Battery Charging

[Eagle Dude]

Before I get started yes I know "I was stupid". I worked in a battery locker in the NAVY for several years and had a lot of training on proper procedures when dealing with batteries.

I needed to move some Hay Rolls and when I went to start my Tractor all that happened was one little "click". OK, so the battery is down no problem I'll just put it on charge for awhile. I hook up the charger and set it on 12V/40A for 120 minutes (Yes I know). I go to remove the caps on the cells and can't get one off because of the battery hold down clamp, no big deal the caps are vented (Yes I know). After about an hour and 45 minutes later I come back to check the charge. I turn the ignition on and rotate for the starter (Yes I know). As the starter starts to engage there is a very loud BOOM!!. Thankfully the battery is located in front of the radiator so I didn't get showered with battery parts or acid. At the instant of the explosion I knew what had happened;
1. With a high rate of charge a lot of gas would be created in the cells
2. With 3 cells still caped, the ventilation was limited
3. With the charger still hooked up and powered during a start cycle a spark was generated.
4. The Spark ignited the gas
5. The combustion of the gases blew half the top and end off the battery.

A lot of Baking Soda and water to neutralize the acid and a lot of cussing myself. Why do we do dumb things when we know better?

 

[brin]

I've done the same thing many times with my JD 3020...since it is hard to start in the cold and the only way is with a quick charge...mine just has not blown up yet but I am guilty too so you have company..LOL

 

[Cami]

I'm glad to hear that only your battery and pride took a beating. You sent me on a stroll down amnesia lane:

There's an old legend, back in the village where I grew up, about a fisherman who made a nice little explosion down at the wharf while charging his boat's dead battery bank. He wanted to take a look at the terminals while it was charging but it was dark, so he used his cigarette lighter. He wasn't seriously hurt, but the incident earned him the nicname Die Hard; after the battery brand.

That cautionary tale has been with me since I was a boy.

In that same village, I drove the only forklift for hire in the area (within about 100 km) and it didn't have a charging system, so I'd just run off the battery. The battery could run the ignition for about 8 hours and give me a couple of starts. I'd always be hooking up the charger whenever there was a pause in work and sometimes somebody would holler a warning not to, "pull a Die Hard."

 

[Transit]

I have two suggestions;
First give your battery a good dose of Charge-it; it is very effective in keeping the plats clean and the battery in tip-top shape.
Second buy yourself a Victor Smart charger model VEC 1097 A. this charger holds the battery voltage below the gassing level and quick charges the battery efficiently. No need to set a timer, it will tell you when the battery is full, it also has many other useful features.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Confession is good for the soul. I trust that you feel better now? Thanks for the review for the rest of us, maybe there will be fewer repeats!

 

[Coyote machine]

I suggest using a charger called a "battery tender" it was recommended to me by my atv dealer and I have since used it to charge my marine deep cycle batteries, that sit most of the year waiting to power my boat. It is by far the best charger I have ever used and I previously owned and ran a foreign car repair/sales shop... (for reference purposes).
It constantly reads the state of the battery and will NOT over charge a battery regardless of how long the charger is left on.
The model I use is the battery tender junior.

Also to note: NEVER charge a frozen battery, nor one with a specific gravity below the minimum acceptable level for the specific battery in question.

BE SAFE

 

[Transit]

This is the 1097A, does lots more than just charging.


Car battery charger VEC1092A VEC092 VEC1092 VEC1097A - Vector Manufacturing

 

[lakeside]

I was working on my truck battery on afternoon. No charger hooked up and the hood open to vent any hydrogen gas. As I was lifting one of the caps off I heard a bang and the cap was blown over my head. My face got peppered with pieces of dirt which immediately started buring my skin.

I was wearing safety glasses and the only part of my face that didn't get burned was around my eyes. A good flush with the garden hose and I was back in business rather than a trip to the ER.

I NEVER work around around batteries, in fact I don't work with tools at all, without safety glasses. I may look like a geek, but who cares, I still have my eyesight.

 

[Transit]

Saving your eyes trumps the geek look every time. You probably set the hydrogen gas off with a static electric spark.

 

[Cami]

I'm in agreement regarding the eye protection. I'll wear them under my welding helmet or face shield for heavy grinding or overhead chipping....and still get crap in my eyes.

I keep a bottle of baking soda solution in the shop to neutralize acid when cleaning out battery trays; I suppose it would work for faces too....