One day in the hot summers of June, I noticed that my inverter battery was hotter than it usually is and it made me wonder, “Why Inverter Battery Gets Hot? and how can I fix this problem?”.
Now, let’s get this straight, if your inverter battery is getting overheated, it’s not a good sign. It can deplete it’s life expectancy, performance and might even result in a blast in some extreme cases. Therefore, I took this seriously and wanted a solution.
So, I started my research on the Internet and by asking people around and found out that there can be more than one reason, why an inverter battery might be getting hot. Today, I’ll share all the reasons why it might be happening along with the solutions to this problem.
WHY IS INVERTER BATTERY GETTING HOT?
Firstly, you should know that the regular operation of the inverter makes it somewhat hot. You should not worry about that but if it is getting too hot then it can be due to problems in the inverter or the battery.
There can be one or more of the following reasons why your inverter battery is getting hot:
- Wrong Switch Selection in Inverter
- Incorrect Selection of Charging Current Jumper
- Inverter Failure
- Problems in Inverter Battery
Let’s understand each of these cases one by one:
WRONG SWITCH SELECTION IN INVERTER
On the backside of your inverter, there is a battery selection switch. This switch is used to set the type of battery you are connecting with the inverter. In case you make a wrong selection in this switch then there can be an overheating problem.
Example – If you are connecting a tubular battery but have selected the “flat plat battery” option on the switch then that is wrong and you should make sure that you select the correct option.
| BATTERY TYPE | SWITCH SELECTION |
|---|---|
| TUBULAR | TUB |
| FLAT PLATE | FLAT |
| SMF/VRLA | SMF |
| LOCAL | LDC |
Also Read: 10 BEST INVERTER BATTERY FOR HOME IN INDIA 2021
INCORRECT SELECTION OF CHARGING CURRENT JUMPER
The charging current jumper should be selected according to the capacity of the battery. This option is also on the backside of the inverter. Refer to the table below and if your inverter has a “charging current jumper” option, make sure it is correctly configured.
| BATTERY CAPACITY | CHARGING CURRENT SELECTION JUMPER |
|---|---|
| 80Ah – 100Ah | L |
| 120Ah – 150Ah | M |
| 165Ah – 225Ah | H |
INVERTER FAILURE
In case your inverter’s charging voltage is going beyond the upper charging limit then there is a possibility of inverter failure. The failure in your inverter might be causing overheat in the battery.
In this case, you should contact your inverter brand’s helpline number and get it checked or repaired. If your inverter is old enough, you should consider buying a new one.
PROBLEMS IN INVERTER BATTERY
There can be various problems within the inverter battery that could lead to overheating:
- This can be due to factors like a short circuit, loose internal connection, or contamination due to external objects. In case of internal failure, you should get it repaired or buy a new battery if the current one is older than 5 years.
- In case, you get very frequent power cuts and your battery remains undercharged most of the time, it will get sulfated which causes overheating. Make sure that it is not discharged for a long time and it also doesn’t remain undercharged for a long time. It should get the proper time to charge itself.
- If there is an incorrect level of electrolytes then that can be another reason why your inverter battery starts getting hot.
- Mixing acid or dirty water can also cause problems in the battery which leads to overheating.
Also Read: 10 BEST INVERTER BATTERY FOR HOME IN INDIA 2021
OTHER COMMON REASONS FOR OVER HEATING
- Your battery might be getting overcharged and hence getting overheated. In this case, you must make sure that the inverter is configured to charge correctly. Else, you should contact an electrician to get it configured correctly.
- Your inverter might be having extra load connected. You should only put the load that your inverter is comfortable to handle. If you want to know how much load your inverter can take up, check this calculator.
- Check the water level of the inverter and make sure that it is correct and you put distilled water only. Make sure that you don’t put tap water in the battery.
IS IT TIME TO GET A NEW INVERTER BATTERY?
It totally depends on why your inverter battery is overheating. You need to first figure out the cause based on the above-mentioned and explained above.
If you just bought a new battery and the fix is as simple as removing the extra load, correcting the water level, correcting the switch selection, etc. then you obviously don’t need a new battery.
But if you think that your inverter battery has an internal failure and it is also 5 years or older then you should surely buy a new one. You can check our buyer’s guide to make the best choice for yourself.
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Hey, Just wanted to say thanks for all the info here. Appreciate it !
You are welcome Vishnu!
Thank you Mr. Reddy for the information. My inverter batteries are getting heated and I was getting worried about this. This information will certainly help me to take corrective measures.
Welcome, Sam!