With all the buzz going on about next gen batteries, and the ever improving tech and safety of Lithium Ion battery chemistries, it's easy to lose sight of tried and true OLD school battery tech that still works very effectively, and can be exceptionally cost effective.
And, of course, I am talking about WET CELLS. LEAD ACID deep cycle batteries. Of course, the new technology offers a multitude of benefits and conveniences. On the down side, it can be quite expensive, and often requires a great deal more technical knowledge and ability to design into a DIY project.
After 2-3 years of robust off-grid use, my battery system is finally at that point where it's capacity is significantly degraded. While I saved an enormous amount of money, and got a lot of flexibility, I am not at a point where I can afford to spend that amount of money again and replace the battery units. The COVID 19 pandemic has underlined the importance of self-sufficiency - when there's no more money to be made for a while, when materials aren't available, the dispose/replace behavior of consumer culture breaks down pretty rapidly. So what are my options? Replace is out. Recycle is out since I'm not a factory. That just leaves me with one course of action: RE-USE. And when it comes to Deep Cycle Lead Acid batteries, in order to do that, one must summon another r word: RESURRECT.
The rest of this post series will be occupied by the aggregation of ideas, practices, and procedures for doing just that, along with my commentary, descriptions and first hand experiences.
SO let's get started!
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Benefits of Epsom Salt Lead Acid Battery Reconditioning
You can experience a few benefits from reconditioning your old batteries. Below are some of the essential benefits you can have.
Huge Cost Savings
Reconditioning your car batteries allows you to avoid shelling out huge money for a brand new cell. The standard 12V car battery costs around $50 to $120, while the expensive brands are between $90 to $200. By reconditioning, you can save around 25 to 50 percent of the retail cost.
Reduce Waste
There are millions of car owners all over the United States. If all of them would replace their old car cells, then that is around 1million lead-acid battery waste for disposal. To help minimize this waste, reconditioning your 12V car cells will be a good practice.
Tips and Warnings
I always prioritize safety among all things, precisely when dealing with chemicals. Please bear in mind that battery solutions are acidic and they contain traces of lead metal. These chemicals are harmful to our health and the environment.
Car battery solutions are mostly made up of sulfuric acid, which is highly corrosive and generates some fumes which you must not inhale. To protect yourself, wear the proper safety attire, that is, goggles, gloves, and apron.
When doing the reconditioning process, make sure you are in a well-ventilated area with an available supply of water. Likewise, avoid directly pouring out the old electrolyte solution as it might splatter everywhere and in your clothes.
How to Recondition a Old Battery with Epsom Salt
We are now in the reconditioning proper, and you have to prepare the required materials for this process. Here are the materials and tools you need to make beforehand.
Materials and Tools
- Epsom salt
- Baking soda
- Distilled water
- An old or new toothbrush
- Steel wool or sandpaper (optional)
- Voltmeter
- Bucket
- Battery load tester
- Battery reconditioning charger
- Goggles
- Gloves
- Apron
- Flathead screwdriver
- funnel
Procedure
STEP 1 Wear your protective safety attire - gloves, apron, and goggles.
STEP 2 Remove the battery from your car and place it on your working table.
STEP 3 Remove the corrosion in the battery terminals. Prepare a baking soda (2 parts) and distilled water solution (1 part). The resulting solution is sticky and paste-like.
STEP 4 Get your toothbrush and dip it into the baking soda solution. Then brush the battery terminals to remove the corrosion.
STEP 5 If the corrosion is hard to remove, use steel wool or sandpaper.
STEP 6 After, remove the battery caps using a flat head screw and place it in one container to avoid losing them.
STEP 7 Gently tilt the battery and pour the old electrolyte solution in your bucket.
STEP 8 Depending on the volume of the battery solution, you can pour 1 lb of baking soda into the bucket to neutralize the acid.
STEP 9 You can prepare another baking soda (1 part) and distilled water solution (1 part). Use your funnel, and pour some volume in each cell. Return and close back all battery caps, and shake the battery for 30 seconds to 1 minute. In this way, the lead sulfate solids in the plates are dissolved. You can do this process twice. Remove the battery caps, and pour out the solution into the same bucket.
STEP 10 Preparation of the Epsom salt battery solution- Heat 1/2quart of distilled water to 66 degrees Celsius. We do this to ensure all salts are dissolved later while mixing.
- Dissolve 7 to 8 ounce of Epsom salt into the warm distilled water and stir until completely dissolved.
- You can repeat the process if not all cells in the battery are filled with the new electrolyte solution.
STEP 11 Use your funnel, and pour the prepared Epsom salt solution into each cell of your car battery.
STEP 12 Return and secure the battery caps back into your car battery.
STEP 13 Connect your battery charger to the 12V car battery, and put it in slow charge mode 12V/2amp. Let it charge for 12 to 24 hours.
STEP 14 After charging, measure the voltage of the battery using a voltmeter. A battery that is in full capacity and good condition will have a reading of 12.4V to 12.43V.
STEP 15 If the battery did not reach that voltage reading, you need to discharge the battery and recharge it again adequately.
STEP 16 Place the battery in a load test. You can buy a battery load tester from any hardware store. It comes at an affordable price only.
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