Battery desulphation

[Matrixx]

If the caps come off you can measure the individual cell voltage in relation to the negative post, by touching the plates inside with your voltmeter.

 

[Screwdriver]

If you parallel those leisure batteries with a good battery and stick the charger on them you may find the good battery brings the voltage up enought for the charger to start. I done this a few time with completely dead batteries and it works.

I have thanked you before and I thank you again! Both batteries have been on charge since and both are now sitting at 13.4v in free space. Not only that but (I wish I wish I wish I had filmed it) I hooked them up to the van and after two years sitting there dead as a duck, it fired up instantly! One click and it was running.

The sulphated battery I "recovered" with Epsom salts, has all the right volts, none of the amps. It almost starts the van but I am calling that a fail. It is not a good battery and will inevitably fail now that there's slat in there. Might even be worth ripping it out now for the lead but I should check the electrolyte first, I did buy a hydrometer tester thing and I even have some spare acid so I could do a deep clean as a test. Got nothing to lose.

 

[armalites]

That's a great result. You would never believe they would recover from being that low for so long.

I've got loads of stuff in the way in my yard and when you get something started and move it it feels like you've saved the world.

 

[Screwdriver]

So I still have a large number of batteries waiting for me to get around to sorting. Fix or scrap. I picked up a very nice looking bike battery. Had been sitting in a shed since new, flat as a sheet of paper 0.4V, dry as a bone and covered in a thick layer of lead sulphate. The electrolyte is long gone but recieved wisdom tells me it might be possible to dissolve the sulphate back into lead and acid.

I bought a cheapo battery reconditioning device for twenty quid. Got nothing to lose really and plenty of batteries to sort, including the two monsters mentioned above. I started with the dead bike battery.

It's being fed by a big dumb old 12V charger which is my go-to device. Nothing smart about it. It will sit there happily delivering 14V at up to 8A all day every day, unlike my other "smart" chargers which as often as not fail to do anything at all or just switch off and let the batteries die.

Anyhow, I wasn't expecting much from this first test having only hooked it up last night. But incredibly, after refilling with distilled water (not deionised ), it appears to be working. The battery is now showing 10V so there's definitely something happening.

Apparently a high voltage high frequency "jolt" can start the process for lead sulphate crystals to dissolve back into solution where (one assumes) they dump their lead back onto the plates and sulphuric acid goes back into solution. I am guessing but I suspect if the crystals fall off the plates into the bottom of the cell, they can no longer experience the electric charge they need to dissolve so I might need to top up with a bit of acid..

It might take a few days or maybe a couple of days for this small battery but well worth it. If I only restore one battery back to life it will have paid for itself, I have dozens of them...

 

[Craig-SM]

The BMW battery failed during covid lock down and couldn't get it to charge properly no longer how long I left it. It was the original battery and lasted nearly 10 years so couldn't grumble but I thought I'd splash out on a NOCO battery charger and used the repair mode (desulphate) and it brought the battery back and it's still in use now. I've also helped neighbours with theirs that wasn't taking a charge, as well as bringing life back into some motorbike batteries that were being used as paper weights so paid for itself many times over.

 

[Ross365]

I've had a de-sulfator for about 10 years now and I'm convinced they work. That is, provided the main problem with the battery is sulfation, and not the other issues which can kill a battery.

The picture in post 64 shows you charging the battery at the same time your separate pulsator is in use. As soon as the battery stores any charge, I like to run the pusator without the charger, as some/much of the pulse may be lost in to the charger and not go on to the battery. So I do alternative cycles of charging and pulsation. My pulsator produces a spike of about 16V (possibly more), but the duration of each spike is probably down in the microsecond range; it can barely be seen on my old 20MHz oscilloscope. the spike frequency is about 15kHz. I think you may need longer that 2 to 3 days to get the best results.

 

[Onoff]

So I still have a large number of batteries waiting for me to get around to sorting. Fix or scrap. I picked up a very nice looking bike battery. Had been sitting in a shed since new, flat as a sheet of paper 0.4V, dry as a bone and covered in a thick layer of lead sulphate. The electrolyte is long gone but recieved wisdom tells me it might be possible to dissolve the sulphate back into lead and acid.

I bought a cheapo battery reconditioning device for twenty quid. Got nothing to lose really and plenty of batteries to sort, including the two monsters mentioned above. I started with the dead bike battery.

It's being fed by a big dumb old 12V charger which is my go-to device. Nothing smart about it. It will sit there happily delivering 14V at up to 8A all day every day, unlike my other "smart" chargers which as often as not fail to do anything at all or just switch off and let the batteries die.

Anyhow, I wasn't expecting much from this first test having only hooked it up last night. But incredibly, after refilling with distilled water (not deionised ), it appears to be working. The battery is now showing 10V so there's definitely something happening.

Apparently a high voltage high frequency "jolt" can start the process for lead sulphate crystals to dissolve back into solution where (one assumes) they dump their lead back onto the plates and sulphuric acid goes back into solution. I am guessing but I suspect if the crystals fall off the plates into the bottom of the cell, they can no longer experience the electric charge they need to dissolve so I might need to top up with a bit of acid..

It might take a few days or maybe a couple of days for this small battery but well worth it. If I only restore one battery back to life it will have paid for itself, I have dozens of them...

Would you have a link for where to purchase the £20 unit please?

 

[maroon]

There's video on YouTube of the Indians reconditioning battery's. Putting new fabric in. It's the fabric that gets cruded and "shorts" as it were. Hooking them upto a welder and over cooking them can cook the crud off.

I think it's easier just weighing off the lead of it to pay for 1/3 of a new one and save yourself the time tbh.

Probably only worth the prattling about on expensive leasure battery's.

