Are the balancer boards replaceable in the Lithium 300 and 330 amp batteries?

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Jon S asked Dec 19, '23

Are the balancer boards replaceable in the Lithium 300 and 330 amp batteries?

My boat was struck by lightning on passage to the Galapagos approximately 300nm. Most electronics were fried including 2 Victron Quattro 5000s, 1 Phoenix 3000, 4 100/85 mppts (one caught fire), Lynx 1000 shunt, CCGX, and the list goes on and on.

I have now replaced all the equipment but the Lithium batteries were not replaced... yet.

Now that all the new equipment is installed the Inverters shut down immediately with a low voltage error when connected to the BMS even though the BMS is not indicating a low voltage issue. The inverters themselves also show 13+ volts when logging into them with an MK3.

I tested by only connecting 1 battery at a time to the BMS. Only 1 battery out of 6 did NOT trigger the low voltage condition on the inverters. My assumption is the balancer boards are damaged after the lightning strike.

What is Victron's recommendation to fix the batteries post a pretty catastrophic lighting strike?

Thanks in advance

Jon

Lithium Battery Battery Balancer

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Matthias Lange - DE answered · Dec 20, 2023 at 04:14 AM

You should ask the installer/seller of the Victron components.

That's nothing the community can help you with.

You can open the batteries and replace the PCB but this should be only done by a trained professional.

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Answer 1 · 2023-12-20T09:26:25Z

klim8skeptic answered · Dec 20, 2023 at 09:26 AM

@Jon S What is Victron's recommendation to fix the batteries post a pretty catastrophic lighting strike? Given the batteries were damaged by lightning, it would be advisable to seek the services of a professional installer. If a battery caught fire from damage it had received, it would probably burn through the hull.

That said, the balance boards may be available, Victron Smart Lithium Battery balancer board replacement take note of the warnings, and safety precautions.

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Answer 2 · 2023-12-20T18:17:34Z

Jon S answered · Dec 20, 2023 at 06:17 PM

The issue I have is this. I have had 2 electrical professionals state the batteries should be replaced. They are working just not with a BMS, which is not good. The Insurance adjuster wanted to wait a year to see if the batteries fail. In his defense, at that time it was assumed the BMS was working correctly with the batteries. Now that is not so clear.

The local Victron rep did not do any battery testing. I asked what is Victron's recommendation for this situation. I have not gotten that answer. Eg what testing should be done to ensure the batteries are safe.

I am fully aware a failure could mean loss of boat and potentially life given we are in a very remote part of the world.

Any advice Victron can provide that I can relay to my insurance adjuster and the local Victron dealer would be hugely helpful.

We were struck in May and have been in this precarious situation for 7 months.

Thanks again for any support!

Jon

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klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Dec 20, 2023 at 07:47 PM

@Jon S read these sections of the manual.

3.2 The battery alarm signals and BMS actions.

4.9 Commissioning.

6.2.5 The BMS is displaying an alarm while all cell voltages are within range.

Probably print the manual out and highlight the sections with a "safety yellow" marker ;).

6.2.5 battery BTV board has failed as per test >

4.9 commissioning fails last 2 tick boxes >

3.2 BTV board fails to protect battery "In order to protect the battery, the BMS will then turn off loads and/or chargers or generate a pre-alarm as soon as it has received the appropriate signal from the battery."

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Jon S klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Dec 20, 2023 at 09:12 PM

I have tested the BMS with a loop and there is no low voltage condition triggered and the inverters work normally.

I have tested each battery individually and only 1 works correctly, 5 individually indicate a low voltage condition and the inverters shut down. All the batteries are at 13.3v with individual cells at 3.33v or 3.32v.

It's odd that Victron Connect connects to the batteries and shows all the values to be correct, but 5 of the batteries are sending a low voltage error causing the inverters to shut down. Is it possible that this portion of the board can be damaged? Is there any kind of reset function for the boards?

Thanks again for the support this has been extremely valuable.

Jon

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