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Possible to Recondition Old, but Good Condition Battery?

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Jimmy_Cleaver

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I've received a whole bunch of used batteries from a client, many of which seem to be used in my '97 Sea-Doos. Some are the cheap "Never-Start" brand from Wal-Mart, but one is an Interstate and the other looks like it's high-quality also. Included in the mass of batteries is a couple of containers with what might be sulphuric acid in them. I haven't tasted it to see yet. Might try that tomorrow.:thumbsup:

Anyways, looking at the acid levels, it seems to be low on several of the cells, and I'm wondering if the person that gave them to me was in process of adding acid to the batteries, and if that might not bring them back to life, as I've tried to charge them to little or no result. The voltage creeps up a few volts and then disappears within and hour or so, but that was before I realized the acid levels were low.

Is it possible to bring these batteries back? I compare their use to what a car goes through, and by that standard they can't be more than a few months (of use) old. How often does a SeaDoo battery get used? Once a week? Once a month? Three times a year? The battery may have only had to start the engine 20 times in it's entire life. (This is my argument on why it's possible to save it.)

I've read something about putting "magnesium salts" in batteries to recondition them? Do I have the chemical right? Anyways, I'm wondering if I can save some money by bringing these things back to life. Can I test the acid that's in the battery? Can I pull good acid out of cheap batteries and bring a bad battery with bad acid back to life? And, before anyone says it, OBVIOUSLY I'll make certain to remove all eyewear while handling the acid, so that I can have as clear and unobstructed view as possible, of the battery acid handling process.

:lol:CAM00242.jpgCAM00243.jpg
 
I don't think you'll have any luck. You'd spend more on the hardware to bring them back than they are worth.
If you can get 2 seasons from a lead acid battery you're doing well.
 
i've reconditioned AGM batteries with success... using the Optimate charger, but it runs about $80. I had 4 dead (according to two other chargers) AGM's and two did come back, but i'll be honest, I didn't put them in MY ski, I put them in ski's for sale, since I wasn't sure how long they would hold up. However, spending $80 was a good investment in that situation IMO since It saved two batteries, so it paid for itself immediately. My bro also had a dead battery in his small boat, and we plugged this in for like 48 hours and it came back.

OptiMate4.jpg


as far as lead acid, at least as far as I'm concerned, they are nothing more than a core to turn in for a replacement AGM. The last thing I want is to be 15 miles from the ramp and have a dead battery ruin my afternoon, (and my tow buddies as well)
 
I know there's like a dropper tester you can use to test the acidity level in it, but I just wouldn't trust it from a reliability standpoint. I reconditioned my first battery with success, but it was never reliable after about 5 or 6 runs.. Finally I just said screw it and bought a new one.
I'm not sure if this had anything to do with bringing it back successfully, but I used R/O water from my research lab I was working at. (Reverse Osmosis)

Yea, it may be worth getting them to the point where they can crank a ski for demonstration purposes when selling, but I'd still recommend to the new buyer to replace the battery.
 
Thanks for all of the above. Most important is the idea of being stuck out in the middle of the lake with a dead jet ski. And "tow buddy" was a new concept to me, and good thinking too. It never occurred to me that being stuck out in the middle of the water all by yourself was a possibility.

Thanks also for the reminder of the bubble acidity tester thing. My dad had one back in the day. He used to mess around with lead acid batteries and acid, but I was too young and never learned anything from him on that. I get the general idea, but what I DON'T get is the whole process. Maybe that YouTube video will show it. Seems to me that it would be best if you just drain the whole battery and replace the old acid with new. I'm not really focused on getting the SeaDoos 100% fully operational and reliable. I just need them to start and run. If they don't run, there's no point in spending big money on a high-quality battery.

I have a charger. It's not an "Optimate 4" like the post above, but I wonder if it's the same idea? What makes the Optimate 4 special?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SSC-1500A-15-10-2-Amp-Ship-N-Shore-Battery-Charger/23015080

I'll watch that YouTube video now. Thanks again.
 
