Firefly User’s Manual for the

“OASIS” G31 & the L15+

July 2018
Congratulations on your purchase of a Firefly Oasis Battery!

The Firefly batteries uses a patented carbon Microcell Foam grid structure that is highly
resistant to sulfation and grid corrosion. They have the longest life of any lead acid battery used
for deep cycling, even at extreme temperatures and operation at less than full charge.

The Firefly batteries can have four times the life and two times the energy density of a
traditional lead acid battery:
• Plate corrosion is inhibited.
• Plates are resistant to sulfation
• The high plate porosity allows the electrolyte to react more efficiently.

Installation

MOUNTING ORIENTATION
Both the G31 and the L15+ batteries can be installed in any orientation other than inverted
without compromising the operation of the battery.

PARALLEL INSTALLATION

SERIES INSTALLATION
 L15+ 4V CONNECTION

The battery will be shipped with the connection bar shown on the left. This
connects the 2 cells inside the module in series making the battery 4V and
450Ah.

L15+ 2V CONNECTION

If you want to change the module to 2V 900Ah, you will need to change the
connection bars on top to connect the positive terminals together and the
negative terminals together as shown to the left. The hardware to make these
connections is not included with the battery. The cables or bars used must be
rated for the total amps possible of all loads on the system combined.

CONNECTING THE BATTERY

Take care not to short circuit the terminals on the battery. Make sure the terminals and
connectors are clean and free of corrosion. Connect the positive cable to the positive (+) battery
terminal. Connect the negative cable to the negative (-) battery terminal. The terminals on the
G31 are 3/8-16 UNC and should be torqued to 16 ft lbs.

Operation & Charging

• Firefly batteries can be operated in a partial state of charge for long periods of time
without sustaining any permanent damage.
• The batteries may emit gas during the first 10-20 charge cycles. This is normal.
• The maximum recommended discharge current is 0.7C for extended periods of time to
ensure the longevity if the battery. The FF battery can discharge faster than that for short
periods.
• If you have hardware that requires a Peukerts constant to be entered, we recommend
that you do not change the factory settings due to the large inaccuracies based on varying
discharge rates. The Peukerts constant for the FF battery for the 10hr and 20hr rate is
1.07. It is 1.12 for 6.5hr and 1.8hr rate. Keep in mind that whatever Peukerts correction
you use, you will lose accuracy with extremely slow discharges.
• If you have hardware that allows the user to enter a temperature coefficient, use
24mV/C° for temperature compensation.
• For a complete charge cycle, charge the G31 to 14.4V/L15+ to 4.8V with temperature
compensation (bulk phase) and continue charging until the charging current drops to
1.5A for the G31 or 6A for the L15+ (absorption phase time will vary). You DO NOT
need to fully charge the batteries each cycle in order to maintain the capacity and only
need to perform a complete charge cycle when you want to maximize the capacity for the
following discharge cycle.
 • For charging sources that may be charging the battery for an extended period of time
(solar, or an alternator if motoring for a while); set the float voltage to 13.4V for the G31
and 4.5V for the L15. Firefly batteries do not require a float charge. But, if you are float
charging, due to the their longer projected lifespan, it is important to keep the float
voltage at 13.4V (4.5V for L15+) to ensure the battery lasts for as many cycles as possible.
Reset to bulk phase: for programmable charging sources, adjust the “reset to bulk phase”
to occur if the battery voltage drops below 12.0V for >1 minute for the G31 or 4.0V for >1
minute for the L15+.
• For repetitive deep cycling, chargers should have an output current of at least 0.4C (40
Amps for a 100 Ah battery). If the output current is less than this value, the cycle life of
the battery may be negatively affected. . Due to the low impedance design, Oasis
batteries can tolerate in-rush current levels as high as 3C (300A for a 100Ah battery).
• The optimum operating temperature for a lead-acid battery is 25°C (77°F). As a rule of
thumb, every 8-10°C (14-18°F) rise in temperature will cut the battery life in half. Note
that continuous duty at elevated temperature will shorten the life of any battery.

Restoration Charge

As stated, Firefly Batteries can operate in a partial state of charge for long periods of time
without sustaining any permanent damage. The usable capacity will decrease, however, with
each cycle within a partial state of charge, up to a point. In order to regain the full original
capacity and in some cases more, it is necessary to perform a restoration charge. To perform the
restoration charge: charge the G31 to 14.4V or the L15+ to 4.8V and continue to charge until the
current drops to 0.6 A on the G31 or 3A on the L15+. Fully discharge the battery to 10.5V (G31)
or 3.5V (L15+), and then repeat the same charge cycle. At this point, the battery should have
regained full capacity.

Safety

EMERGENCY AND FIRST AID PROCEDURES

Battery Electrolyte Eye Contact: Immediately remove any contact lenses if present. Flush eyes
with water for at least 15 minutes. Seek medical attention immediately.

Skin Contact: Remove contaminated clothing. Flush with water for at least 15 minutes. Seek
medical attention immediately.

Inhalation: Remove to fresh air. If not breathing give artificial respiration. If breathing is
difficult give oxygen. Seek medical attention immediately.

Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. If conscious dilute by drinking water or milk. Do not give
anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Seek medical attention immediately.

PRECAUTIONS FOR SAFE HANDLING AND USE

Steps to be taken in case of a broken battery case or electrolyte leakage: neutralize spilled
electrolyte and exposed battery parts with soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, lime, etc. Do not use
organic or combustible material. Wear acid resistant clothing, boots, gloves, face shield, and
proper respiratory protection.
Waste Disposal Information: Please observe all federal, local, and state regulations regarding
the disposal of lead/acid batteries.

Precautions to be taken in Handling, Storing, and Transportation: Store in cool, dry area away
from combustible materials; store in well ventilated areas. Other Precautions: Do not charge in
unventilated areas.

Shipping, storage and disposal

VIBRATION RESISTANCE
The carbon foam batteries have been used under conditions of extreme vibration and impact in
applications such as transit buses - carbon foam plates have higher yield strength than lead
plates and have high compressive strength.

D.O.T. REGULATIONS-NONSPILLABLE
Firefly’s Group 31 battery meets the non-spillable criteria. It is exempted from CFR 49,
Subchapter C requirements, which translates to no proper shipping name, no hazardous class,
no UN number, no packaging group and no hazardous labels when transporting, provided that
the following criteria are met: 1. the batteries must be protected against short circuits and
securely packaged. 2. The batteries and their outer packaging must be plainly and durable
marked “NON- SPILLABLE” or “NON-SPILLABLE BATTERY”.

TWO YEAR SHELF LIFE

Unlike other lead acid batteries that require a recharge as frequently as every six weeks, the
Oasis battery can be stored for up to two years at 25ºC (77ºF) from a fully charged state.

FULLY-CHARGED WHEN SHIPPED

The Oasis will be shipped from the factory fully charged. Some venting from the valves is
possible when it arrives.

RECYCLING
There is an existing infrastructure to recycle lead acid batteries. Because Firefly’s technology
uses carbon, it actually decreases the amount of lead in the battery. Firefly’s microcell
technology can be recycled through the existing lead acid infrastructure.