|
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. Thanks, Hank |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:33:20 +0000, Hank wrote:
|! |!Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge |!a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? Wrong. |!more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not |!survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge |!them. |!The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in |!the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for |!a long time. Or the alternator is f*cked. Or the battery is knackered, they only last a few years. -- Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Compare and contrast Sharia Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia European Convention on Human Rights http://www.hri.org/docs/ECHR50.html Then sign this petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Ban-Sharia |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
Hank wrote:
Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. Thanks, Hank Not at all. However batteries that get flat enough to need a charger are usually knackered by that fact. Once I get to having to charge a car battery, I am pretty much always in need of a new one. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
Hank wrote: Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. Quite the reverse; lead acid batteries last best when kept reasonably fully charged - hence their continued use in cars where this is generally the case. Of course like any battery they shouldn't be overcharged. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. That is the cause of the problem - car type lead acid don't like being let go 'flat'. If the car is to be unused for more than a couple of weeks or so disconnect the battery. -- *Marriage changes passion - suddenly you're in bed with a relative* Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In message , Hank
writes Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. Lead acid batteries are easy to destroy. They do not handle deep discharge well and suffer from sulphation of the lead plates inside. This is where an insulating layer forms on the surface of the plate reducing it's ability to do it's job. It follows that it's best to keep them topped up from time to time, but slapping one on a cheap charger that just pumps current in constantly will also result in damage, particularly if the acid/water level inside isn't monitored and is allowed to drop below the top of the plates. Care of batteries that are not being used for a while is a mix of occasional top-ups and a bit of discharging too. You can get devices that apparently condition the battery by pulsing a brief high current load across it while it's on a charger. It's a complex subject! -- Clive Mitchell http://www.bigclive.com |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
Clive Mitchell wrote: You can get devices that apparently condition the battery by pulsing a brief high current load across it while it's on a charger. And the jury's out on whether this is just a gimmick. -- *He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless, dead. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:47:57 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
|!Hank wrote: |! Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge |! a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On |! more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not |! survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge |! them. |! |! The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in |! the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for |! a long time. |! |! Thanks, |! |! Hank |!Not at all. However batteries that get flat enough to need a charger are |!usually knackered by that fact. |! |!Once I get to having to charge a car battery, I am pretty much always in |!need of a new one. Not my experience! I left the car undriven for over a month and came back to a discharged battery. Recharged it and a year later no more problems. -- Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Compare and contrast Sharia Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia European Convention on Human Rights http://www.hri.org/docs/ECHR50.html Then sign this petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Ban-Sharia |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
"Hank" wrote in message ... Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. Thanks, Hank Even if it did, what else would you charge them with, a meat pie? :o) John -- (\__/) (='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste Bunny into your (")_(") signature to help him gain world domination. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
"Hank" wrote in message ... Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. The problem you experience has arisen through leaving the battery in a discharged/part discharged condition for a length of time. The cells will have sulphated up and the battery is scrap. Buy another one, batteries are consumable items and are cheap! Next time you lay-up a vehicle, pull one of the battery leads off (negative is best) and trickle charge the battery periodically or invest in a little 'wall wart' style battery charger that can be left connected permanently. Julian. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes You can get devices that apparently condition the battery by pulsing a brief high current load across it while it's on a charger. And the jury's out on whether this is just a gimmick. And it's out on those desulphation pills too. And the chemical additives. And those **** solar chargers that put out barely enough to light their "power on" LED on a typical dull UK day. -- Clive Mitchell http://www.bigclive.com |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In message , Julian
writes Buy another one, batteries are consumable items and are cheap! Next time you lay-up a vehicle, pull one of the battery leads off (negative is best) and trickle charge the battery periodically or invest in a little 'wall wart' style battery charger that can be left connected permanently. And don't skimp on the battery size to save pennies. Fit the biggest that will go in the battery bay. -- Clive Mitchell http://www.bigclive.com |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
Clive Mitchell wrote: In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes You can get devices that apparently condition the battery by pulsing a brief high current load across it while it's on a charger. And the jury's out on whether this is just a gimmick. And it's out on those desulphation pills too. And the chemical additives. And those **** solar chargers that put out barely enough to light their "power on" LED on a typical dull UK day. And add those 'battery conditioners' at 40 quid when a realistic price would be a tenner. -- *Strip mining prevents forest fires. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
