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Forum Index : Other Stuff : Reviveing old batterys
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isaiah Guru  Joined: 25/12/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 303 |
I was give two old tractor Battery's off a big farm tractor they are 1235 amp 12 volt the one is ok the other one we have been trying to bring it back to life for about three to four months. It will come up to 9 or 10 volts back and forth but not gaining.. we did a gravity test and two cells were down. I mixed up some Epsom salts in hot water to desolve it and added it to the two weaker cells left it on a 20 amp charger over night and the next day . We did another gravity test and the weakest cell checks in the good the other cells show almost over charge but it wont take much or put out much amperage.We also ran a desulfator on it for several months. dose anyone have any sughestions on bringing this back to life??? '  'URL=http://www.motherearthnews.com/Renewable-Energy/1973-11- 01/The-Plowboy-Interview.aspx>The Plowboy Interview[/URL> |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Isaiah It sounds to me like it is a dead duck, if a desulphator won't bring it up it maybe a faulty or shorted cell, when the sulphate is shed off the plates it builds up in the bottom and can short out the plates, apart from dismantle and clean { big job } the desulphator is the only thing I have had success with. Putting other chemicals in the cell will do more harm than good for its long term life. The only suggestion I have is to hook a DC welder to it at 120 amp or more and try to burn out the short, dangerous as it will cause lots of gas and can explode last resort I think. Make sure you have a good connection no sparks and do it outside with explosion shield caps off of course. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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AMACK Senior Member  Joined: 31/05/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 184 |
Hay Isaiah, I have had a look at a lot of battery desulphator's and some say they work and some not.. I am still on the fence with them. It would be good if they did work but alot of the feed back and things I have been told is that if the battery is dead from just going flat it may come back but if it is stuffed it's stuffed. I would like to look at them a bit more as I have a few batterys that I have killed in the past that may have been saved.. AMACK *Note to self 1. Make it thick 2.Make it heavy. 3.Make it stronger than it should be. 4. Don't rush the first job as the second job will cost more and take mor |
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| isaiah Guru Joined: 25/12/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 303 |
AMACK, Another tip I dont know about the battery's down there but a lot of the automotive battery's here are called maintenance free!. Well most of these have a a sticker on them on the top and if you pull it off youll find the cell plugs. You have to pull these out and put water in just like any battery!! I took a long drywall screw and a piece of round stock 4'' inch long and drilled a hole in the middle of the round stock to slip fit the drywall screw and welded the screw in it makes a T handle and you screw it in to those caps and pull them out. There are a few cheap Battery's out there that dont have caps. There is a way to add water to them .'  '
We had one here and couldn't get the top off so I thought we have a 55 gal barrel of rain watter I took a stick and put it through the battery handle and put the hole battery under water.bubbles came out of the vent holes! The bad thing is you dont know just how much is going where.'  '
the water residue on top of a battery is and will conduct electricity, so be care full that you don't have a hi decibel event! Be careful this is BATTERY ACID you'll be fooling with! Hope this helps someone. URL=http://www.motherearthnews.com/Renewable-Energy/1973-11- 01/The-Plowboy-Interview.aspx>The Plowboy Interview[/URL> |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Andrew They do work if the problem is sulphation but if there is a short or to much sludge in the bottom to give a resistance within the cell they wont always bring that back. I run them on my battery bank which is all salvaged batteries total 4000 ah, it took about four months to bring that one back to near full capacity. I put one on a friends battery pack 48 volt 1000 ah that is eight years old and very tired through mismanagement it has taken two months to bring them up to full capacity. Also my battery in my plane that hadn't been used for three years was dead not even a volt on the meter and inside it was a mass of white sulphate, after a month it is back, and the sulphate is mostly dissolved, I haven't load tested it with the starter but it runs my test light 100 watt driving light without voltage going below 12 volts. I have had mixed success with car batteries, some extended life for 12 and more months, in my car, the one in my tractor had a dud cell and it didn't come back. It worked on gell cells, but on some I had to pry the top off and put some distilled water in the gell as it had dried out, also so called SLA cells as they dry out if overcharged, when topped up they will come back if no faults in the cell. I have used it on nicad drill batteries as well with some success. It isn't going to work on all batteries but it is surprising how many will come back. Many years ago I was doing servicing on 32 volt systems on farms, I had a desulphator and it worked wonders on glass case deep cycle batteries. Get one and give it a go but don't expect miracles. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| AMACK Senior Member Joined: 31/05/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 184 |
Thanks for the brain food, I might get one and give it a go on the batterys I am running at home. There are a few on the market, which ones are worth a try? P.S Bob I had a look at my ultralight battery the other week DEAD AS. Might be a good test for one. It has not been out of the shed for 2 years now. KIDS... AMACK *Note to self 1. Make it thick 2.Make it heavy. 3.Make it stronger than it should be. 4. Don't rush the first job as the second job will cost more and take mor |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Amack The ones I use I get from Malaysia www.infinitumstore.com The one on the 48 volt battery was from the sunshine coast but twice as expensive, The infinitum ones are nearly indestructible as I have shorted them out and put them wrong polarity and I haven't burned out yet, the local ones are much more fragile. Sounds like your plane battery is a good test too, I was amazed that mine came back to life after three years and its only a cheap motorbike battery nothing special, $18 at supercheapauto. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| AMACK Senior Member Joined: 31/05/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 184 |
Thanks Bob I will have a look. My system is 24 volt but I will have a look if they do one in that range. Amack *Note to self 1. Make it thick 2.Make it heavy. 3.Make it stronger than it should be. 4. Don't rush the first job as the second job will cost more and take mor |
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MacGyver Guru Joined: 12/05/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 1329 |
isaiah I was reading up on Alton's Blade Calculator trying to help someone else on the 4m and I stumbled across this Battery Page link. Scroll down the page a bit and he talks about a chemical (I guess) called Tetrasodium EDTA or something like that (62-year-old short-term memory ain't what it once was!). At any rate, if you add a bit of this stuff to the battery water, it apparently prevents sulfating on a long-term basis and it might be something you could treat an old worn-out deep-cycle tractor battery with to get some more life out of it. Just a thought. Edit Oops. I shoulda previewed that link. The real story is you have to click the link I gave, then click his "Wind Turbines" link at his home page and halfway down that page is a section on "Generating Electricity". In about the second paragraph of that little story is the true "Battery Link". I don't know why the URL of the "Battery Link" page I copied and pasted into this reply takes you back to his "Home" page, but apparently it's not a perfect world just yet! . . . . . . Mac Nothing difficult is ever easy! Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman, "Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!" Copeville, Texas |
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| isaiah Guru Joined: 25/12/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 303 |
MAC, Thank You sounds interesting will look into it later tonight or so.living on a fixed income we try to save all we can. URL=http://www.motherearthnews.com/Renewable-Energy/1973-11- 01/The-Plowboy-Interview.aspx>The Plowboy Interview[/URL> |
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Doug Regular Member  Joined: 11/05/2010 Location: New ZealandPosts: 41 |
Hi all. Just been reading the thread on desulphator's. I picked up this article somewhere off the net a while back. A couple of circuits for making one. A 12 and 24 volt version. Don't know if there any good. Would be interested in any feedback if anyone makes one. Doug 2010-08-19_174408__desulfator.zip May The Power Be With You |
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| Doug Regular Member Joined: 11/05/2010 Location: New ZealandPosts: 41 |
Hey all. I just discovered the link that MacGyver has posted above to the "Battery Page" is the same page I got my circuit from. Only there is a component update on the site so would pay to go there rather than download mine. Doug May The Power Be With You |
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