Refurbishing dead batteries?

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Once a battery is too old it is past due any rejuvenation including those methods that work. As batteries age they get sulfated, sulfate build up increases internal resistance on the cells thus decreases charging effectiveness and cranking ability which we usually attribute to a battery that is on its way out. As sulfate crystals grow, they become larger and harder to break into electrolyte through charging, hence why everyone here recommends buying the freshest batteries possible.


All batteries suffer from sulfation, even the good ones we may have bought one year ago. One way to evidence this is that a battery will tend to lose its specific gravity over time, it starts with 1280 when fresh in the factory, but because of sulfation specific gravity will steadily decrease over time until a battery is rendered useless down the road. Anyone who will measure a battery in good standing condition after about two or three years of use should see a drop in the specific gravity reading.


When batteries become sulfated, the sulfated crystals grow on the plates causing them to expand. This expansion causes the plates to buckle as they are already sandwiched into the battery under pressure to minimize vibration. The plate still expands, but since it has nowhere to go it buckles into a wave like form which can be observed on old or discharged batteries. Buckling is nothing more than mechanical stress which causes permanent damage to the plates, hence why old batteries cannot be rejuvenated.


In my opinion, there is no such thing as rejuvenating old batteries, one can only maintain a good battery to extend its life. One product which I have been using over the past 8 years is a device mentioned here made by pulsetech, many people don’t like then here for one reason or another, but through my measurements I have been able to confirm that their products do what they claims to do. No matter which pulsing product you use, the idea is to have something attached permanently to your battery to help it break some of the more stubborn sulfate crystals so that the battery can be charged to nearly 100% and its specific gravity can be near 1280.

One other thing to remember is that no desulfator will be able to do its work over a day or two, rather it is a gradual process which takes over months and months. This is from a personal experience by buying a car which sat on a lot for many months. Initially I thought that the battery was shot with no increase in specific gravity over one month only to find out that this battery was so badly damaged that the desulfator needed 6 months to bring it back to near normal state.
 
Originally Posted By: kgb007stb
Once a battery is too old it is past due any rejuvenation including those methods that work. As batteries age they get sulfated, sulfate build up increases internal resistance on the cells thus decreases charging effectiveness and cranking ability which we usually attribute to a battery that is on its way out. As sulfate crystals grow, they become larger and harder to break into electrolyte through charging, hence why everyone here recommends buying the freshest batteries possible.


All batteries suffer from sulfation, even the good ones we may have bought one year ago. One way to evidence this is that a battery will tend to lose its specific gravity over time, it starts with 1280 when fresh in the factory, but because of sulfation specific gravity will steadily decrease over time until a battery is rendered useless down the road. Anyone who will measure a battery in good standing condition after about two or three years of use should see a drop in the specific gravity reading.


When batteries become sulfated, the sulfated crystals grow on the plates causing them to expand. This expansion causes the plates to buckle as they are already sandwiched into the battery under pressure to minimize vibration. The plate still expands, but since it has nowhere to go it buckles into a wave like form which can be observed on old or discharged batteries. Buckling is nothing more than mechanical stress which causes permanent damage to the plates, hence why old batteries cannot be rejuvenated.


In my opinion, there is no such thing as rejuvenating old batteries, one can only maintain a good battery to extend its life. One product which I have been using over the past 8 years is a device mentioned here made by pulsetech, many people don’t like then here for one reason or another, but through my measurements I have been able to confirm that their products do what they claims to do. No matter which pulsing product you use, the idea is to have something attached permanently to your battery to help it break some of the more stubborn sulfate crystals so that the battery can be charged to nearly 100% and its specific gravity can be near 1280.

One other thing to remember is that no desulfator will be able to do its work over a day or two, rather it is a gradual process which takes over months and months. This is from a personal experience by buying a car which sat on a lot for many months. Initially I thought that the battery was shot with no increase in specific gravity over one month only to find out that this battery was so badly damaged that the desulfator needed 6 months to bring it back to near normal state.


Will a desulfator work on an Optima style battery?
 
It has worked on my three year old exide orbital which from my own tests showed faster charging times and higher open current voltage so from these indicators I did note that something must have been going inside the battery after install. That battery is now 9 years old and going strong, at least four starts each day. The agm technology is a bit different than the flooded cell batteries, thus it is impossible to measure specific gravity. The faster charge times indicated to me that internal resistance mush have dropped thus some sulfate crystals must have been converted back to electrolyte. One disadvantage are the one way valves which while good at keeping dirt out will let excess gasses escape. Here in the hot south that means greater than normal evaporative rates which will eventually kill a battery. Since there is no way to replenish the electrolyte it is a matter of time before even a good working agm battery will give out.
 
Clyde how does adding Magnesium Sulfate ie Epson Salt to the cell stop sulfation? I am not a chemical whiz kid but I can generally keep up I would love to hear how this works? If youd o not know I will ask my Professor he will probably be able to explain.
 
Years ago I used to dump the acid in a metal pan and flush the battery internals with baking soda and water until it came out clean. The I'd filter the acid and fill each cell back up and charge the battery. We'd get a couple more years out of it.

disclaimer: Remember long sleeve shirts, googles and gloves are required to stay safe.
 
How would you know that all the baking soda is flushed from the battery in one run? My biggest fear doing something like this were the residuals which are left behind. They are contaminants which increase internal resistance by contaminating the acid. I use to just remove the acid and refill with a new batch every once in a while, but since I do not have a place to recycle it I don’t do it any more. Maybe the minor contamination is much less than the initial contamination of the old acid.
 
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