Hank wrote on 08/03/2007 :
Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. Thanks, Hank The discharge/charge cycle itself damages batteries, but this is normal wear and and tear. If you use an old type battery charger which just charges irrespective of need for charge, it is possible to overcharge them which is seriously damaging to the battery. Assuming none of the above, simply leaving a battery to go flat can cause the most severe form of damage. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On Thu, 8 Mar 2007 13:03:57 -0000, JohnW
wrote: Not normally, but if it is a cheap charger ( = normal shop model) that puts out too much charging current, in attempt to get a "fast charge", it could do if left charging a fully charged battery. Thanks. I've never been quite clear about how long one should leave a car battery on charge, using a cheap charger. I've generally left them overnight, i.e., 8-12 hours. Is that about right? My current car has been unused for the past 4 months and when I tried to start her up today, there was just barely enough charge left in the battery to fire the engine up. So I have put the battery on charge (using a cheap charger). Thanks also to the other respondees. Hank |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
Harry Bloomfield writes:
Assuming none of the above, simply leaving a battery to go flat can cause the most severe form of damage. As an aside much maligned NiCd batteries _can_ be left flat and not suffer. Though of course reverse charging is bad so you must not run a multi-cell battery into the ground. Jon |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
Huge wrote:
And I'm going to buy a second one for the (ride-on) lawnmower, whose battery is dead as a door-nail, as we discovered yesterday. Ride-on mowers and mini-tractors are really battery killers in my experience, not because they work the battery hard or anything but simply because they get left unused for long periods. As many others have pointed out here it's leaving lead acid batteries uncharged (and thus self-discharge) is what kills them. I have both a ride-on mower and a mini-tractor and after losing a couple of batteries this way I now have a Gunson's "automatic" charger for each which is left connected most of the time, but especially over the winter. (That reminds me, see separate thread about connectors) -- Chris Green |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
"Huge" wrote in message ... On 2007-03-09, wrote: Huge wrote: And I'm going to buy a second one for the (ride-on) lawnmower, whose battery is dead as a door-nail, as we discovered yesterday. Ride-on mowers and mini-tractors are really battery killers in my experience, not because they work the battery hard or anything but simply because they get left unused for long periods. As many others have pointed out here it's leaving lead acid batteries uncharged (and thus self-discharge) is what kills them. Sadly, this has the opposite problem. It's been on a charger on a timer all winter, on low charge for 15 minutes a day. Sadly, this is still excessive, and it electrolysed all the acid away. Surely not at just 15mins/day? A modern car alternator charges the battery at about 14.8 volts, think how many hours a car battery spends at this voltage without any problems. Would a little trickle charger (I assume this is what you use) ever bring the battery voltage up to such levels. (as an aside, I've overcome the problem with one of those little wall wart chargers, Gunsons do a (IIRC) 500mA output one for just over a fiver. I've added a few 10 Watt ceramic resistors into the circuit to cut charge current down to vehicle parasitic losses + about 50mA. - stays on 24/7 in the winter.) Julian. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
Huge wrote: And add those 'battery conditioners' at 40 quid when a realistic price would be a tenner. OTOH the one I have has saved my GBP50/yr for new car batteries. As would any battery charger. And I'm going to buy a second one for the (ride-on) lawnmower, whose battery is dead as a door-nail, as we discovered yesterday. Most electronics are like that, anyway. Ever taken an ECU to pieces? 5 quids worht of electronics in a 10 quid die-cast box, which costs 600 quid from the manufacturer. My point is you can buy a proper charger that will float a battery after charging it for less. Or even a 'three stage' small one (6 amp max) from Lidl for a tenner - although of course they never have stock when you want something. The small conditioners only should cost no more than any other wall wart - say a tenner. -- *No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:09:18 GMT, Clive Mitchell
wrote: In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes You can get devices that apparently condition the battery by pulsing a brief high current load across it while it's on a charger. And the jury's out on whether this is just a gimmick. And it's out on those desulphation pills too. Worked for me once - Car OK until one day when: Got in car in morning - battery flat - jump start - drive to work 20 miles. 8 hours later after work - battery flat - jump start - drive home 20 miles - take battery out - trickle overnight. Next day battery replaced - drive to work. 8 hours later battery flat - jump start - drive home trickle charge but noticed 5 cells were gassing, one wasn't. Imediately purchased a pack of 'Battery Aid' pills - put 4 in the dodgy cell and one each in the others. Battery was then good for over a year - including a bad winter, after which I sold the car. Have been unable to find the pills recently. £3 to extend the life of a battery for a substantial time seemed good value. GrahamC |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
JohnW laid this down on his screen :
