Battery treatment chemicals for sulfation?

[SPIKER]

hi All;

I done & left the key on the tractor a full week a couple of weeks back /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif and even after re-charging the battery it appears that there has been some damage to it. it (the battery) charges up to 12.0 volts & holds that LEVEL of voltage using the charger and even starts the tractor fine in this warm temps.. I know it SHOULD read 12.8~13.4 or so un-loaded. I remember some type of battery additive that was something like "X-14" or something which claimed to knock off the "plate sulfation buildup" which is what causes low voltage usually. I will be out there and check the battery today with a HYDROMETER so I'll know a bit more on it's condition tonight. I was hoping to see if anyone has used any of that x-14 stuff and if so where did you get it and what was the results? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

ok anyhow got to get going to the farm.

MarkM

ok thanks for the help

MarkM

 

[Charolais]

Yep. VX6 is one brand. VX 6

I've used it. It works great unless the battery has a cracked or broken plate. Never seen but one with a broken plate.

I've used it in tractor batteries and used it in one that had a crack in the outside. Sealed the crack up with silicone and put the VX6 in and started the tractor right up.

The first battery I tried it in I did the mfg. test that they had on the label. This battery would charge just a little. You dive around a while and sometimes when you turn the key it would just click. I'd roll it off and get it started and next time it might start with the battery. Just before adding the VX6 I turned the head lights on and left them on till there was no light from the lamps. Turned the lights off, poured the VX6 in, and got in the truck and turned the key to start. It fired right up. I ran that battery until I traded the truck which was 4-5 years.

We also used the VX6 in the big 48 volt batteries for AC electric fork lifts. These batteries weighed over 4,000 pounds. It was a lot cheaper to use the VX6 than change out those cells when they went down. These were in a textile mill. Ran them 24hrs a day. One battery on charge, one cooling and one in the lift. So yes it works.

 

[PineRidge]

Mark you can get a battery pretty cheap these days if you aren't needing an Optima. Before I would dump 25 bucks worth of chemical in a battery that may or may not work afterward I might be checking the price for a WalMart battery. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[KENSFM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Before I would dump 25 bucks worth of chemical in a battery that may or may not work afterward I might be checking the price for a WalMart battery. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )</font>

Mark, maybe Junkman can get you his employee discount at WalMart to save a few more bucks. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ken /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Junkman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Before I would dump 25 bucks worth of chemical in a battery that may or may not work afterward I might be checking the price for a WalMart battery. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif)</font>

You only use 4 ounces of the quart per normal sized battery. It is also available in auto parts stores in the 4oz. bottles. Works well in most cases, but after a while, there is no saving any battery. I use it in the Wally World batteries after about 3 years and get another 2 or 3 years of service out of them.


</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Mark, maybe Junkman can get you his employee discount at WalMart to save a few more bucks. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ken /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )</font>

"Wake up, if you want your dreams to come true." The only thing you get as an employee at Walmart is grief from the management and the customers. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bandit67]

You could spend $40 and get a 'Battery Minder', which is a small charger with a computer chip that can de-sulphate a battery as it charges it, and will not overcharge, so it can be left hooked up and charging for months at a time. The nice thing about it is that you can use it to charge and de-sulphate every battery you own - vehicles, tractor, RV, marine, etc.

HERE is a link to a website that sells the Battery Minder.

 

[slowrev]

You mean to say that no one has their battery acid tested every 100 hours or so ? I mean really! How can you judge a battery without knowing the sulfate content ? Just shooting in the dark I guess.....

Ben /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Tim_in_IA]

Here is a trickle charger that sends a pulse through the charge that desulphates the battery electrically. I almost got one this weekend for one of my vehicles but then I saw a crack in the side of the battery so I went with the wal-mart replacement for $30.

http://www.batterymart.com/batteryminder.php

If anyone has used one of these please let me know how it worked out.

 

[PineRidge]

Hey Junk could you spare 4 ounces out of your quart for Mark and pay shipping too? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[SPIKER]

Hi All:

here is the readings from the hydrometer:

each cell was almost dead on 175 (which was on this unit dead center on the re-chagre area of red tape coloring.) which is good and wondering why news. now the battery is a PITA one which sets down between the rad & under the air filter. I pulled the air filter housing loose already to make access to the battery easier and all the water/acid levels are pretty much dead on where I set them some 3 years back now. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I can't belive that myself I figured simple evaporation would have claimed a bit of level ? that VX6 may be what I was thinking about.

as for those big ole honking forkilft batteries yep I had to work on those a lot too. I'm a maintenance mech but only filled the water levels if needed on them as the 1st shift was the battery tech. he used open torch flame to solder on the terminals on those batteries /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif while he showed me how to braze/weld / solder them on I said naw & let him do that while i handled the mechinacal stuff /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I value my face un-acid etched...

anyhow I put it back on 3 amp trickle charger for 12 hrs, (forgot to check that today too ;( /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif ) and this time connected the leads dirrectly to the battery posts.

