"Travis Jordan" hath wroth:

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
I'll see if I can find some details on the chemistry of such
electrolyte deterioration.

I first heard about this from an engineer friend who worked in the
(automotive and marine) lead acid battery industry. I was grumping
about the failure of my alarm panel's gel cel after only four years -
with perhaps only one discharge / charge cycle during that time, and he
told me that it was because the electrolyte that "became neutralized"
(his words). I didn't think to challenge him at the time.

Sounds fishy. The electrolyte is just sulfuric acid with some type of
gelling agent. I'm not sure what he meant by "neutralized" but it
kinda sounds like dilluted. Methinks that can't be right. There's
nothing H2SO4 can break down into that isn't a gas. There's no H2S
smell, so that's not it. Disolving lead into solution is the same as
discharge. I'm mystified.

My guess(tm) is that most premature stationary battery failures are
from overcharging. That's overcharging the battery, not the customer.

Let us know what you find out.

Of course. Bug me if I forget.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558