battery charging and death

[Ed Kellock]

Sounds like I need a solar trickle charger and a desulfator thingie. 
I've seen an email recently on how to build one, but I've also talked
to someone who bought one somewhere.

Thanks for the input everyone.  I just returned from exchanging the
battery for a new one and will take better care of this one.

Ed


On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 16:26:38 -0500, SJ <syljay at optonline.net> wrote:
> 
> > From: "Ed Kellock" <ekellock at gmail.com>
> > Subject: battery charging and death
> >
> > My Coupe GT had a new battery last July.  Over the last couple months the
> car has sat unused for longer periods of time.  It required a jump and then
> would be okay until it sat again for several days.  This is generally not a
> common problem for the car.
> **** Ya, you killed the battery. Car batteries are designed to be fully
> charged ALL THE TIME. Otherwise, they sulphate and wont hold a charge.
> For a car that sits around and only gets driven infrequently, you really
> should get one of those solar powered chargers. They put out about 150 ma at
> 14.5 volts.
> 
> > So did I kill it?  I was going to use the KnowledgeBase item to check for
> a drain on it, but I figure that's moot until I get a battery that will hold
> a charge first.
> **** My 88 5kq has a 16 ma draw on it when shut off and the interior lights
> are out.
> 
> > Do peiods of inactivity kill a battery?  Or just an already compromised
> battery?  Would a constant slow drain kill it?  Did I just get a bad battery
> from the get-go?
> ***** Every time the battery gets low, it sulphates. Letting a battery go
> dead is sure death for the battery.
> 
> Most car batteries are undercharged. Around town driving never fully charges
> up a battery.
> 
>      Why Batteries Fail
>      When a lead-acid battery is discharged, a soft lead sulfate material
> forms on the battery plates. During the battery's recharge, this material is
> lifted off the plates and recombined into the battery's electrolyte
> solution. If, however, the battery is left in a partial state of discharge
> for as short as 3 days, the lead sulfate material will begin to harden and
> crystallize, forming a permanent insulating barrier. As this barrier becomes
> thicker and thicker, the battery's ability to accept a charge or deliver
> energy is diminished, resulting in the perception that the battery is no
> longer usable. The accumulation of such deposits, otherwise known as
> sulfation, is the most destructive process in the life of any lead-acid
> battery.
> 
> http://www.e-marine-inc.com/articles/battery_charging.html
> 
> 
> SJ
> 85 Dodge PU, D-250, 318, auto
> 85 Audi 4k - - sold but still on the road
> 88 Audi 5kq
> 90 Audi 100q
> 
> _______________________________________________
> quattro mailing list
> quattro at audifans.com
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/quattro
>