Compensation” 

in Appendix C of this manual.
To ensure the cells are fully charged within 24hrs; the charger 

used for this charge must have the current equal to the maxi-

mum charge current for the given cell type (model), as called out 

in Appendix B
If these requirements cannot be met, contact East Penn Reserve 

Power’s Product Support group for alternate instructions.
Upon completion, the charge voltage should be lowered to the float 

voltage of 2.25 volts per cell for a minimum period of 72 hours. 

Reference: IEEE 1188-2005 Section 7.2 for additional acceptance 

test requirements.
Upon completion of the above charge, the desired acceptance test 

can be performed.

NOTE: 

There shall be no discharges of any duration between the 

start of the equalization and the completion of the float period. If 

a discharge does occur, the charging regime detailed above shall 

be repeated.

6

Upon completion of the acceptance test, the battery system 

should be placed on float charge at 2.25 volts per cell to restore 

the battery to its’ rated capacity.  
Batteries should not require an equalization charge once they 

have passed their initial acceptance test.  Consult with  East Penn 

Reserve Power Product Support Department before performing 

additional equalizing charges on batteries that have successfully 

passed their initial acceptance test.

MAINTENANCE

Always wear eye protection when working on or near batteries. 

Keep sparks and open flames away from batteries at all times. 

See Safety Precautions on pg. 3.

Annual Inspection

(1)

  1. Conduct a visual inspection of each cell.
  2. Record the battery string voltage.
  3. Record the charger voltage.
  4.  Record the individual cell voltages. The accuracy of the DMM 

(Digital Multimeter) must be .05% (on dc scale) or better. The 

DMM must be calibrated to NIST traceable standards. Because 

float readings are affected by dis¬charges and recharges, 

these readings must be taken when batteries have been on 

continuous, uninterrupted float for at least one month. Cells 

should be within ± 0.05 volts of the average cell float voltage.

  5. Record the ambient temperatures.
  6. Record individual cell ohmic readings.
  7.  Record all intercell, interunit, and terminal connection  

resistances. Micro-ohm readings should be taken during 

this inspection. If any reading differs by more than 20% 

from initial readings taken, retorque the connection. 

Recheck the micro-ohm reading. If the reading remains 

high, clean the contact surface according to installation 

portion of this manual.

 (1)

   Other maintenance inspection intervals follow IEEE 1188

Battery Cleaning

  1. Disconnect battery system from power source.
  2.  Dust accumulation can be removed with cloth dampened with 

clean water.

  3.   Corrosion buildup should be neutralized using a mixture of 

baking soda and water or East Penn Mfg supplied battery 

cleaner (part # 00321).

  4.  Use cloth dampened with clean water to remove residue.

    Never use solvents to clean the battery.

Capacity Testing

Per 

IEEE 1188

 “Capacity testing is used to trend battery aging. 

The result of a capacity test is a calculation of the capacity of the 

battery. The calculated capacity is also used to determine if the 

battery requires replacement”.
When performing capacity testing and recording data refer to IEEE 

1188 recommendations.

NOTE: When discharging at higher rates, extra connectors 

may be needed to be added to prevent excessive voltage drop 

and  / or excessive temperature rise.

Should it be determined that and battery(ies) need to be replaced 

contact your nearest East Penn agent or East Penn Service Center.