Battery Problem ???
12-28-2003, 08:32 AM
#1
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Battery Problem ???
My boat has been sitting in storage for about 3 months, so I recently pulled the batteries to bring them home for charging. I hooked them up (one at a time) to a charger set on the 2 amp slow charge setting. The charger also has an auto-shutoff feature when the battery is fully charged.
Anyway, the following week (both batteries had been fully charged by then), I removed the caps on one of the batteries (a series 27 marine battery) and there was milky white sediment floating in the water. I checked the water level before charging the batteries and the sediment was not there. The second battery (series 24 marine) did not have this sediment after charging. Both batteries are about 8 months old.
Any ideas ???
Thanks
Anyway, the following week (both batteries had been fully charged by then), I removed the caps on one of the batteries (a series 27 marine battery) and there was milky white sediment floating in the water. I checked the water level before charging the batteries and the sediment was not there. The second battery (series 24 marine) did not have this sediment after charging. Both batteries are about 8 months old.
Any ideas ???
Thanks
12-28-2003, 01:50 PM
#3
I am no expert on battery's but my guess is if it set discharged you are seeing signs of sulfation (spell?) Even though you charged battery slow which is best setting discharged is not good. Some battery info. Battery is probably still good.
http://www.batterystuff.com/battery/...y_tutorial.htm
http://www.vdcelectronics.com/default.htm
http://www.batterystuff.com/battery/...y_tutorial.htm
http://www.vdcelectronics.com/default.htm
Last edited by paradigm shift; 12-28-2003 at 02:09 PM.
12-28-2003, 01:54 PM
#4
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If the batteries were allowed to sit "dead" for any length of time, the lead sulfate on the plates has crystalized and the batteries won't take a decent charge. The only way to test a modern battery is to attempt to fully charge it, then place it on a stress tester which has a carbon pile. The tester shorts the battery in a controlled manner. The test is usually performed for ten seconds at a load equal to 1/2 of it's cold cranking amps. If the voltage falls below 9.5 volts, it's time to get new ones. Sorry for the bad news. But the best way to store batteries is fully charged. I suggest removing the batteries at the end of the season and placing them on a "maintainer" Schauer has a good one I use that is about 30 bucks and you can rig two batteries in parallel on it. Good luck.
12-28-2003, 05:17 PM
#5
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Two things will cause nasty junk in the electrolyte
1) sulfation
2) breaking the plates apart (vibration, impact).
Both pretty much spell R.I.P.
We used to be located close to the Hester Battery factory in Nashville. We did all/most of their equipment maintenance back twenty or thirty years ago.
They taught me a trick to get new life out of a sulfated battery. #1 dump out the acid. #2 fill it with water (any kind). #3 Stick a modified toilet brush in the cell and scrub like crazy. #4 flush and do again. #5 fill with fresh Sulfuric Acid. Good to go.
They actually had three toothless old women with "acid complexion" (if you have to ask...) doing this over in one corner. They resold these as "refurbs" for $20 at the store on 4th and Lafayette (and gave them a 3 month replacement warranty).
There was a couple of guys who inspected the cells and load tested them when they came in to pick out the ones that didn't have broken or shorted cells.
All of the shorted or broken ones got split and dumped into the melter. They just turned the batteries over on a grate where the acid ran out, and then they ran down a roller conveyor (case and all) into the melter. The melter reclaimed the lead and the plastic and crap just floated off to the top.
I asked Mr Hester why he didn't do that to all the returns since it looked like he could do that easier than scrubbing out the sulfated ones. He replied that he lost the cases on a remelt but a scrubout saved the case. He said the cases cost him about $3.00 each.
** toothless labor was apparently pretty cheap in those days **
1) sulfation
2) breaking the plates apart (vibration, impact).
Both pretty much spell R.I.P.
We used to be located close to the Hester Battery factory in Nashville. We did all/most of their equipment maintenance back twenty or thirty years ago.
They taught me a trick to get new life out of a sulfated battery. #1 dump out the acid. #2 fill it with water (any kind). #3 Stick a modified toilet brush in the cell and scrub like crazy. #4 flush and do again. #5 fill with fresh Sulfuric Acid. Good to go.
They actually had three toothless old women with "acid complexion" (if you have to ask...) doing this over in one corner. They resold these as "refurbs" for $20 at the store on 4th and Lafayette (and gave them a 3 month replacement warranty).
There was a couple of guys who inspected the cells and load tested them when they came in to pick out the ones that didn't have broken or shorted cells.
All of the shorted or broken ones got split and dumped into the melter. They just turned the batteries over on a grate where the acid ran out, and then they ran down a roller conveyor (case and all) into the melter. The melter reclaimed the lead and the plastic and crap just floated off to the top.
I asked Mr Hester why he didn't do that to all the returns since it looked like he could do that easier than scrubbing out the sulfated ones. He replied that he lost the cases on a remelt but a scrubout saved the case. He said the cases cost him about $3.00 each.
** toothless labor was apparently pretty cheap in those days **
12-28-2003, 10:19 PM
#7
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Platinum Member
Yes.
This would indicate the act of charging "cracked" chunks of the sulfated plates off from the heat of the charging current passing through a small exposed area of plate.
The chunks would then become suspended in the electrolyte and would now be visible where they were stuck to the plates prior to charging.
The charger indicates charged because the voltage from post to post is within its range of what it considers to be a "fully charged" battery. If you do not have any cell boiling over or being extremely warm, then this is a good sign - says there are no shorted cells.
A load test, though, will likely show the output voltage drop very low when a large amperage load is placed on the battery. It should recover quickly but will not provide the output amps that it used to cause the plate surfaces are "isulated" by the sulfation.
There are chargers that are designed to "nurse" a lightly sulfated battery back to fair health. They charge with a high current (150 amps) in a pulse mode that causes point heating around sulfation buildup - this will thermal shock the sulfation off the plates.
You could findsomevbody with one of these and then drain and flush the cells before refilling with fresh electrolyte.
BUT you can also go buy some AutoZone Gold 3-year free replacement batteries for $69 each. They have some kind of 104 month prorated warranty on them.
My Formula never made it out of drystorage this season and the batteries have not seen a charger since November 2002. I plan to take them back to AutoZone this spring and swap them for some freebies (actually, I willhave to pay something cause it will be 4 years for them).
This would indicate the act of charging "cracked" chunks of the sulfated plates off from the heat of the charging current passing through a small exposed area of plate.
The chunks would then become suspended in the electrolyte and would now be visible where they were stuck to the plates prior to charging.
The charger indicates charged because the voltage from post to post is within its range of what it considers to be a "fully charged" battery. If you do not have any cell boiling over or being extremely warm, then this is a good sign - says there are no shorted cells.
A load test, though, will likely show the output voltage drop very low when a large amperage load is placed on the battery. It should recover quickly but will not provide the output amps that it used to cause the plate surfaces are "isulated" by the sulfation.
There are chargers that are designed to "nurse" a lightly sulfated battery back to fair health. They charge with a high current (150 amps) in a pulse mode that causes point heating around sulfation buildup - this will thermal shock the sulfation off the plates.
You could findsomevbody with one of these and then drain and flush the cells before refilling with fresh electrolyte.
BUT you can also go buy some AutoZone Gold 3-year free replacement batteries for $69 each. They have some kind of 104 month prorated warranty on them.
My Formula never made it out of drystorage this season and the batteries have not seen a charger since November 2002. I plan to take them back to AutoZone this spring and swap them for some freebies (actually, I willhave to pay something cause it will be 4 years for them).
12-28-2003, 10:47 PM
#8
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Originally posted by mcollinstn
BUT you can also go buy some AutoZone Gold 3-year free replacement batteries for $69 each. They have some kind of 104 month prorated warranty on them.
BUT you can also go buy some AutoZone Gold 3-year free replacement batteries for $69 each. They have some kind of 104 month prorated warranty on them.
Thanks for your help.
12-29-2003, 12:02 AM
#9
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"Marine" batteries rarely have more than a 12 month warranty.
If you have some warranty remaining, then use it by all means.
If you do not, then buy an automotive Gold battery and tell them it is going in a truck.
If you have some warranty remaining, then use it by all means.
If you do not, then buy an automotive Gold battery and tell them it is going in a truck.
12-29-2003, 08:29 PM
#10
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Many years ago I gave up on marine batteries & went to regular Auto batteries. I have had better luck. They say the marine batteries are better built to handle the shock of bouncing but I now spend less & the batteries last longer.