anyhow back to the battery at hand it is a big one, heavy and hard to get out, I installed it and found it was easier to install the colwing AFTER the battery was in on the 2nd one I assembled. (note this is a china battery and weighs about 80 lbs full. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif not something I want to mess with with the messed up back... anyhow it is still partly dissassembled and I'll try and find soem of the VX6 or what ever it was mentioned above. I remember this stuff and heard great things about it and was told by the CLARK REP for the forklift batteries that they used it in everyone they set out as a pretreatment... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif note this was a local dealer so maybe different in/at other locations. that was 4 yrs back or so now so I couldn't remeber the name of it right...

anyhow I stopped at autozone and talked to the guy who didn't / doesn't know his rear from an exhaust and well you get the picture... he wanted to sell me a new battery and said they don't even carry acid anymore unless you want to pay for it na dhave it shipped in for each use type thing. this guy is one I've had to deal with befor and I already knew his answer befor asking (pretty much the same thing every time a blank stare like some one asking for a moon rock or proof of life on other planets! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

any how this computer was acting up and seems to be having some mental problems of it's own so I'll get back here if it keeps going this week. I have too many things going on at once.

1. battery problem,
2. adding spring seat to the tractor /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif 70 buck job from TSC seems nice for a inexpensive seat. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

3. arrived home to soaking bathroom floor from a leak /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

4. computer didn't start up and had to change & re-load bios 2 times /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif even /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif er

5 sandblasted the chrome off the BBQ grill top as it started flaking this weekend rinit a load of burgers & dogs /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Not sure if I'll still use this grill top but I think I'll fab up a small round one like my big one I made, 1/8" thick .5'x1" expanded metal one snd doubbled it up so there is a cris cross thing going on so burgers don't fall through so easy or stick so bad.

6. put in window ac units. one down 2 left.

7. dig my own grave as if I ever get all this done I'm sure it will kill me first lol /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
8. keep smileing as every one already knows I'm nuts so might as well proove it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

MarkM

 

[bandit67]

I guess you didn't see my post 2 ahead of yours. Go to the link I provided to get the Battery Minder a little cheaper, with free ground shipping.

And yes, I have one, and bought one after hearing from many others that swear by this charger.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> You mean to say that no one has their battery acid tested every 100 hours or so ? </font>
Depends if you're running dino battery acid or synthetic battery acid. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Tim_in_IA]

I completely missed that post. Was fighting a huge migraine yesterday so it's not too suprising. Have you tried the battery minder on dead batteries that wouldn't hold a charge to see if it would resurect them?

 

[bandit67]

About the worst battery I had it on was an ATV battery that drained out before I got the Battery Minder, but was only a couple of years old, so it probably wasn't the best test of the charger.

I did keep one of my truck batteries going with the Battery Minder, but after doing a complete draindown on the battery one day in the parking lot, I bought new ones because it wasn't too convenient trying to hook up the charger every night, especially for 2 batteries.

It seems to do a great job of keeping all of my part time use batteries in tip-top shape, but that's with alternating the charger between all the different batteries every month or so. They make these cables that you can permanently mount to the battery in the vehicle, then you just plug in the charger without having to pop the hood, cover, etc. I only have one of those, and haven't decided which battery to hook it up to. I really should get a Battery Minder for each and every battery in each vehicle, toy, etc. since many of them sit for periods of time, and leave them all plugged in all the time when not in use. The charger will not overcharge, and will keep the battery in new condition, fully charged, ready for use, no matter how long something sits.

And, if nothing else, the charger is very small, so it's a lot easier to use than a standard charger. I haven't used my standard battery charger for a few years, since I got the Battery Minder.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Bandit67, I took your advice and got a Minder from that website shortly after your post. BTW, xlnt service from them. I had 2 old-ish RV/marine batteries that I let sit tooo long. I let them sit for a month on the de-sulfate function. Then unplugged and started the standard charge cycle. Unfortunately, it never went into the maintenance/de-sulfate mode from there ... which it is supposed to do IF there is no more sulfation present. BUMMER !!!!!!
SOOooo, I said, "to heck with that!!!" As I did not need one of the RV batteries for some time to come, I just left it plugged in on the de-sulfate mode. It took 2-1/2 months but, I'll be gall derned if that doggoned Minder didn't de-sulfate that battery!!!!!! I put it back on the standard charge function and within an hour it automatically switched to maintenance/de-sulfate mode, just like the instructions said it was supposed to. WAY COOL!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!
Cheers!

 

[HomeBrew2]

One more time. I had another old battery that didn't take a charge well. I stuck it on the MINDer for a month and it would NOT go from charge mode to maintenance/de-sulfate mode (which requires the battery to take a 14V charge). Sooo, I let it sit on maintenance/de-sulfate mode for 3 full months. Tonight I reset the MINDer to charge mode. It only took about a minute for it to go into maintenance/de-sulfate mode.
Again, a very COOL charger/conditioner.
Cheers!

 

[Walt Barrett]

TRy Welcome to BatteryChem