MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
As a side note. Plate material can and does soften and decompose without affecting specific gravity readings. It does however affect static voltage readings.
Plate mossing, buckling and warpage, loss of plate active material, antimony transfer to the negative plate all have an effect on static resting voltage. Clarity of electrolyte sample is essential. Static self-discharge is another clue. Load testing and impedance testing yet another path to gain clues as to what is happening inside a cell.
When a cell is equalized and reverts to OEM density of electrolyte, yet droops in open-circuit SG over a period of days, this is a bad sign.
Cell Voltage values must be coordinated with specific gravity management. Both -must- not degrade after normalization and after resting.
My batts held their readings, for weeks, even months at a time, while in storage last winter, and the electolyte does not look cloudy, so that's a good thing. But the two bad cells do revert back to being at a 0.010 lower sg, after a couple days at rest. Obviously I need to do a serious eq on them. Hopefully this will bring them back in line with the others.
