Restoring Dead 12V Batteries with Epson Salt

[MK7]

So I have this dead battery that was replaced in 2005 and just sitting in the back corner of my yard, in all 4 seasons of the East Coast for over 10 years.  Using epson salt + distilled water, it seems to be holding a charge and has been running my little computer fans for over 2 days, continuously now.

I just dumped out the little acid left inside and replaced it with epson salt water; then used a 10A charger: http://www.harborfreight.com/10250-amp-12v-manual-charger-with-engine-start-62334.html



But this guy gave a better process of:


"1 cup or 8 oz of alum "aluminum sulfate" in a 1 gallon jug then fill the jug with water Same for the baking soda 1 cup per gallon. The baking soda mix is used after draining the acid to neutralize any left over acid. You can then after rinsing with that rinse with plain water to get out the baking soda mix. Then you will put in the alum mix filling to just above the plates and then charge."

I'm going to try it his way (using alum) with a 5-7 year old, dead battery to see what happens.

 

[highdesertranger]

umm I always thought that this was internet fantasy. keep us updated. highdesertranger

 

[rvpopeye]

OMG skuh kuh kuh kuh
My thoughts on this.......if it did work , battery mfg's would be using that instead of acid to save $$$ and still charge the same. ????????????

 

[SternWake]

Epson salts can revive a battery for a short while, but ultimately it is a death sentence.
A used car salesman's best friend. They keep it on the shelf next to the Lucas Oil Stabilizer.

 

[MK7]

OMG skuh kuh kuh kuh
My thoughts on this.......if it did work , battery mfg's would be using that instead of acid to save $$$ and still charge the same. ????????????

Duh...obviously the acid is way better. Nobody is claiming that this turns a 10 year old battery that's sitting under a tree, into a brand new one for 25 cents worth of Epson Salt.

 

[MK7]

Epson salts can revive a battery for a short while, but ultimately it is a death sentence.
A used car salesman's best friend. They keep it on the shelf next to the Lucas Oil Stabilizer.

So far, the epson salt attempt isn't good enough to start my car that requires a 600 CCA battery. Still not bad that it's holding a charge and running lights, fans, car vacuum, etc. for almost a week now....for a 10+ year old, dead battery that's been sitting in a corner, outdoors.

Now I'm going to dump out the epson salt, put in baking soda to neutralize any acid that's left and then try the alum & distilled water to see what happens. The guy in the video got his revived battery to start his truck, but I think his was around 5 years dead while mine is 10 years dead.  I remember replacing this car's battery in 2005 so this battery is actually at least 15-16 years old as I usually get 5-6 years use out of one.

 

[rvpopeye]

MK7

It does seem like an interesting experiment for you to try.

You have the battery and you are getting some use out of one otherwise long dead , so why not keep going as long as you realize you probably can't rely on it to start your vehicle out in the boonies !

Free power for your lights and small fans and maybe someone else can save some $$ using this method and another battery that's pooched out.

 

[eDJ_]

I've heard of this and read about it too.   I  have a couple of never used but old Lawnmower batteries I've thought about trying this with.  I believe by now that they are "sulficated".

In the past I've seen Garage mechanics take cars that have been sitting for prolonged periods and get them running again.  One of their old tricks was to dump the content of the battery and flush it with rain water.
Then fill it with with 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 rain water.  Then they put it on a 50 amp charger for a few minutes to "blast" it and knock the sulfication lose from the plates.  I used to watch them as it looked like
smoke rolling out of each cell. 

Then they would put it on slow charge overnight.   By the next day the battery seemed to be OK again.
If they held up for a week or so they poured out the vinegar water and flushed it again with rain water.
Then they charged it with battery acid again with some rain water.  But the main thiing was getting the sulfication
off the plates.

 

[rvpopeye]

I learned all that I know about auto repair from one of those old shade tree mechanics .
They knew way more than any of these guys that just throw parts at a problem these days for sure !

Of course my wrenching abilities doesn't translate too well with the new vehicles with all the computer stuff in them.....but I can usually figure out problems on the old stuff , now , being able to still turn the wrenches is another story !!!!!

I remember seeing somewhere that the mfg's and their "stealerships" were trying to make it illegal for owners to do any work on their own vehicles ,,,,not cool !

Maybe we need to start a new thread for old shade tree tricks like this ????
Who knows what we might find ?

 

[offroad]

The days of printing your own parts on a 3D printer can not start fast enough

 

[MK7]

Then they put it on a 50 amp charger for a few minutes to "blast" it and knock the sulfication lose from the plates.  I used to watch them as it looked like
smoke rolling out of each cell.  

This seems to work well. First, the 10+ year dead battery didn't seem to be taking a charge at 2 nor 10 amps. So I put it on 50 amps which is the Jump Start function of this $30 charger and after about 5 minutes, the water started bubbling and I dropped it down to 2 amps again and it was charging now.

 

[compassrose]

The days of printing your own parts on a 3D printer can not start fast enough

And you can get a 3d printer in many places including (believe it or not) Home Depot! They have several, the cheapest being made by..... Dremel!

