EDIT:
I just saw Maine's posting...sorry, I should've seen it earlier!!
Sleaper,
1) First of, yes....it is normal for real, true, deep-cycle batteries (such as industrial / traction batteries) to out-gas more, use more
water, and bubble...
This is because of the plate chemistry....especially the high-antimony content in the lead-antimony positive plates...
So, while it is possible that you have a problem, it is unlikely...
Here is what I wrote in 2011, quoting from a battery engineering website:
Quote:
"Most industrial (fork lift) deep-cycle batteries use Lead-Antimony plates rather than the Lead-Calcium used in AGM or gelled deep-cycle batteries and in automotive starting batteries. The Antimony increases plate life and strength, but increases gassing and water loss. This is why most industrial batteries have to be checked often for water level if you do not have Hydrocaps."
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And, yes in my personal experience using large Rolls/Surettes 2-volt deep-cycle cells on my own boat, they do bubble and out-gas a lot more than even "normal" Rolls deep-cycle batteries...which is why I have HydroCaps!!
2) BUT...
But, there are many caveats here...
a) Not the least of which is, what has the battery manufacture said about this?? (this is NOT the same thing as "what did the 'engineering firms' tell you....but when you personally called the battery manufacturer, what did they say???)
b) 28.8 to 29.3vdc is comparable to 14.4 to 14.65vdc for a "12vdc system", and this sounds good for heavy, thick plate traction batteries....but, what does your battery manufacturer recommend???
c) And, you didn't mention any voltages, during discharging??
d) Nor what your nominal draw/discharge currents and nominal charge currents are, when this out-gassing / bubbling is occurring???
e) Nor have you mentioned the brand name, nor model name of the batteries??, their actual chemistry??
f) Nor have you mentioned the exact cell A/H (at the standard 20-hour rate), but I can assume that they are 1040 A/H cells???
{mine are only 375 A/H cells, but I have 18 of them, 3 groups in parallel of 6 each in series...giving me 1125 A/H at 12vdc}
g) have you looked for high-resistance connections??
Now, I don't think you have anything wrong at all....and the answers to these questions might be moot....just adding them for clarification..
I'm not saying that if I had that info, I would have an definitive answer for you (maybe I could offer a more precise answer, but I'm not there, and I'm not the guy you've paid your
money to), but fact is if these "engineering firms" haven't given you this info, and you haven't talked to the battery manufacturer, then these things need to be done, before you pay any
money to anyone!!
BTW, I'm assuming this is some sort of
electric propulsion system???
3) If you've had "engineering firm(s)" working on this, and they do not know about battery chemistry, lead-antimony plate peculiarities, out-gassing, etc....(and it's obvious that they don't...because you do not have any water-recombinant / HydroCaps / etc.??? and the fact that nobody has mentioned anything about battery chemistry, etc.....makes me wonder where these folks got their engineering degrees???)
I cannot imagine anyone charging $20,000 for 1040 A/H of traction batteries??? (maybe they've changed from lead to gold?
)
So, I'd darn certain be on the
phone with someone every friggin day until they got me the answers!!
And, as for "troubleshooting advice"....there's is probably nothing at all wrong with your batteries!!
BUT...
But, I'd fire or sue these "engineering firms", and recommend you talk directly to the battery manufacture....and have a volt meter and a separate clamp-on DC amp meter, both at the ready....and you should be good to go!
Hope this helps.
John