Battery Equalization

[2112]

I pulled my Continental M24-60 battery this morning to water and equalize. The two outside cells were slightly lower on water as compared to the four inside cells. After equalizing at 15.4V for about thirty minutes the four inside cells are boiling well with good SG but the two outside cells have very little activity and their SG is slightly low.

The questions are:
Do I continue to boil?

Am I removing good plating off the inside cells trying to get the outside cells in line?

Should I increase my voltage?

Call it good and accept the fact my four year old battery is on it's last leg?

Thanks

[2112]

After three hours at 16V 2.5A the weak cells are doing a little better but not quite there. I'm going to call it quits right there.

Maybe charging it an hour every three days while in storage wasn't such a good idea after all.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

1.4 amps skews the entire formula so go by when the last cells start bubbling. Bring a thick novel, and canteen.

[grizzzman]

2112 wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

Feed positive battery charging lead in and out of 50 watt 12 volt light bulb and you have a current regulator.

Excellent Idea

It's ~1.5A at 15.5V so I'll raise it closer to 16V. I doubt I'll get 4A at 16V.

I just feel like I'm ripping off good plating on the good cells trying to recover the weak one, doing more harm than good. Like I'm robbing life out of it.

To answer your "feeling" yes you are. With that said, Mex is right.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Debriding a wound. Letting it bleed to flush out bacteria. Wind the ---- out of it to blow out the carbon...

This is -exactly- why thick dense battery plates are an asset. They offer less kWh per pound of weight, but they have plate material in abundance. But one cannot have everything.

Sulfated, the battery is of no use to anyone. Bite the bullet and proceed.

[2112]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

Feed positive battery charging lead in and out of 50 watt 12 volt light bulb and you have a current regulator.

Excellent Idea

It's ~1.5A at 15.5V so I'll raise it closer to 16V. I doubt I'll get 4A at 16V.

I just feel like I'm ripping off good plating on the good cells trying to recover the weak one, doing more harm than good. Like I'm robbing life out of it.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Equalize is 5% of amp hour capacity in constant current

Example 4 amp

Until one of two things happen

Voltage rises to 16.0 volts

All cells revert to normal density.

Feed positive battery charging lead in and out of 50 watt 12 volt light bulb a d you have a current regulator.

15.4 volts is barely adequate. But eventually it will work. Shut off if boiling cells reach 120°F

[Triker33]

I have gotten a little over 7 years out of my last two sets of T-105's.
Neither set was ever equalized once.

All were used in Full Time service. But little boondocking.

[red31]

http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions/articles/430-corrective-equalization-instructions