I expect to find them on Amazon. But Home Depot!  How well any of them work, I couldn't say but the things would be a boom for vintage parts of all kinds as long as you can program in the specs for the parts you need made. A smart junk yard would be scanning and selling 3d plans for old (and newer) vehicles.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dremel-Idea-Builder-3D-Printer-3D20-01/205448581

 

[highdesertranger]

I thought 3d printers made whatever out of plastic. for metal part there is already a machine to replicate parts, it's called a CNC. highdesertranger

 

[ccbreder]

This thread went off topic. I have lived with the trade since 1954. lead acid batteries can be restored, but not with salts and other witchcraft. Back in the beginning, they were dismantled, flushed, and re-assembled. Back then the tops were pored pitch and could be disassembled. It was common to "fast charge" a battery to allow it to survive a few more months. but nothing but sulfuric acid will work in a lead battery, no matter what anyone says.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

My smart charger wouldnt begin to charge my nephews dead car battery, said that the voltage was too low to accept a charge or something. Would the epson salt change that or do i just need a different kind of (dumber)charger?

 

[SternWake]

The old school wheeled chargers are not voltage regulated. They will put out their maximum rated current and the battery voltage will rise, and keep rising, to battery damaging levels if left on long enough.

It is abusive, but effective at bitch slapping a chronically undercharged battery that refused to even try and charge on a lesser charging source.

Blowing past the mid 14V range while the battery is still depleted, with high amperages, is bad for a healthy battery, or an otherwise healthy battery that was drawn way to low this one time.

An Equalization charge is a less abusive method to restore a battery to maximum specific gravity. Apply 5% of the battery capacity rating until battery voltage reaches 16 volts. This is the best way to desulfate a battery. It is better if the battery was held at 14.5 volts for an hour or two before current increased again to 5% and voltage allowed to rise to 16V, however long that takes.
The wheeled chargers will just blow past the mid 14;s applying maximum amperage until the battery itself limits the voltage somewhere north of 16 volts. The battery temperature will skyrocket, and this also aids in desulfation, but it is very abusive to the battery plates, they can warp.


When A 'smart' charger sees battery voltage below a certain number, it decides to not even bother trying to charge the battery. Blame the lawyers, but trying to charge a battery with a shorted cell can be dangerous. Sooo


To get a smart charger to start on such a battery, hook the bad battery to a known good battery via jumper cables, and put the charger on the good battery and start it on the highest setting. After a half hour or so, and as little as a few minutes, unplug charger, remove jumper cables, attach charger to 'bad' battery and restart charger on highest setting. When charger gives up and flashes the green light, load the battery with something until battery voltage drops to 12.6v or below, then restart the charger. Lather rinse repeat.

Epsom salts yield a temporary improvement but are a ultimately a death sentence. I've not tried it. I'll not bother unless it is a Mad Max situation.
A chemist could tell you exactly why it works. I won't go there.

As far as wheeled chargers go. their size and the fact they have wheels, and handles and are all beat up might lead one to believe they are magical battery restorers, well the simple fact is that they are simply a dumb unregulated powersupply which will fry a battery if left on too long.

One can get a 100 amp RV converter for a fraction of the size that will give everything a battery can take. My 40 amp charging source is a 40 amp adjustable voltage power supply, and is the size of a tall paperback book, and thinner than a Mitchener, and I can adjust the maximum allowed voltage to something safe, and restore a battery better than any wheeled charger that has been given god like status for its plate warping proclivities. It might take a little longer though..

And it don't need no stinking wheels.

 

[MK7]

With Epson Salt, it's been running a series of 3 computer fans 24/7 as an exhaust for almost a week now. Including some lights, car vacuum, and other fans. It won't start my car though. I'm still going to try it with the alum once it gets here from Amazon. I will dump out the epson salt, fill it with water/baking soda mix to neutralize any acid left, then fill it with alum/water to see how that goes.

Another interesting thing is my Optima Red Top AGM battery. I bought a supercharged Cobra that had this battery in it in 2005 and the guy said that this battery was a year old. I hardly drove the car and the battery kept draining due to the alarm, etc. It drained so many times that it needed the charger hooked up often. I knew this was not good for it. At least 10x being recharged from dead. Finally it wouldn't hold a charge very long after recharging and getting annoying. I replaced it with a new battery around 2007 and this Optima sat in the shed for about 6 years. Then I took it out to recharge to see what happens.... when I got my van, to use it as a house battery. It didn't hold a charge well, but I then put that $5-6 battery float charger from Harbor Freight on it and forgot about it for about 5 months. Then the battery that replaced this Optima in the Cobra, died. I tried using the Optima, and it started the Cobra like a champ. Now this 11 year old Optima AGM that's been sitting in a shed for 5-6 years, is my car's main battery.

How the heck did it revive like that? My car has an underdrive alternator pulley (for more RW power), which spins the alternator slower....so my batteries don't get adequate charges and don't last that long. But these Optimas are damn amazing. Never had 1 before b/c they're just so expensive. Anyone know? Was it the cheapo HB float charger that worked its magic?