If you are not familiar with lead acid batteries, see our article What is a lead acid battery. Ironically one of the most common reasons for battery failure is not an actual failure of the battery itself, it is people thinking the battery is dead.
Myth: The worst thing you can do is overcharge a lead acid battery. Fact: The worst thing you can do is under-charge a lead acid battery. Regularly under-charging a battery will result in sulfation with permanent loss of capacity and plate corrosion rates upwards of 25x normal.
When a sealed lead acid battery is charged, electrical energy is converted into chemical energy, which is stored in the battery. The lead plates and lead oxide plates react with the electrolyte to form lead sulfate and water. When the battery is discharged, the lead sulfate and water react to form lead, lead oxide, and sulfuric acid.
One common reason why a sealed lead acid battery might not hold a charge is due to a lack of maintenance. If the battery is not charged properly, or is left unused for long periods of time, it can become depleted and unable to hold a charge. Additionally, if the battery is overcharged, it can become damaged and unable to hold a charge as well.
Just because a lead acid battery can no longer power a specific device, does not mean that there is no energy left in the battery. A car battery that won’t start the engine, still has the potential to provide plenty of fireworks should you short the terminals.
If lead acid batteries are cycled too deeply their plates can deform. Starter batteries are not meant to fall below 70% state of charge and deep cycle units can be at risk if they are regularly discharged to below 50%. In flooded lead acid batteries this can cause plates to touch each other and lead to an electrical short.
If a sealed lead acid battery is not charged properly or is not allowed to fully charge, the lead sulfate can harden and form crystals on the plates. This process is called …
Sulfation is the formation of lead sulfate on the battery plates, which diminishes the performance of the battery. Sulfation can also lead to early battery failure. Pro tips: The best way to prevent …
Sealed lead-acid batteries can ensure high peak currents but you should avoid full discharges all the way to zero. The best recommendation is to charge after every use to ensure that a full …
Store Fully Charged: Always store lead-acid batteries fully charged. If a battery is stored in a partially discharged state, sulfation can occur, which will permanently reduce the …
The click of a dead battery is never a welcome sound, especially if your battery should have plenty of life left. Check out these common causes of lead-acid battery failure and …
If lead acid batteries are cycled too deeply their plates can deform. Starter batteries are not meant to fall below 70% state of charge and deep cycle units can be at risk if …
Smart chargers are advanced charging devices that utilize microprocessor technology to monitor and adjust the charging process. These chargers often have built-in …
You should use a smart charger that will detect when the battery is fully charged and will only allow a floating charge to reach the battery to keep it fully charged. One sign of …
Proper battery charging involves many considerations but it pretty much boils down to one thing and that is ensuring that the battery receives the correct current to adequately …
Charging. Myth: Lead acid batteries can have a memory effect so you should always discharge them completely before recharging. Fact: Lead acid battery design and chemistry does not …
Driving habits rather than battery defect are often the cause of battery failure. A German manufacturer of luxury cars reveals that of 400 car batteries returned under warranty, 200 are working well and have no problem. …
The lead acid battery of today requires less maintenance and safety monitoring. To ensure your batteries don''t fail, make sure they are charged properly.
Additionally if the recharge does not recover the discharge cycle in full, the battery will exhibit loss of performance and concentration of the acid can occur between plates which can lead to …
If lead acid batteries are cycled too deeply their plates can deform. Starter batteries are not meant to fall below 70% state of charge and deep cycle units can be at risk if they are regularly discharged to below 50%. …
Additionally if the recharge does not recover the discharge cycle in full, the battery will exhibit loss of performance and concentration of the acid can occur between plates which can lead to corrosion and loss of performance.
Lead-acid batteries typically last for around 200-300 charging cycles, while lithium batteries can last for up to 1000 charging cycles. It is important to note that the lifespan of a battery will …
You should use a smart charger that will detect when the battery is fully charged and will only allow a floating charge to reach the battery to keep it fully charged. One sign of overcharging battery is presence of corrosion on the …
Sealed lead-acid batteries can ensure high peak currents but you should avoid full discharges all the way to zero. The best recommendation is to charge after every use to ensure that a full discharge doesn''t happen accidently.