Rejuvenating a car battery/wet cell...

[orangetom1999]

Not quite sure if this belongs in the contingency section...but this is sort of a contingency back up plan in operation so here goes..



I have been thinking about this project for some time now and have purchased one of these about a year back and never removed it from the box until this weekend.

here this link..


Associated Equipment US20 6/12 Volt Value Battery Charger – MPR Tools & Equipment


What I have is a condition wherein my Truck battery ...has been sitting for some time and the truck not run....hence the battery would not take a charge past 11.2 volts. after three days on the charger....a smaller 12 volt batterey charger..


And so I unboxed this 200 amp starting charger...and decided to go to work.

The drill I have been following on U tube...is this one...here....this link...

How To RENEW CAR & TRUCK Batteries at Home & SAVE BIG MONEY DO THIS ONE https://youtu.be/VYtkn-N_p4s - YouTube


After three 15 minute 200 amp starting charges..one hour of cooling off between the 15 minute 200 amp sessions.... checked the voltage with a voltmeter...and it was 13.6 volts. and all the cells are well bubbling as per the video.


I need to go back and do the last two cycles at 200 amps and then remove the charger and put it for a couple of days on my trickle charger....or what is called a battery minder..


THE reason I am trying this out is that if what I am thinking is coming....is coming.....a battery is going to become a very very valuable commodity...as well as those who can keep them going.

I also have several olde car batteries out in my garage including the one I use to operate my remote garage ham radio station.


I also plan to do this with my olde Deep Cycle battery and hope it too can be brought back to life..

Any of the members here bought a new vehicle battery of recent ??/ They have gone up significantly in price as have many commodities out here.



I will update this post when I remove the battery out my trickle charger and reinstall it in my truck.

Fingers crossed......



Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Tugaloo]

A 200 amp starting charge for 15 minutes sounds a little on the hot side. Hopefully, it doesn't warp the plates.

https://howtoreconditionbatteries.org/battery-charger-with-reconditioning-cycle/
I've used the "reconditioning" mode. It does work unless the sulfidation has shored a plate.

I use a float charger because it shuts off when the battery is charged and turns on when the voltage drops again.

[orangetom1999]

Yes...I too am concerned about that length of time

I think fortunately that this machine will not run for 15 minutes at 200 amps and has a cut out....shuts down...stops charging.

The fan takes over and it comes back on once it cools down. I have to keep track of how long it charges.

I have several battery minders with desulfinating modes in them...but it does not do what this 200 amp rig does....and the voltage would not go above 11.2 volts...after a couple of days.

I will continue with this experiment tomorrow and if it does not work...i will try one of my other olde batteries but so far ....so good.

The proof will be when I try to start my olde truck and how long it continues to work.

Need to pick up a battery tester...


Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Armyjimbo]

Yea you definitely don't need a battery to cook off! That would be bad stuff.

[Tugaloo]

Too much heat destroys all things electric or electronic. RF power transistors lose power, but most bounce back.

My guess is it is trying to boil the sulfidation off the plates.
IMO, the work or not work depends on how good or bad the battery was when you started.

Most of my batteries are gel and not flooded plates.

This chart is one of (too) many online.


Battery tester or volt meter?

[orangetom1999]

The voltage dropped back from 13.6 volts to some 12 volts...

I stopped the heavy 15 minute charging and put it on my battery minder and will check it again with a hydrometer.

I am thinking I may have a build up of the plate coating on the bottom of the battery and or also need to top off the battery....but will check it out later.

Also, that I may need to flush out the battery with distilled water after draining out all the liquid....


For now I have the battery on the battery minder...trickle charger..

We shall see.

Things to do this morning and places to go.


Will check back later..


Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Tugaloo]

The drop from 13.6 to 12 means it lost the surface charge.

Flushing the battery is a good idea; however, it needs to be refilled with battery acid.

Don't let the trickle charger boil the fluid in the battery.

I use an old homebrew float charger on SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) and a store bought on Gel and AGM. Today, a quality digital float charger for SLA, Gel and AGM costs less than building one..
With a float charger, when the volts drop, it charges and when the battery is charged it shuts off. Float chargers are no brainers to use and never harm your battery.

Because all the charts use volts, I use a digital volt meter. OTOH, I prefer a old analog meter because it is easier to see the needle dip with neutralizing RF tubes. Digital meters are too fast or too fast for me.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the VA satellite for my 6 month checkup.