Is your battery pack more than 3 years old (manufacture date, not install date)? Is it no longer able to power your panel for minimum of 24 hours in a power loss?
Then build a new one for $20.
You can make your own 7.2v 2300mah battery pack for around $20 using the existing wire leads/connector off an old battery pack and some electrical tape.
Just buy two 4-pack AA NIMH Energizer (each battery @ 2300mah or higher) rechargeables ($10 a pack), wire 6 of them in series for 7.2v, and attach the wire leads with the attached 2GIG plug. Tape the pack tight, and you are good to go.
Or you can spend $30 for a 7.2v 2600mah pack 2GIG-BATT2X
I would hazard a guess and say you will probably get more charge cycles (life) from the Energizer (or even Duracell) than from the generic pack used by the current pack supplier (Golden Power) used by 2GIG.
No they are not standard “alkaline” batteries. They are rechargeable NIMH (exactly the same as the ones currently in your panel).
Rechargeable NIMH AA are 1.2v, not 1.5V. So 6 in series is 7.2v.
This is basically targeted at those, who want to save around $20 on panel replacement battery packs (which are scarce to come by in the first place, or if you can find them are aged), and get better quality NIMH’s that will have more life cycles and last longer in a power outage.
Also keep in mind that these type batteries are only optimal for around 3 years from date of manufacture, regardless of whether they are actually used or not. So if you order a BATT2X pack online for $40, and when you get it, and it has a date stamp of 13 (2013) because it sat in a Dealer’s warehouse for two years, then they may already have lost 40% of their rated capacity.
It is easy to go to Lowes, and get a pack of Energizer rechargeable that have 2015 stamped on the back of the package.
The rechargeable NiMH Energizer, Duracell type batteries are at drugstores, Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart
I didn’t know they had a different voltage. I’m using them in my front door lock right now because it’s junk and goes through 4xAA every 3 weeks or so.
One of my ‘Golden Power’ batteries has a date code of 1450. Any idea when it was manufactured?
I’ll have to check the one that’s in the panel now too.
One of my ‘Golden Power’ batteries has a date code of 1450. Any idea when it was manufactured?
I do not think that is the battery code. There is no “50th” week. It has been my experience that the original packs are not date coded (only the extended packs)
For those who want to DIY their own 7.2v 2300mah battery pack, there is a youtube video in 3 parts (use the existing wire connector leads off your old battery pack, wrap your completed pack completely with electrical tape (or shrink wrap)):
7.2v 2300 mah rechargeable nimh batteries:
2GIG wire connector leads (from old battery pack):
Note-
this can be done without glue or a soldering iron simply by using electrical tape to secure batteries together, and the wire to the poles. Tape it well, and wrap the entire pack tightly.
