What is Battery ReconditioningBattery reconditioning implies restoring the healthy life of a battery, that is, complete charging capability and basic electrolyte level. This is necessary since whether you have a routine cars and truck or a high-end type, low charge, and acid stratification are the common issues amongst owners. Whenever a battery discharges, lead sulfate crystals are formed around its plates. The enormous accumulation of these crystals impacts the charging and releasing capability of your battery. A few of the batteries which can be reconditioned consist of AGM, 12v automobile battery, gel batteries, golf cart battery, lithium-ion batteries, prius battery, NiCad, and NiMH rechargeable batteries. Having useful understanding of reconditioning batteries is outstanding so that you 'd have the ability to keep your battery at ideal efficiency. Who Takes Advantage Of Reconditioning Dead Batteries Understanding how do you recondition a dead battery is almost useful to the owner and the environment. For the automobile owner, acquiring that understanding and ability would conserve you a couple of dollars and the trouble it brings when the battery passes away, and you remain in the middle of no place. Aside from that, for those who wish to have a couple of earnings. You can almost charge a couple of dollars from individuals who want to their battery reconditioned. Maybe, you can recondition a few of your old and dead cells in the garage and resell it for an affordable rate. The environment likewise benefits from battery reconditioning as a lower quantity of lead-acid option is disposed of in the surrounding. These chemicals, when not treated prior to disposal, can contaminate the soil and groundwater, which triggers numerous health effects. Security Tips for Battery Reconditioning When reconditioning batteries, precaution need to be remembered to prevent mishaps along the method. Be advised that the electrolyte inside a lead acid battery is destructive and damaging when in contact with skin, eyes, and garments. These are a few of our ideas you can follow to preserve security throughout battery reconditioning:
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How To Extend The Life of a “Tired” Or "Dying" Battery
Currently, according to statistics, the service life of a car battery is on average 4 to 5 years ...
You should also know that this lifespan depends mainly on several factors:
- Its condition when purchased, beware in particular of purchased batteries in supermarkets which often have storage times important, curiously the supermarkets are not significant "receivables" in the sale of batteries cars, we don't quite know why but often the consumers prefer to buy a battery from their garage or at a car center.
- If used quickly after leaving the factory, its performance will be maximum.
- The way it is used later, on our English women who for the most part only ride occasionally, underloading is
a common phenomenon that causes excessive sulfation of plates.
- Charging too quickly or too powerfully is also a factor in premature battery degradation.
- A battery that is also very discharged or even “empty” will wear out prematurely. Hence the interest of having a “maintenance” charger as I recommended in my previous articles.
That said, now that the right resolutions have been taken and that our dear vehicle has a maintenance charger permanently connected, we can nevertheless end up with a sluggish battery, which does not hold the charge and which does not ensure its role during the restart of our beautiful Englishwoman, which has sometimes remained inactive for several weeks.
Regardless of maintaining a charge, your battery must nevertheless be maintained, especially for plug batteries which require maintenance.
Prevention is better than cure, when it comes to a battery of car, these are some manipulations to operate from time to time:
Check the electrolyte level: If the battery is accessible when opening
(caps not sealed), check that the electrolyte level is not lower than the plates and that the level of demineralised water above the plates is sufficient. If there is a big level difference on one or more cells, this could be a symptom of a faulty battery.
Cleaning the terminals: uncleaned terminals can lead to poor contact between the terminal and the battery terminal and cause power cuts.
For maintenance, the use of a wire brush or emery cloth will be necessary. To avoid any deposit, it is advisable to coat the terminals with a little neutral grease.
Before Considering a "Rescue", It Must Be Certain That The Battery Is Not at The End of Its Life.
- First recharge the battery as slowly as possible, if your charger is adjustable, prefer a recharge to a
power less than 3 Amps.
If you do not have a charger, you can recharge the battery while driving by recharging the alternator or the dynamo.
For a full recharge, you will of course first need start the car with jumper cables.
Then, drive your vehicle for about twenty minutes at more than 60 km/h. if your vehicle is equipped with an alternator.
If your vehicle is equipped with a dynamo, allow at least ½ hour at over 60 km/h. You can also remove your battery to have it recharged at a car center or garage. Most will do this for you for a small fee or even free.
Then, you will have to check the battery with a multimeter. Set your multimeter to the “Volts DC” position (or DC, for
Current Direct, if your device is in French). This position is often represented by a V with a straight line above or beside it.
The position with a V and a “wave” (called a sine wave in technical jargon) is for Alternating Current.
This is not the function you need in this scenario.
