Is it okay to equalize maintainence free batteries?

In

The

Nutshell

Did TV ads stop showing cars being driven round and round circle tracks after XVBS additive was added to the crankcase then drained dry? In RVs calcium/calcium batteries would have a place and here it is:

Dedicated inverter batteries that would do the following.

Power a single high-amp draw for single digit minutes only to be promptly recharged.

Neat huh?

Sort of like their main purpose. Sit under maintenance charging for perhaps years at a time. Power goes off. Emergency lighting comes on. Comes on UNDER THE CONTROL OF A TIMER. Time's Up. Shutdown before "excessive" discharge is reached. Line voltage restored.

"We used our Delco Voyager three times and now it won't take a charge. The indicator eye is red and won't go back to being black"

See that line of people holding batteries?

Yes?

It's owners of The JC Penney Forever Battery.

Gimmicks always turn out the same way: The gullible end up with their shorts around their ankles...

After 37 years as an RV Tech, and seeing the rise and fall of OEM's using Maintenance Free RV batteries and dropping them, made me realize there is NO SUCH THING. While it seems simple enough, You cannot really have a GOOD LONG battery life if you think a Maintenance Free is the answer. Either go AGM or regular wet cell deep cycle batteries. I would NEVER purchase a so called Maintenance Free "deep" cycle battery as I believe there is no such thing. They always seem to fail after going completely down a few times. Doug

Gary. wrote:
I got an answer to my E-mail to Johnson Controls....... So I didn't get an answer that meant anything.

This is what I expected. No company is going to say go ahead, and risk having it in writing if something were to go wrong. Expecting a yes answer was unrealistic, and that customer service on a giant conglomerate would actually know something about their product is unwise.

Mex once informed me that a sealed calcium flooded battery, when unintentionally deeply cycled required absorption voltage at 15 volts to have any hope of longevity after an unintended deep discharge

I'd noticed such a battery also tapered to nearly 0 amps when fully charged at absorption voltage, where a regular flooded battery would still accept 0.7 to 1 amp to be held at that voltage after Specific gravity maxed out.

The deeply cycled maintenance free battery I recharged after the BMW's alternator went out, is still going 2+ years later, and has been drained to jump start levels twice since that I know of.

I Did not recharge it after the jumpstarts, the owner did put his 6amp schumacher on it overnight. Time will tell Takes a while in mild temperatures for capacity to decline to the point it can't start a fuel injected engine.

I'll certainly never buy a sealed flooded maintenance free battery.

My last wally world 27 at 7 years of age,which was relegated to engine starting duty at year 2, could start the engine fine when fully charged, but take 5 AH from it and Click click click.

I'd not fear EQing the calcium maintenance free battery. If capacity has declined to the point when it is noticeable, the battery is likely near a goner anyway.

I'd certainly not think a 2 amp 'trickle' charger left on it is going to do anything meaningful in terms or restoring lost capacity. now if one were able to bring it to, and hold it at 15 volts at 5 amps per 100Ah of capacity, then perhaps, but not a set it and forget it plug in charger.

The word 'Trickle' seems to have positive connotations for some. I see the word trickle and I think about a enlarged prostate and diseased sexual organ, and am mystified at the love of the word trickle even pertaining to batteries.

'Automatic' and 'trickle' is a double negative whammy.

.

I got an answer to my E-mail to Johnson Controls. I asked a simple question that would require either a YES or NO. The type battery and could it be equalized? I got a reply from Mary Jo who must not have been able to understand the question, or didn't know the answer and sent me a link to "battery maintenance and testing". So I didn't get an answer that meant anything.

I will not equalize the battery and just put it back on my 2amp charger. Thanks to everyones assistance and replies. Gary

It must be hard to get good help nowdays.

Gary. wrote:
I sent an E-mail to Johnson Controls. I am waiting for an answer and then I should know one way or the other. Thanks for your replies. I'll let you know what they decide, if they answer my E-mail. Gary

Best think you could have done. Too many people have their own interpretation of "maintenance free" batteries just adding to the confusion. ;)

time2roll wrote:
Seen plenty of maintenance free with removable caps.
And maybe that was the point.

CONCUR !

All light duty vehicles now come with "maintenance free" batteries. They basically have a bit more head room and the caps are designed to allow any water vapor to convert back to liquid and drip back into the cell.

I try to check the fluid level on all of my maintenance free batteries at least once a year and top off if required (I use city water, but if you are on a well I would use distilled water). Then I clean the outside with baking soda and water and rinse. I have had OEM batteries last over 10 years doing this.

Even Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) have a pressure release valve.

I sent an E-mail to Johnson Controls. I am waiting for an answer and then I should know one way or the other. Thanks for your replies. I'll let you know what they decide, if they answer my E-mail. Gary

The image above is far an all calcium battery. Not even hybrids are sealed like that. Great discussion about the "significance of the navel" but all that has nothing to do with the relevance of whether or not this battery was used for cycling duty and why the OP believes his battery needs equalization. Exide loves those handles on all their batteries and I like them too - for a dedicated engine starting battery that will never as much as a single significant depth of discharge. I remember being on a beach down here in the eighties. Campers. Loaded down with Delco Voyager batteries. Never seen so many red eyes since the last time I stayed in LA. A few of these batteries made it long enough to get yellow eye. John Booth manager of Costco Wholesale Reno NV showed me a loading dock with most of a pallet's worth of warranty Voyager batteries. "It's just awful" he said.

Yep-


While I can see where the caps are, it would not be trivial to remove them. If you cannot add water, I would not equalize.