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Battery plate sulphation
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2003 Oct 12, 21:58 +0100
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2003 Oct 12, 21:58 +0100
A previous mailing said- I also added an >anti-sulphation chemical to the electrolyte, as prolonged trickle charging >can lead to sulphur coating the battery plates and reducing their life. This puzzles me a bit. I always thought that sulphation of the battery plates was a result of leaving a battery in a fully-discharged condition for a long time. I recently tried to resurrect an old battery, neglected and discharged for well over a year, but no current at all flowed when I connected it to a charger. I thought that was the result of an insulating layer of sulphate having formed on the plates. Was that wrong? I have been tempted (a temptation I have resisted, so far...) to try a bit of shock-treatment, by connecting it across the 240-volt mains (with a lamp in series). Would that be wise? Would it do any good? The battery is junk, otherwise. But now, we're told that trickle-charging, also, can lead to sulphur coating. Is this the same problem I have discussed above? If so, it seems a bit of a surprise that the same disease can be caused by quite opposite mistreatments, by prolonged discharge in one case, by prolonged overcharge in another. I would have though that the remedy for overcharge would be a dose of distilled water. Does anyone know enough about batteries to clear the matter up? George. ================================================================ contact George Huxtable by email at george@huxtable.u-net.com, by phone at 01865 820222 (from outside UK, +44 1865 820222), or by mail at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. ================================================================