Rescuing/Recovering Batteries Report UPDATE Test
UPDATE- (people asked to keep them informed how it went after I got these second hand golf car batts in case they had a chance to get some)
Ran another AH test, results and conclusions below in this post. (Question part of this OP deleted but rest of thread covers that part)
I have been nursing a pair of two-year old used T-1275 golf car batteries back to life for the last two months off and on.
I have been alternating sessions of Equalize and Recondition with the VEC1093DBD where the E gets them to 15.7v and the R does not raise voltage but zaps them somehow with pulses to attack sulphate on the plates.
Batteries are numbered 1 and 4 from when in a golf car, so I will stick with those names.
-Did a first set of recoveries in August and thought that was as good as it got. ( SGs from pos to neg) improved SGs came to:
Batt 4-- 1.260 right across
Batt 1-- 1.250, 1.250, 1.275, 1.260, 1.260, 1.260
Then went camping some more and got in two 50-90s and that seemed to cause a "break-out" where they started to improve again next time home with more nursing. (they must like being deep cycled)
Batt 4 --two 65s in with the 60s
Batt 1 --as before but now the 1.275 cell was 1.285.
I decide to play chemistry set on Batt 1, and drew electrolyte from the two 50s and the 85 and mixed it, replacing it and then did another set of E and R.
Supposed to put the batts on Float after the E and wait 72hrs before taking SG, so while on Float 13.4v, left the R going for three sets (24hr) of that at the same time.
Batt 4--1.270, 1.270, 1.165, 1.270, 1.270, 1.275
Batt 1--1.260, 1.260, 1.280, 1.265, 1.265, 1.165
Did another set of E and R so three days later
Batt 4--1.275, 1.275, 1.270, 1.280, 1.275, 1.280
Batt 1--1.270, 1.270, 1.280, 1.270, 1.270, 1.270
Did one more Equalize and got little change so figure that's about it for now. Ran an AH test on the pair in parallel.
Previous test a while ago was with an 18a load (should have been 15a for the 20 hr rate of 300AH rated capacity)
(Trojan says 50% is 1.172SG and 12.1v)
"50%" marked by 1.175 SG and 12.07v after resting. 127AH down from "full." So that made full 2 x 127 = 254AH and 254/300 = 85%
This time, using 15a, it took 9 hours (instead of 10) to get to "50%" marked by 1.175SG and 12.06v after 14 hrs resting. 133AH down from "full" So that makes full 2 x 133 = 266AH and 266/300 =89%
That checks with the 9 hours it took at 15a. Ambient was 60-50F during test so capacity would be down maybe 5% from rated at 80F.
That would make 100/95 x 266 = 280 and 280/300 = 93% Whatever, the latest nursing effort got them improved. I don't know what they would have been as two year olds by now after normal use either. So:
-Yes you can recover second hand golf car batteries if you go that route.
-Alternating a few days of pulse type Reconditioning with voltage raising Equalizing works to get things going again when Equalizing alone stalls out--don't give up too soon.
Ran another AH test, results and conclusions below in this post. (Question part of this OP deleted but rest of thread covers that part)
I have been nursing a pair of two-year old used T-1275 golf car batteries back to life for the last two months off and on.
I have been alternating sessions of Equalize and Recondition with the VEC1093DBD where the E gets them to 15.7v and the R does not raise voltage but zaps them somehow with pulses to attack sulphate on the plates.
Batteries are numbered 1 and 4 from when in a golf car, so I will stick with those names.
-Did a first set of recoveries in August and thought that was as good as it got. ( SGs from pos to neg) improved SGs came to:
Batt 4-- 1.260 right across
Batt 1-- 1.250, 1.250, 1.275, 1.260, 1.260, 1.260
Then went camping some more and got in two 50-90s and that seemed to cause a "break-out" where they started to improve again next time home with more nursing. (they must like being deep cycled)
Batt 4 --two 65s in with the 60s
Batt 1 --as before but now the 1.275 cell was 1.285.
I decide to play chemistry set on Batt 1, and drew electrolyte from the two 50s and the 85 and mixed it, replacing it and then did another set of E and R.
Supposed to put the batts on Float after the E and wait 72hrs before taking SG, so while on Float 13.4v, left the R going for three sets (24hr) of that at the same time.
Batt 4--1.270, 1.270, 1.165, 1.270, 1.270, 1.275
Batt 1--1.260, 1.260, 1.280, 1.265, 1.265, 1.165
Did another set of E and R so three days later
Batt 4--1.275, 1.275, 1.270, 1.280, 1.275, 1.280
Batt 1--1.270, 1.270, 1.280, 1.270, 1.270, 1.270
Did one more Equalize and got little change so figure that's about it for now. Ran an AH test on the pair in parallel.
Previous test a while ago was with an 18a load (should have been 15a for the 20 hr rate of 300AH rated capacity)
(Trojan says 50% is 1.172SG and 12.1v)
"50%" marked by 1.175 SG and 12.07v after resting. 127AH down from "full." So that made full 2 x 127 = 254AH and 254/300 = 85%
This time, using 15a, it took 9 hours (instead of 10) to get to "50%" marked by 1.175SG and 12.06v after 14 hrs resting. 133AH down from "full" So that makes full 2 x 133 = 266AH and 266/300 =89%
That checks with the 9 hours it took at 15a. Ambient was 60-50F during test so capacity would be down maybe 5% from rated at 80F.
That would make 100/95 x 266 = 280 and 280/300 = 93% Whatever, the latest nursing effort got them improved. I don't know what they would have been as two year olds by now after normal use either. So:
-Yes you can recover second hand golf car batteries if you go that route.
-Alternating a few days of pulse type Reconditioning with voltage raising Equalizing works to get things going again when Equalizing alone stalls out--don't give up too soon.