I use a gunson rapidstart. Small and can jumpstart. Couldn't recommend it enough.

 

[Onoff]

My ride on mower still has Epsom salts in as the electrolyte after my lad reconditioned it. Can't remember why we tried it without the original acid in but it charged to full voltage and started the mower.

 

[Guineafowl]

Very well researched website, for those interested:

Learn About Batteries

Battery University™ is a free educational website offering hands-on battery information.

batteryuniversity.com

 

[armalites]

Would you have a link for where to purchase the £20 unit please?

Just found it, something else to buy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intelligent-Battery-Desulfator-Regenerate-Batteries-Orange/dp/B01A8F5KA6/ref=asc_df_B01A8F5KA6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310493449173&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=666760413484802241&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006896&hvtargid=pla-565489345355&psc=1

 

[Blobber]

Just found it, something else to buy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intelligent-Battery-Desulfator-Regenerate-Batteries-Orange/dp/B01A8F5KA6/ref=asc_df_B01A8F5KA6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310493449173&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=666760413484802241&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006896&hvtargid=pla-565489345355&psc=1

Think I may have accidentally bought one! got a pile of iffy batteries so its worth a go

 

[Justme]

You might get the voltage up to a good level but the capacity will still be massively reduced.

A full tank sound good till you find out its only 1/2 litre tank.

Recycle them all & use the money to buy one new one.

Bats fetch strong money, around £500 per tonne.

 

[Onoff]

Bats fetch strong money, around £500 per tonne.

You'll need a big net for that many.

 

[Blobber]

You might get the voltage up to a good level but the capacity will still be massively reduced.

A full tank sound good till you find out its only 1/2 litre tank.

Recycle them all & use the money to buy one new one.

Bats fetch strong money, around £500 per tonne.

Most of our batteries are for electric fencing so dont need to be top notch, just a few days longer life would be nice

 

[Screwdriver]

I've had a de-sulfator for about 10 years now and I'm convinced they work. That is, provided the main problem with the battery is sulfation, and not the other issues which can kill a battery.

The picture in post 64 shows you charging the battery at the same time your separate pulsator is in use. As soon as the battery stores any charge, I like to run the pusator without the charger, as some/much of the pulse may be lost in to the charger and not go on to the battery. So I do alternative cycles of charging and pulsation. My pulsator produces a spike of about 16V (possibly more), but the duration of each spike is probably down in the microsecond range; it can barely be seen on my old 20MHz oscilloscope. the spike frequency is about 15kHz. I think you may need longer that 2 to 3 days to get the best results.

Yes I think you're right about it being better to have just the desulfator running but currently it's only 10.x volts and when I unhooked the charger, it wouldn't run. I am assuming one of the cells is either dead or still covered in sulphate. Find out in a day or two.

 

[Screwdriver]

There's video on YouTube of the Indians reconditioning battery's. Putting new fabric in. It's the fabric that gets cruded and "shorts" as it were. Hooking them upto a welder and over cooking them can cook the crud off.

I think it's easier just weighing off the lead of it to pay for 1/3 of a new one and save yourself the time tbh.

Probably only worth the prattling about on expensive leasure battery's.

I use a gunson rapidstart. Small and can jumpstart. Couldn't recommend it enough.

Well time is money and while I have plenty of one, I don't have so much of the other. This little bike bat is a test and I do have some brand new unused leisure batteries I really would like to get going.

There are plenty of devices which need lots of oomph but don't need to run forever. One of which is a little hot wire plastic slicer I made which currently runs off a chunky PSU and I'd much rather it ran off a battery. Same goes for dead power tools which I can easily hack to accept a little lead acid battery and only have to give me power in little jabs. Powered crane/trolley for the shed garden etc.

I don't think I'll be putting them into service as regular vehicle parts but you never know. It will be interesting to see how many of my collection can be restored to use, the rest will be stripped for lead and that's way over £1k per ton.

 

[Screwdriver]

11.1V this evening. Might be all volts and no amps because as soon as I disconnect the charger, the blinky widget drops out.

I am expecting 2-3 days before the process gets on with whatever it can do.

 

[DAPPH]

Google tells me that's more of a cleaner than desulphating agent.

Might be something you'd stick in a battery to prevent sulphation but I don't think you can recover a battery with it.

I've read so much manure about batteries by home taught egg spurts I could frtytilize a fo=ie=ld with i5t and still have enough for my farmer mate down the road .

I succumbed a few years ago and got one of the high tech variable voltage and frequency de-sulphater's to try and sort out the battery on the second hand caravan we'd just purchased .
My thought's being £24 for the de-sulphating device is a lot better than £100 for a new caravan heavy duty ledger battery .

The plates were a ghastly white /grey ,just over 3 volts on the digital meter and not enough current to light a 3 volt bulb. Left it for three sessions of 24 hrs with a 24 hr break in between the sessions to allow cooling and degassing after I'd rocked the battery about to get the gas bubbles releasing of the plates .

That did work , no need to add anything other than top up with distilled water (melted ice from the freezer in the garage ) . It lasted for three years till we got a lightening strike which totally killed not only the caravans trickle charger but the battery as well with a heavy short internally in the bottom of the battery casing where the plates fell to bits.

I seem to recall the gadget can attain short bursts of 19.7 Volts and puts out six or seven different pulsed frequencies as well as clean 13.8 volts when required .
I think the current output is also variable digitally to a set pattern then automatically for optimum charging effects.

 

[Screwdriver]

Yeah I figure I had so many dead batteries I'd try everything at least once.

I haven't yet emptied out a battery, cleaned it and put in fresh juice. It's only a matter of time tho. This little bike battery will probably be flushed and refilled, if I can find some battery juice. My local Halfords closed down...