Battery Rejuvenation

Dick0 · Guru

Battery Rejuvenation

Mike Harding · Guru

Sorry but your battery is stuffed.

Voltage is no real guide to a lead acid battery's state of charge. As you have discovered your battery has the right voltage but holds little charge. Providing one has a sense of the realistic capacity of the battery voltage provides a vague guess as to the amount of energy left. The *only* way to properly determine the state of charge of a sealed lead acid battery is to do a controlled discharge test - there is an Australian Standard devoted to this procedure.

In regard to rejuvenation:

You could try prayer? :)

Lead acid batteries typically have a life span of three to ten years (depends upon quality and how they are treated) and whilst there is some anecdotal evidence that hitting them with a high(ish) frequency high voltage DC pulse *may* slightly reduce sulfation and increase charge holding capacity it's never going to produce a new (or even half new) battery. But as you have nothing to loose you may as well give it a try - let us know how it goes.

Edit: typo

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Tuesday 15th of June 2021 12:59:56 PM

Whenarewethere · Guru

A lot of articles here:

https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-804-how-to-prolong-lead-acid-batteries

Jaahn · Guru

Hi Dicko smile

I have attempted to rejeuvonate lots of batteries over the last 30 years, mostly with little success. Some times with AGMs that are on constant float charge they may be short of water and then you can add water for some improvement. Really that is all i managed to recover. I have a magic chemical to put in as recommended by lots and verified by a chemist as valid theory, but never worked.

So give it a go and see with the fancy charger as you are down to 15Ahr and possibly nothing to loose. I would be careful of pressure building up and heat too. So cover it and do it in a safe open place away from anything else.

Jaahn

Dick0 · Guru

Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained.

I will connect battery up to charger and let it go through the auto rejuvenation process.

Hopefully after charging and then running the load again I should be able to determine any change to the battery status.

Perhaps the battery is destined for Battery Heaven.

Should know in a couple of days.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Don't expect too much......You probably can not do this with a "normal" smart charger.

Edit - poor connection - attachment did not load....

This is the relevant part....

Conditioning Charge: (Equalization) This is the most misunderstood area in battery maintenance. Equalization of Fullriver AGM Batteries is not required on a routine basis. You should equalize only when the batteries need this process. Under certain conditions after prolonged periods (ie; cruising vacation) in which incorrect recharging procedures have routinely been used you may notice a reduction in overall capacity. Many times simply cycling the battery and fully recharging will equalize the cells. If de-equalization has caused a reduction in capacity, then sulphation may have taken place. Fullriver battery construction techniques and material selections significantly reduce the possibility of battery capacity loss due to sulphation (buildup of hard deposits on the plates). However, like all lead acid batteries, sulfating can occur. Additionally, normal battery cycling tends to develop each individual cell slightly differently. To correct both minor sulfating and irregular cell development we recommend bringing the battery slightly past its gassing voltage for a short time period. This involves charging the battery at 15.0 - 15.5 volts for 12 volt batteries at approximately 6 amps for 3 to 12 hours. (Voltages are multiplied by 2 for 24 volt systems) Stop if your battery gets very warm. If your charging system will not accommodate this procedure, call your Fullriver distributor for an alternate recommendation.

Cheers,

Peter

-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Tuesday 15th of June 2021 05:07:51 PM

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

I find the grief ! Is to replace batteries unfortunately! Mainly because theyll let me down when I least want them to ! Ok i guess ( ??) if you have two batches..

Dick0 · Guru

The end result of all the testing I did was to come to the same conclusion as others here that the battery is stuffed.

The rejuvenation/equalisation process, done twice, made no difference to assisting capacity charging. No improved results were noticed.

The battery is now on its way to Battery Heaven.

Mike Harding · Guru

You have my condolences :(

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Just replaced my truck batteries . Nothing like hitting the key and it STARTS !! You forget the cost a few weeks after youve got GOOD batteries ! House or truck / motor ! A tow can be more than a set of batteries !!

