De sulphator ..any good

if your not sure send me a photo ..you could of course (if it has one) replace the internal transformer with a 240 to ??? v one .....less losses ....

 

We live off-grid and maintain electrical power for a little 20 acre rancho via a 1.6 kw solar array and a lister type diesel. Obviously we maintain a battery bank - and have done for years. In boats the constant movement stirs the electrolyte solution - so stratification and the attendant local galvanic damage is only a problem in dry storage. Other chemical and physical asymmetries in the battery are unavoidable and result in charging discontinuities and these to sulphation, which is a process, not an event. We use a "BLS" desulphator - a low power gadget that spikes the battery bank 24-7. Maybe it helps, I don't know. But we charge to 16 volts over 6 to 8 hours once every 30 days. Over time one gets to know his battery cells - and it's clear that the monthly equalization charge is necessary. I believe Balmar makes charge controls for boats that provide for equalization. If I we afloat again I'd check that out. Most discarded batteries have considerable life in them, if they're properly recharged and equalized. They however have also the quality of each being an oddball, so making up a battery bank from discards is essentially marginal to futile - the old fellas just don't like one another... I spend some time every day managing the bank - and once a month much of my day revolves 'round the battery. No free lunch.

 

larrry is talking of keeping some life in old batteries ...sit on wood or in the modern world polystyrene to reduce stratification ..your charging to 16v should stir them up

 

Gone are the days that old batteries can be revived., your lucky to get 12 months warranty.

De sulphating the plates was a thing that might revive them but only if they could be revived by having sulphated plates.

Those were the days with inner tubes and point ignition.

 

Yes, one purpose for equalization is to stir the electrolyte. For that reason adding water ought to precede the termination of equalization by a significant period - perhaps an hour. Otherwise local galvanic corrosion of the plates may be a problem. The battery in my tractor is a discarded battery that sat for about a year and was entirely sulphated - came from an abandoned car. Likewise the battery I use in the power-supply for my radio equipment. It's usually worth a try if you have time and need, particularly for single battery uses like in a tractor or car. What is not practical is making a battery bank from discards - the more robust fellas see a load from their less robust neighbors in parallel. So much so that one can hear the weaker batteries happily bubbling away. The system simply discharges itself until it is at the level of the weakest unit. If, however, the mismatches are in series, the difficulties are less. Thus one measures the static voltages and makes a list, from which one arranges the individual units in whatever manner produces the least level of self-discharge. This means series-pairing the best battery units with the worst ones. The specific depends on the desired voltage, eg 6, 12, 24, etc. Equalization is problematic if there is significant DC load - so, in boats, the best arrangement may be, sometimes is, to have two battery banks that usually or sometimes operate in parallel as one, but which may be divided such that equalization can be done with no load. For example, one might switch the DC load to the starting battery with the engine running, the engine alternator carries the load. At the same time the charging alternator (presumably from Balmar), is equalizing the main storage battery. I knew an engineer who managed to do this in his 45' cruising sloop using nothing more than a PM printer-drive motor scavenged from junk at Pago Pago. A prop on about a 2' shaft, prop from an old "seagull" outboard, was put over the side and the rotary power transmitted to the motor armature via a light rope. Of course, his load was very small - this was before there were 'puters everywhere. Guessing about the time frame - perhaps 1980 in the South Pacific.

 

yes frosty the only difference between a 12 month guarntee and 24 months is you pay more..the makers know 4% will fail in the first 12 months and 10% in the first 24 so they price it so they dont make a loss whatever happens...

I think now that de sulphation is not a rescue process for old batteries but is used on new batteies to prevent sulplaton occuring in the first place ..well at least slow it down substantially ....

Glad to hear from you Frosty ..how are the ladyboys doing at your place??