The optimates have a microprocessor in them that does alot of testing as they go. I have revived a few batteries, but most fall off on cranking amps really quick and I wouldnt want to rely on one when you need it to start.

As far as chargers go to keep your new battery at top health...Optimate all the way. Im about to buy a fresh new one myself just to update my 5 year old optimate3.
 
Minnetonka4me said:
The optimates have a microprocessor in them that does alot of testing as they go. I have revived a few batteries, but most fall off on cranking amps really quick and I wouldnt want to rely on one when you need it to start.

As far as chargers go to keep your new battery at top health...Optimate all the way. Im about to buy a fresh new one myself just to update my 5 year old optimate3.
Click to expand...

Thanks. You saved me a lot of typing lol

And I agree, for my personal ski I'm much more comfortable with a new or nearly new AGM battery than I am some reconditioned old one.

But if you just need to bring a dead battery back to life it has worked more times than it failed.
 
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I feel that there are probably other chargers on the market that are as good as the Optimate 4, but the Optimate 4 has been around since the mid 90's it's a proven battery charger/re-conditioner/maintainer so until someone comes up with something better, I'm sticking with the Optimate 4.

Lou
 
Jimmy_Cleaver said:
Thanks for all of the above. Most important is the idea of being stuck out in the middle of the lake with a dead jet ski. And "tow buddy" was a new concept to me, and good thinking too. It never occurred to me that being stuck out in the middle of the water all by yourself was a possibility.

Thanks also for the reminder of the bubble acidity tester thing. My dad had one back in the day. He used to mess around with lead acid batteries and acid, but I was too young and never learned anything from him on that. I get the general idea, but what I DON'T get is the whole process. Maybe that YouTube video will show it. Seems to me that it would be best if you just drain the whole battery and replace the old acid with new. I'm not really focused on getting the SeaDoos 100% fully operational and reliable. I just need them to start and run. If they don't run, there's no point in spending big money on a high-quality battery.

I have a charger. It's not an "Optimate 4" like the post above, but I wonder if it's the same idea? What makes the Optimate 4 special?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SSC-1500A-15-10-2-Amp-Ship-N-Shore-Battery-Charger/23015080

I'll watch that YouTube video now. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I bought a Schumacher 2/6/10 charger from Advance Auto in FL for about 35-$40. It also reads the Volts and %age of charge. I use a Craftsman 2/10/50 in Michigan.
 
I've been reading around online about different ways to "recondition" batteries and have discovered a whole new area of stuff I've never heard about before. Not only is there some reconditioning process that involves magnesium sulfate, but there is also a process to convert a lead acid battery to a lead alkaline using the common household chemical used for pickling "alum", aka "hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate (potassium alum)"

alumbre.ashx


If anyone knows about this, I'd be real interested in learning all about it. There's a lot of references/"source material" on reconditioning batteries, but thus far I haven't found an article or YouTube video that gives a broad overview of all the various ways to recondition a battery, what the degenerative process is for a battery (how and why it breaks down and eventually fails), what the recondition process does to change that, etc...

Plus I'm real demanding on instructional YouTube videos. I can't stand to watch 20 minutes of some doofus slowly pouring battery acid down each and every single cell of a battery, numerous attempts, slopping acid everywhere, crunching his boots in the snow, breathing heavy in my ear like he's spooning with me, and doesn't explain any of the WHY of what he's doing. So if anyone knows of a well-written article or a well-made YouTube video that paces itself for the interested and intelligent reader/viewer, I'd appreciate that also.

I have like 12 batteries. Originally I planned on selling them as scrap, but if the reconditioning process is as cheap, easy and effective as what I've been reading, it might make more sense to recondition them and sell the batteries used on craigslist instead. Batteries are really expensive now. An $80 Duralast from 5 years ago is selling for $140 now, so a lot of the snobbery about not being willing to accept anything less than total perfection may have been eroded, and people might be willing to pay a reduced price for a used and working battery.
 
If there is a market for used batteries that "are charged" then hell, I might sell some of mine, I think I have 4 AGM's right now that passed the test, and one acid that is just waiting for a trip to the store as a core.

however, new with warranty batteries aren't quite as expensive as you think.