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

I did one a few years ago. A friend who knew nothing about treating a battery left it in a discharged state sitting on a concrete floor.
She borrowed another friend's smart charger but needing at least two volts in the battery, it wouldn't start.

I had an older charger (that I bought in the late '60s) & left it on the battery for a week. I noticed the ammeter was just starting to show movement, so I left it going for another day. Then I put a couple of paralleled connected 37w solar panels on it for a day at night back to the 240v charger. As the battery voltage was slowly rising, the smart charger was given the job.
The end result after charging, then discharging, re charging for a few cycles, the battery came good. It saved her spending another $400!

My advice to you would be to try something similar if you have the time. And be careful as to what you buy - unbranded gives you no way of finding its origins, test results. You always get what you pay for!

rgren2 · Guru

Storing batteries on concrete doesnt do them any harm. It used to, but not any more.

Dicko1 · Senior Member

COPY AND PASTE..

Contrary to very popular belief (even touted by many a mechanic), todays car batteries with their hard plastic shells will not discharge or otherwise be damaged when placed on a concrete floor. (The other way around isnt always true, with an already damaged battery leaking battery acid on a concrete floor potentially causing some damage to said concrete. And if youre curious, see: The Difference Between Concrete and Cement)

But dont take our word for it. To quote Interstate Batteries, The type of plastic (polypropylene) used in battery cases is a great electrical insulator. Also, tremendous technological improvements have been made in the seals around the battery posts and vent systems, which have virtually eliminated electrolyte seepage and migration. So, its OK to set or store your battery on concrete.

So how did this pervasive myth get started? As with so many such myths, it once had a basis in fact- a remnant of an era when car batteries were made of different materials.

For example, some of the earliest car batteries were composed of lead-acid contained in glass cells, all encased in a tar-lined wooden box. Placed on a potentially damp surface such as concrete, the moisture could cause the wood to swell and shift, and the glass cells to break, damaging the battery.

Thomas_Edison's_nickeliron_batteriesAdvancements in battery technology ultimately led to a nickel-iron battery known as the Edison cell, which was more durable but also had a downside in its classic form. Encased in steel, an Edison cell battery placed directly on a concrete floor would discharge more quickly than normal.

A subsequent innovation, encasing the battery in hard rubber, also had its drawbacks, as rubber is both made of carbon and a bit porous. Between the carbon and the pores, together with moisture and a concrete floor, this could potentially lead to a path for the electricity to flow, resulting in the battery draining.

Today all of these automobile battery-destroying or current-conducting flaws have been eliminated by using plastic shells around the various types of battery designs. And the potential problem of damage to the concrete floor from battery acid leakage has also been mostly mitigated, as previously noted by Interstate Batteries.

-- Edited by Dicko1 on Wednesday 30th of June 2021 11:38:46 AM

Dick0 · Guru

Warren-Pat_01 wrote:
I did one a few years ago. A friend who knew nothing about treating a battery left it in a discharged state sitting on a concrete floor.
She borrowed another friend's smart charger but needing at least two volts in the battery, it wouldn't start.

I had an older charger (that I bought in the late '60s) & left it on the battery for a week. I noticed the ammeter was just starting to show movement, so I left it going for another day. Then I put a couple of paralleled connected 37w solar panels on it for a day at night back to the 240v charger. As the battery voltage was slowly rising, the smart charger was given the job.
The end result after charging, then discharging, re charging for a few cycles, the battery came good. It saved her spending another $400!

My advice to you would be to try something similar if you have the time. And be careful as to what you buy - unbranded gives you no way of finding its origins, test results. You always get what you pay for!

Was it a deep cycle aux battery or an engine cranking battery?

And did the battery come good in that it held a good capacity charge?

I was able to charge the voltage to a level where it would rest at 12.9V, however, put a 3.0A load and it would run flat in 5 hours...faulty battery with poor capacity charge, I believe.

A cranking battery only needs a few seconds of Amps draw to serve its purpose.