You should also know that this lifespan depends mainly on several factors:
- Its condition when purchased, beware in particular of purchased batteries in supermarkets which often have storage times important, curiously the supermarkets are not significant "receivables" in the sale of batteries cars, we don't quite know why but often the consumers prefer to buy a battery from their garage or at a car center.
- If used quickly after leaving the factory, its performance will be maximum.
- The way it is used later, on our English women who for the most part only ride occasionally, underloading is
a common phenomenon that causes excessive sulfation of plates.
- Charging too quickly or too powerfully is also a factor in premature battery degradation.
- A battery that is also very discharged or even “empty” will wear out prematurely. Hence the interest of having a “maintenance” charger as I recommended in my previous articles.
That said, now that the right resolutions have been taken and that our dear vehicle has a maintenance charger permanently connected, we can nevertheless end up with a sluggish battery, which does not hold the charge and which does not ensure its role during the restart of our beautiful Englishwoman, which has sometimes remained inactive for several weeks.
Regardless of maintaining a charge, your battery must nevertheless be maintained, especially for plug batteries which require maintenance.
Prevention is better than cure, when it comes to a battery of car, these are some manipulations to operate from time to time:
Check the electrolyte level: If the battery is accessible when opening
(caps not sealed), check that the electrolyte level is not lower than the plates and that the level of demineralised water above the plates is sufficient. If there is a big level difference on one or more cells, this could be a symptom of a faulty battery.
Cleaning the terminals: uncleaned terminals can lead to poor contact between the terminal and the battery terminal and cause power cuts.
For maintenance, the use of a wire brush or emery cloth will be necessary. To avoid any deposit, it is advisable to coat the terminals with a little neutral grease.
Before Considering a "Rescue", It Must Be Certain That The Battery Is Not at The End of Its Life.
- First recharge the battery as slowly as possible, if your charger is adjustable, prefer a recharge to a
power less than 3 Amps.
If you do not have a charger, you can recharge the battery while driving by recharging the alternator or the dynamo.
For a full recharge, you will of course first need start the car with jumper cables.
Then, drive your vehicle for about twenty minutes at more than 60 km/h. if your vehicle is equipped with an alternator.
If your vehicle is equipped with a dynamo, allow at least ½ hour at over 60 km/h. You can also remove your battery to have it recharged at a car center or garage. Most will do this for you for a small fee or even free.
Then, you will have to check the battery with a multimeter. Set your multimeter to the “Volts DC” position (or DC, for
Current Direct, if your device is in French). This position is often represented by a V with a straight line above or beside it.
The position with a V and a “wave” (called a sine wave in technical jargon) is for Alternating Current.
This is not the function you need in this scenario.
Depending on The results, Various Solutions Will Be Possible.
- If after recharging, the voltage is less than 11 Volts, it is compromise and the purchase of a new battery will prove
probably necessary.
- If the voltage is slightly less than or equal to 12 volts, it will be necessary try an experiment of "regeneration"
- If the voltage is higher than 12 Volts, it's a good sign and there is hope...
Here are some indications corresponding to the level of the charge of your battery:
12.60 volts = 100% charge
12.40 volts = 75% charge
12.20 volts = 50% charge
12.00 volts = 25% charge
11.00 volts = 0% charge
The battery is fully charged when the voltage is between 12.6 Volts and 13.5 Volts.
- If the voltage is higher than 14 Volts, the battery is overcharged. This could damage it if it continues!
It is essential to have the alternator checked by a professional.
There could be a regulation problem because the utility of the regulator is to manage the battery voltage in order to avoid overcharging.
To note :
A load test does not tell if your battery is good or bad. It only indicates the state of charge at the time of the test.
A battery with a low charge can remain effective once recharged.
A good battery is a battery that holds a charge, while a bad battery does not. Let's go back to the case where your battery after recharging has a voltage which is around 12 volts.
The battery is probably "sulphated" and you will have to try a "regeneration" using a suitable charger.
This is a First Solution That Has a Good Chance To Work.
Lead sulphate being the number one enemy of the battery, the regeneration by controlled high-power electrical pulses (for 24 hours) will help give the battery a second life.
For battery maintenance and repair, it is best to equip yourself with a so-called “intelligent” battery charger, some models of which have repairing features.
So-called “smart” chargers The second solution is a "grandmother's recipe" but which has the deserves to succeed in many cases.
It's a bit tedious but we get nothing for nothing... We will therefore attempt a "de-sulphation" by a chemical process.
First, you need to take some precautions.
Warning, the electrolyte of a lead battery contains acid sulfuric.
So clothes that don't suck, safety goggles and gloves. I know that holes in jeans are fashionable but Madame might not like it if you make a nice round hole in your brand new jeans with battery acid...
