User Guide
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USER’S GUIDE
13
3.8.Ventilation
Deep-cycle ooded/wet lead acid batteries release small amounts of gas during usage, particularly
during the charging process. Deep-cycle AGM and gel batteries do release gas, but at a much lower
rate than the ooded types. It is critical to charge batteries in a properly ventilated area. For
battery-specic information helpful in determining ventilation needs, please contact Trojan Battery
Company’s technical support engineers.
3.9.Battery Orientation
Deep-cycle ooded/wet batteries must be placed upright at all times. Fluid in
the battery will spill if the battery is placed on its side or at an angle.
AGM and gel batteries can be placed in a standard vertical (terminals on top)
or optional horizontal (terminals in front) orientation. If placed in a horizontal
orientation, the batteries should be placed on their long sides and NOT their
short ends.
Figure 4 shows the two acceptable AGM/gel battery orientations. The battery
on the top shows the correct horizontal orientation, while the one below is the
vertical orientation. Note that these batteries cannot be installed upside down.
3 .10. Battery Environment
Batteries should be stored and installed in a clean, cool and dry place, keeping water, oil, and dirt away
from the batteries. If any of these materials are allowed to accumulate on the batteries, tracking and current
leakage can occur, resulting in self-discharge and possible short-circuits. Battery chargers should also be
installed in well-ventilated, clean areas that are easily accessible. Relative humidity should be <90%.
3 .11. Temperature
The recommended operating temperature range for Signature, Solar Signature, Solar Premium, and
gel batteries is -4°F to 113°F (-20°C to 45°C). The recommended operating temperature range for Solar
Industrial and AGM batteries is -4 °F to 122 °F (-20 °C to 50 °C). Note that battery life diminishes as
temperature increases, while capacity increases with temperature.
It is important to minimize temperature variations between the cells. Therefore, avoid restricting airow
by tightly packing batteries together. The batteries should have a minimum of 0.50” (12.7 mm) of space
between them to allow for adequate airow.
Figure 4