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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 12:30
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Has anyone done this rather than adding water, could it extend battery life, what do you think?
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 14:29
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this is a good question. a great question. i don't have an answer but i do have some anecdotal evidence. okay. and an answer.
1) a certain brand name battery has been called out for shipping batteries with lower than normal sulfuric acid levels. hey wha?
2) i can always tell when my batteries need water. the discharge numbers are higher. by that I mean, typically, batteries just watered (after dark, no solar input), if I run the fridge and the tv at the same time, tho fully charged (12.7v) I'll see battery voltage at around 12.5.
If it's time to water the batteries I'll see 12.55.
same charge level. same discharge rate. different voltage reading.
So, your very interesting query is if by adding electrolyte that is not water, but sulfuric acid in solution, can your extend battery life: and the answer:
sadly no. battery life is not based on the electrolyte but rather it's based on the sulfation of the lead plates in the battery.
as your batteries age the lead plates become covered in sulfates and this reduces the ability of electrons to move in and out of the plates.
as well the plates become thinner.
this is why "ALWAYS EQUALIZE YOUR BATTERIES MONTHLY."
Equalizing your batteries both softens the sulphated material (allowing electrons to move more freely) and there is abundant evidence it pulls material back up onto your plates.
whew. that was fun.
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pizzadude
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 14:45
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creeky
Great explanation.
Equalization.
Ok, you've described very well what it does, but can you expand on how the equalization process works? Preferably in layman's terms...
I have no idea.
My charge controller is equipped with equalization programming, be nice to set it up..
Thanks.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 14:45
Reply
My over simplistic reason was that if you keep adding water that in effect dilutes the solution which to the point over time reduces or halts any reaction normally caused by the sulfuric acid so if over time you continue adding water I now wonder since the Electrolyte is in effect water and sulfuric acid mixed to a solution,
could it be the water side evaporates leaving the sulfuric acid or which evaporates first, the water or the sulfuric acid?
Oh Shit, that's another question isn't it?
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 16:35
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The water molecules get broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The water does not usually evaporate.
The sulfur that is in the sulfuric acid stays in the battery, either in solution as H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) or as sulfate on the lead plates.
So adding water just restores the acid once a full charge has been reestablished. IF the battery is charged at too high a level and acid is splashed out by the vigorous bubbling, that could lead to the electrilyte being weakened as water id added, but that would have to be extreme and is to be avoided.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 16:42
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The only reason I could think of for adding electrolyte would be if the battery tipped over and it was spilled, but the battery would have to be charged. If the batter was dead, this would be just water. You dont lose the electrolyte otherwise. A little water is lost over normal evaporation, then you just add distilled water to top it off. You dont want the level to get below the top of the plates.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2015 21:33
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pizzadude. first. recognize that lead acid batteries are horrible. inefficient. toxic. just plain dumb.
so. given a bad but necessary situation: equalization does a few things.
one. it mixes your battery electrolyte which stratifies with time. so it keeps the electrolyte mixed.
two. lead plates in lead acid batteries sulfate. this starts from the moment the batteries come off the mfct. line. so.
it is what it is.
left too long the sulfation hardens. forms a really hard surface. crystallizes in fact. so imagine you're an electron trying to beat your way through lead. tough job. now put sulfate on the lead plate. whew. things are getting harder. now. put a crystal surface on that sulfate. ouch right.
so now equalizing adds two benefits. first it breaks down that hard crusty surface.
and second. part of the sulfation process is the shedding of material off your lead plates. so equalizing is said to actually pull shed material back onto the plates.
what I've always found neat. you know why your equalized batteries boil? the process that occurs on the face of your lead plates actually creates temperatures that are the temperature of the surface of the sun (of course in a really really really small area).
to me that's cool. at the atomic level little bursts of energy at these crazy temperatures.
whew. but now you see why equalizing is your lead acid battery friend.
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