Huge, in article , says... Sadly, this has the opposite problem. It's been on a charger on a timer all winter, on low charge for 15 minutes a day. Sadly, this is still excessive, and it electrolysed all the acid away. Topping it up and leaving on charge all night has revitalised it enough to start the mower and mow the grass (in March!), but I don't hold out much hope for it to have a long and happy life! I'm considering getting one of these myself - hoping for feedback following my earlier posting :-) http://tinyurl.com/bz7ma Lidl have a regular special offer of an absolutely identical one of these chargers, at around £12. Same PCB inside, same charging method, just a slightly different case and name on the front. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article , Hank wrote: Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. Quite the reverse; lead acid batteries last best when kept reasonably fully charged - hence their continued use in cars where this is generally the case. Of course like any battery they shouldn't be overcharged. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. That is the cause of the problem - car type lead acid don't like being let go 'flat'. If the car is to be unused for more than a couple of weeks or so disconnect the battery. And spend a week getting the electronics to work again when you reconnect.. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
Harry Bloomfield wrote: I'm considering getting one of these myself - hoping for feedback following my earlier posting :-) http://tinyurl.com/bz7ma Lidl have a regular special offer of an absolutely identical one of these chargers, at around £12. Same PCB inside, same charging method, just a slightly different case and name on the front. Yes - I bought one and it works very well. It's what I mean by excessive prices from some retailers. -- *This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for extra security * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
The Natural Philosopher wrote: That is the cause of the problem - car type lead acid don't like being let go 'flat'. If the car is to be unused for more than a couple of weeks or so disconnect the battery. And spend a week getting the electronics to work again when you reconnect.. You could always make sure you buy a car where this doesn't happen. But if the battery's going to go flat anyway... -- *Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On 10 Mar, 19:02, "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article , Harry Bloomfield wrote: I'm considering getting one of these myself - hoping for feedback following my earlier posting :-) http://tinyurl.com/bz7ma Lidl have a regular special offer of an absolutely identical one of these chargers, at around £12. Same PCB inside, same charging method, just a slightly different case and name on the front. Yes - I bought one and it works very well. It's what I mean by excessive prices from some retailers. -- *This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for extra security * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. They are now £4.99 in my local Lidl |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On 10 Mar 2007 11:54:29 -0800, "vroomfondel"
wrote: On 10 Mar, 19:02, "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote: In article , Harry Bloomfield wrote: I'm considering getting one of these myself - hoping for feedback following my earlier posting :-) http://tinyurl.com/bz7ma Lidl have a regular special offer of an absolutely identical one of these chargers, at around £12. Same PCB inside, same charging method, just a slightly different case and name on the front. Yes - I bought one and it works very well. It's what I mean by excessive prices from some retailers. -- *This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for extra security * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. They are now £4.99 in my local Lidl Yes, but then you have to go into Lidl... -- ..andy |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:47:58 +0000, Owain
wrote: Andy Hall wrote: They are now £4.99 in my local Lidl Yes, but then you have to go into Lidl... Don't you have people who could do that for you? Owain No, they live too far away... -- ..andy |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes Dave Plowman (News) wrote: In article , Hank wrote: Could I be right in thinking that using a battery charger to recharge a run-down car battery tends to reduce the life of the battery? On more than a couple of ocasions, car batteries I have owned have not survived long after I have used mains plug-in chargers to recharge them. Quite the reverse; lead acid batteries last best when kept reasonably fully charged - hence their continued use in cars where this is generally the case. Of course like any battery they shouldn't be overcharged. The reason the batteries needed charging was not due to any fault in the battery; it was due to the cars having ben standing, undriven, for a long time. That is the cause of the problem - car type lead acid don't like being let go 'flat'. If the car is to be unused for more than a couple of weeks or so disconnect the battery. And spend a week getting the electronics to work again when you reconnect.. .... Or not I had to remove my car alarm, it would no longer communicate with the fobs after a brown out [1] [1] having not driven it for about 2 months any car alarm experts out there ? (I've temporarily forgotten the make, like an idiot) -- geoff |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 23:24:24 +0000, Owain
wrote: Andy Hall wrote: They are now £4.99 in my local Lidl Yes, but then you have to go into Lidl... Don't you have people who could do that for you? No, they live too far away... I'm sure there are adverts in the appropriate columns of The Lady, Horse and Hound, or International Investment Banker, for discreet Shopping Agents, all commissions undertaken with perfect rectitude, purchases from Aldi, Lidl, Argos hand-wrapped and delivered in a fake Gamages van, also family jewels sold at Cash Converters, total privacy guaranteed. Owain Yes, but I'd need assurance of complete discretion.... -- ..andy |
Does recharging batteries with a charger harm them?
In article ,
Huge wrote: And add those 'battery conditioners' at 40 quid when a realistic price would be a tenner. OTOH the one I have has saved my GBP50/yr for new car batteries. As would any battery charger. Err, no. My el cheapo one has destroyed my lawnmower battery. In the hands of the operator? But you don't have to pay large sums to get auto chargers these days. And I'm going to buy a second one for the (ride-on) lawnmower, whose battery is dead as a door-nail, as we discovered yesterday. Most electronics are like that, anyway. Ever taken an ECU to pieces? 5 quids worht of electronics in a 10 quid die-cast box, which costs 600 quid from the manufacturer. My point is you can buy a proper charger that will float a battery after charging it for less. Or even a 'three stage' small one (6 amp max) from Lidl That means repeatedly going to Lidl until they have one. Or check their website. -- *Real women don't have hot flashes, they have power surges. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:50 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter