Battery recharging
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 139
Likes: 3
From: Rockland County NY
Battery recharging
For any battery experts:
There are lots of threads about batteries and using tenders. I used to have one but it didn't work that well and I just bought a Shumacher charger to charge it up when usually over the winter, the battery would die if I didn't drive it for a 3+ weeks. I found that after a few years, the battery of course, didn't hold the charge as well and the charger would read 'bad' after an overnight recharge. But I found that if I would restart the charging cycle, it often would charge back up to 100% and seem to do pretty well - ie. last the same amount of time before needing recharge.
Can anyone tell me how I can tell if the battery is really getting worn down and will probably not maintain the charge anymore?
Also, what is the best way to recharge? Charger has 2A, 10A and 15A settings? I think it's generally best at 2A slow overnight. But just yesterday, I started charging at 2A and got the 'bad' indicator. Reset and tried it again - and got the 'bad' indicator again. So I reset it and started it at 15A and now it shows 100%.
Currently, I have a Walmart EverStart 75N. I've gone thru a few of them and they seem to be just as good as others.
There are lots of threads about batteries and using tenders. I used to have one but it didn't work that well and I just bought a Shumacher charger to charge it up when usually over the winter, the battery would die if I didn't drive it for a 3+ weeks. I found that after a few years, the battery of course, didn't hold the charge as well and the charger would read 'bad' after an overnight recharge. But I found that if I would restart the charging cycle, it often would charge back up to 100% and seem to do pretty well - ie. last the same amount of time before needing recharge.
Can anyone tell me how I can tell if the battery is really getting worn down and will probably not maintain the charge anymore?
Also, what is the best way to recharge? Charger has 2A, 10A and 15A settings? I think it's generally best at 2A slow overnight. But just yesterday, I started charging at 2A and got the 'bad' indicator. Reset and tried it again - and got the 'bad' indicator again. So I reset it and started it at 15A and now it shows 100%.
Currently, I have a Walmart EverStart 75N. I've gone thru a few of them and they seem to be just as good as others.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 339
From: Simi Valley CA
When a battery sits the acids that are in it oxidize the plates. It no longer makes a good contact to accept a charge. Also the build up inside can get to a point where it shorts the plates. All of this happens over time no matter what the charging process is. It just happens quicker if it sits.
The resistance you see on the meter lets you know if it is accepting or rejecting a charge. Low reading means it is rejecting. High reading means its taking a charge.
The resistance you see on the meter lets you know if it is accepting or rejecting a charge. Low reading means it is rejecting. High reading means its taking a charge.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 689
Likes: 245
From: Spokane Wa.
You could take your battery to most any auto parts store and they can put a load tester on it and give you an idea what it's condition is. A battery can show full charge and still be defective as it's cranking power isn't where it needs to be. I believe there are only a few battery manufacturers left in the US that make batteries for most of the stores that sell auto batteries. I stay away from any that are made by Exide. I'm not saying that some of the ones they make aren't good, It's just that I've had bad reliability with most of the ones that I've had made by them in the last 20 years. One make that I've had good luck with is those made by Deka. Interstate is also one that I'd recommend. As there are many higher end batteries out there that are of AGM design you have a large number to chose from. Some of those require different types of chargers to keep on a charge maintainer. If you want to stay with the old water/acid style the thing to remember is to not let them get deeply discharged and sit for any length of time as that will typically sap the life of them.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 308
Likes: 79
From: Orange CALIFORNIA
A load test is the method used to determine battery health. If a battery drops below 12.4 volts under load with a short amount of time (less than one minute for example) than the battery chemical process works faster than the concentrations in the electrode. All corrosion is Anodic, so higher current charges can overcome the potential needed to cross internal Anode corrosion. This can be shown using Tafel's equation for the nerds or the Butler-Volmer equation for the super-nerds. Basically, as long as the potential for electrolysis rate is greater than the instant stored potential available the battery is good. So, with a load such as 1 to 10 ohms, 200watt to 10watt rating respectively, drain the stored charge within 10 to thirty seconds and observe the chemically produced voltage is above 12.4 VDC. Using a fan, if after five or ten minutes it still remains above then you have a quite healthy battery. The test is lopsided to deep cycle batteries as instantaneous peaks are not considered in regards to battery health (ie cold cranking amps) which is more a measurement of the electron plates ability for storage potential.
Easy test for normal people is turn on headlights for ten seconds and observe voltage using multimeter. Below 12 volts is a poorly charged battery.
My $.02.
Easy test for normal people is turn on headlights for ten seconds and observe voltage using multimeter. Below 12 volts is a poorly charged battery.
My $.02.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,228
Likes: 698
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
For any battery experts:
There are lots of threads about batteries and using tenders. I used to have one but it didn't work that well and I just bought a Shumacher charger to charge it up when usually over the winter, the battery would die if I didn't drive it for a 3+ weeks. I found that after a few years, the battery of course, didn't hold the charge as well and the charger would read 'bad' after an overnight recharge. But I found that if I would restart the charging cycle, it often would charge back up to 100% and seem to do pretty well - ie. last the same amount of time before needing recharge.
Can anyone tell me how I can tell if the battery is really getting worn down and will probably not maintain the charge anymore?
Also, what is the best way to recharge? Charger has 2A, 10A and 15A settings? I think it's generally best at 2A slow overnight. But just yesterday, I started charging at 2A and got the 'bad' indicator. Reset and tried it again - and got the 'bad' indicator again. So I reset it and started it at 15A and now it shows 100%.
Currently, I have a Walmart EverStart 75N. I've gone thru a few of them and they seem to be just as good as others.
There are lots of threads about batteries and using tenders. I used to have one but it didn't work that well and I just bought a Shumacher charger to charge it up when usually over the winter, the battery would die if I didn't drive it for a 3+ weeks. I found that after a few years, the battery of course, didn't hold the charge as well and the charger would read 'bad' after an overnight recharge. But I found that if I would restart the charging cycle, it often would charge back up to 100% and seem to do pretty well - ie. last the same amount of time before needing recharge.
Can anyone tell me how I can tell if the battery is really getting worn down and will probably not maintain the charge anymore?
Also, what is the best way to recharge? Charger has 2A, 10A and 15A settings? I think it's generally best at 2A slow overnight. But just yesterday, I started charging at 2A and got the 'bad' indicator. Reset and tried it again - and got the 'bad' indicator again. So I reset it and started it at 15A and now it shows 100%.
Currently, I have a Walmart EverStart 75N. I've gone thru a few of them and they seem to be just as good as others.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,528
Likes: 752
From: South Dakota
I had a battery that was getting old. It would not hold a charge well enough to start after an overnight of sitting in the garage.
I used a maintainer with a desulfating cycle for a few days and it recovered the battery so it worked normally for about another year.
So my opinion is they help, but they are not cure alls. Batteries get old and fail. A desulfating charger may postpone it a bit, but it will still fail.
Good luck
I used a maintainer with a desulfating cycle for a few days and it recovered the battery so it worked normally for about another year.
So my opinion is they help, but they are not cure alls. Batteries get old and fail. A desulfating charger may postpone it a bit, but it will still fail.
Good luck
