Forum Discussion

3_tons's avatar
3_tons
Explorer III
Jan 16, 2014

Battery Experts, Reconditioning vs Equalization??

I Finally received my new B&D VEC 1093DBD charger yesterday but have found the user manual to be a bit Spartan, particularly with regards to how 'Reconditioning' (a pulsation mode - per manual, "lead sulfate, an insulator, begins to build-up on plates"), differs in objective from 'Equalization' (per manual, "voltage rises, but does not go over 15.3v to 16.2v, depending on ambient temp."), but without any additional user manual clarification. Though the two methods/strategies differ widely (pulsation vs higher voltage - equalization stirring of chemical soup), it seems to me, that with either methodology the objective of removing sulfate from the plates is the same...Just more bells and whistles??

3 tons
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Jan 16, 2014
    Just curious where you got the Black and Decker VEC1093DBD Portable 40AMP Charger from. Mine came from AMAZON and I notice they are listed as NOT AVAILABLE any more. I checked with another source that carried them in the past with the same results...

    Hoping these chargers are NOT going out of production now... There is a bunch of us RV'ers that have them...

    Roy Ken
  • beemerphile1's avatar
    beemerphile1
    Explorer
    Jan 16, 2014
    I've always felt equalizing was only needed after adding water. Particularly in a battery that is bounced on the roadways.

    Desulfation should be done regularly and is even more important if you typically run the batteries low before charging.

    The above is just my layman's opinion from past experience.
  • MrWizard's avatar
    MrWizard
    Moderator
    Jan 16, 2014
    Reconditioning a.k.a. desulfation , can run for hours or even days without harm to batteries
    The longer the better

    Equalization , controlled over voltage to stir the electrolyte and equalize the specific gravity of all cells, is temperature sensitive and should only be done as a *timed* controlled event
    Do it ONLY when your are there to keep watch , check on the batteries
  • bob213's avatar
    bob213
    Explorer
    Jan 16, 2014
    I not the expert you are looking for but....


    Two different objectives from what I've read. Reconditioning knocks sulfur off the plates. Equalization equals out the charge within the cells. Do both. Equalization should not be done on a maintenance free battery I am told.

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