The last 3 I bought at advanced with the $25 coupon, 90-25=65. granted not everyone will have a coupon. And there are some online sellers that are selling them shipped for like $55, although i'm not sure of the quality.

But in general, at advanced or batteries+ your looking at around $80-100 max for a brand new battery.

Would a used one (that show's a charge but no promises on holding one) sell for $20-25 ?

again, I look at batteries from a different perspective, I routinely ride 90 miles in a day with a couple of stops if not several along the way. I don't want to be 35 miles away from the ramp and have my ski not re-start because of the dam battery. So for me a "working" battery and a "good" battery are two different things.
 
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Batteries must be a lot more in Texas than here, a MagnaPower 16XL AGM battery sells here for about $80.00 and you can usually get them for under $60.00 with a coupon, lead acid batteries are even less.
 
You can Google "Advance auto coupons" and get a lot of them to choose from.
I used one last week (TRT30) for 30% off a battery in FL. & one today for 35% off (WD44) on rotors and pads for my Trailerblazer.
 
dang that 35% off discount is awesome. buy new brakes and rotors now for my envoy as well. thx for the heads up seadoobuddy
 
advanced also run some good deals where you can get a coupon now and the credit for later the trick is you have to actually open an account (onlin, takes 30 seconds) use it through your account . I learned that mistake the hard way
 
In my opinion as a certified "old fart", my experience with many years of messing around with batteries and attempting to stretch their life is ... do not trouble yourself much. I never heard of adding acid to a lead/acid battery, just distilled water. The acid packs mentioned in the initial post are probably for other batteries dry packaged to be charged by the end user. Adding other chemicals is just looking for trouble.

You can find many very good "smart" battery chargers, my latest in test is by Schumacher (sp?) that has several modes including desulfating. In all cases for me over many years of all kinds of machinery I have found that you are just rolling the dice in just how long you can "extend" the life of a battery.

Do you have an oar on board and how far do you think you can paddle? I am too old for that crap, especially because of a battery. When I am 20 miles out in the Pacific ocean the last thing I want to worry about is a battery and expend $ for the best (no, I never take a PWC far off shore and never alone, SeaRay is a different matter).

be safe, get rid of them lead-acid batteries in your PWC; go to AGM.
 
I guess I'm just stubborn, I just finished my 8th. year on a Walmart lawn tractor battery, the thing does need charging if it goes more than a couple of weeks, but I figure the worst that can happen is I get stuck in the back yard until I can go to Walmart and get another one, not like being out in the middle of the lake.

BTW, the guy at AutoZone told me not to add water to power sport batteries, use acid, and you know those guys know everything. I don't use lead acid batteries so it really doesn't matter to me.

Lou
 
Jusy buy a new battery. Have 4 Odyssey batteries 2 are fron 2006 and 2 are 2009. Still worked fine last season. During the season all I do is disconnect them if not going to be used for more than a few days. Winter storage in the cool basement and check the voltage every month or so. Put a charger on for a couple hours if low. My experience with wet acid batteries is they last 2 years tops, waste of my money.
 
LouDoo said:
I guess I'm just stubborn, I just finished my 8th. year on a Walmart lawn tractor battery, the thing does need charging if it goes more than a couple of weeks, but I figure the worst that can happen is I get stuck in the back yard until I can go to Walmart and get another one, not like being out in the middle of the lake.

BTW, the guy at AutoZone told me not to add water to power sport batteries, use acid, and you know those guys know everything. I don't use lead acid batteries so it really doesn't matter to me.

Lou
Click to expand...

Wow!!! And I thought I was stubborn (a little mix of Scotch and Irish among other things in my blood). One of these days we will get a post from Lou going something like: "fell off the ski in the middle of the lake and damned if the battery wasn't dead ... needed to put on the swim fins and kick her to shore and all the time Rod's words rang in my ear: don't push your luck on batteries".

I just did a google search for "sulphuric acid evaporation rate" and rather than repeating the contents of the find, check out
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120628014426AA8lJUe

Have a great weekend
 
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