If electrolyte splashes on the skin, rinse thoroughly immediately with clear water.
We will therefore use a chemical process, the crystals of lead sulphate will be gently dissolved thanks to a solution of sulphate of magnesium.
It Will Therefore Be Necessary To Obtain Magnesium Sulphate!
Also called “Epsom salt”, “English salt”, “Sedlitz salt” or finally “Bitter salt” Where to find this product?
- In pharmacy
- On the Internet
Let's move on to practical work:
- Remove the battery from the vehicle and clean it properly outside.
- Completely discharge the battery by connecting a lamp to it 12 Volts 21 Watts (STOP lamp) it will take a few hours…
- Remove the plugs.
- Turn the battery upside down and gently empty its contents into a plastic basin
- Collect the electrolyte in clear glass bottles.
- This liquid will be decanted for 2 to 3 days, after 3 days,in the bottle, the bottom remains cloudy and the top
clears, you will only recover the clear liquid.
- Rinse thoroughly with a jet of water through the hole in the caps inside the battery.
- Rinse one last time with demineralized water
- Leave the battery to dry overnight in a heated room open.
- On the Internet
Let's move on to practical work:
- Remove the battery from the vehicle and clean it properly outside.
- Completely discharge the battery by connecting a lamp to it 12 Volts 21 Watts (STOP lamp) it will take a few hours…
- Remove the plugs.
- Turn the battery upside down and gently empty its contents into a plastic basin
- Collect the electrolyte in clear glass bottles.
- This liquid will be decanted for 2 to 3 days, after 3 days,in the bottle, the bottom remains cloudy and the top
clears, you will only recover the clear liquid.
- Rinse thoroughly with a jet of water through the hole in the caps inside the battery.
- Rinse one last time with demineralized water
- Leave the battery to dry overnight in a heated room open.
- Recover the "clear" decanted liquid and top up with new electrolyte to restore the initial capacity of the battery.
- Mix your magnesium sulfate with your electrolyte
For the dosage count about 1 gram of magnesium sulphate per Ampere / hour or 1 gram for 10ml
So for a battery of 80 AMP/H provide a dose of 80 grams
- Fill the battery with electrolyte and magnesium sulphate dissolved.
- Wait 1 hour for the electro-chemical process of the battery to reactivate.
- Recharge the battery as gently as possible, the ideal is recharge with a trickle charger that delivers approximately 1 Ampere.
- Then put the discharge system back in place with our 21 Watt lamp from STOP.
- When the voltage reaches around 12 Volts, the discharge is stopped and a new charging cycle is performed.
- This can take quite a few hours….
- Then several cycles of complete charges followed by discharges will be necessary so that the current of electrons can pick up and dissolve the lead sulphate covering the plates.
The goal is to destroy the sulphate plates by the charging current, so do not discharge below 11.80 volts.
Allow For At Least 6 Discharge/Recharge Cycles.
- After these desulfation cycles, the battery will be drained, rinsed with demineralized water, dried and filled with fresh electrolyte and demineralised water above the plates.
- Used electrolyte dissolved with magnesium sulphate will be taken to the dump.
If your battery was not too deteriorated at the start, with this process, you will extend its life by at least 2 years (provided of course that you then maintain it in maintenance charge)
If you bought a large quantity of magnesium sulphate, know that it can also be used as medicine.
Magnesium sulfate comes from natural minerals and can also help with skin issues.
It also treats occasional constipation.
Magnesium sulphate would have incredible virtues for muscle relaxation and for dilating the excretory ducts.
The secretions of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas are evacuated.
Magnesium sulphate would also promote the elimination of stones bile and stopping the onset of a cold.
Applied as a compress, it could have the effect of relieving insect bites.
Magnesium sulfate sachets will be a detoxifying ally of your body.
You can also put some in your bath, take a bath hot for 20 minutes in which you will have poured 250 g of magnesium sulfate.
Relaxation guaranteed….
To extract the splinters, dip your finger in a solution of magnesium sulfate to easily remove a splinter.
In another area, it can also be used as fertilizer for your garden, repellent for slugs and product to clean your tiles….
In short, a Miracle Product…..
Finally last point, to test the exact health of your battery, there are professional garage electronic devices that work on measuring the internal resistance of the battery.
It is very reliable and the measurement only takes a minute. The only constraint is that the battery must be charged and disconnected of the vehicle.
I am fortunate to own a device of this type personally.
So if during one of our outings, you want to reliably test the health of your battery, the device will be in the trunk of the Jaguar... and I am at your disposal.
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