Battery Equalizer

BobDye wrote:
I have seen an FARM SHOW article about 'Battery Equalizer' which claims to "double the life of any lead-acid battery by reversing the build-up of sulphation ...."

Their Web site is: www.batteryequaliser.com.

Is this a good product? Has anyone had experience with it?

Scam product. It may have a minor benefit with some batteries but since the claimed benefits are greatly exagerrated - it is a scam.

Moved from Forum Technical Support

Hi cmarg,

The problem is in the semantics. The PD does go to 14.4 volts for 15 minutes every 20 hours, which does "stir" the electrolyte. That is one form of (minor) equalization.

Another term is desulphation which requires more voltage for a longer period of time. This tends to help renew the temporarily lost capacity when batteries are not fully recharged after each and every use.

However, to equalize the individual cells capacity it may take several hours at up to 16 volts. Temperature will need to monitored carefully.

cmarq wrote:
A good quality electronic charger will have that feature, trailers and motor homes with a good quality converter charger will also have a desulfation function. My Pace Arrow gas a progressive dynamics that has the desulfation feature works automatically.

Hi,

It is a VERY high mark up item. Extending the service life of an aging battery can be useful as additives are cheap, readily available and worth the experiment for a handyman. These salts may reduce the internal resistance to give a sulfated battery a few extra months of life. Suitable additives are magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), caustic soda and EDTA (EDTA is a crystalline acid used in industry)

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/additives

A good quality electronic charger will have that feature, trailers and motor homes with a good quality converter charger will also have a desulfation function. My Pace Arrow gas a progressive dynamics that has the desulfation feature works automatically.