Rebuilding/Remanufacturing Flooded Lead Acid Batteries. How Does It Work?

[Sun_Dried_Toad]

I have watched a few videos and read a few posts on this topic.

first video I watched was looked to take place at a roadside market in India. a guy was fully disassembling 12v batteries, temoving lead plates, replacing what looked like cotton or paper pads between lead plates then reinstalling the plates and pads, re-melting lead plate connectors, then melting the plastic tops back onto the battery and finally pouring new lead terminals. he then refilled the battery with liquid and charged it. finally, he shows that it does have 12v charge after completion.

next, I read some posts and watched a video where batteries are simply rinsed out with baking soda water, then refilled with Epsom salt dissolved in water and then apparently charged back into service.

can someone who understands this process explain what i am seening and reading?

The India video had no English. in the English post and video, no one ever talks about the Epsom salt water... where does the sulfuric acid come from? they're called Flooded Lead ACID batteries,, but I saw no acid mentioned.

does this really work? can a battery be brought back into service?

currently, my batteries are fine. I am just looking to the future, and trying to accumulate knowledge and skills.

 

[Risky Rob]

In India they completely remanufacture batteries. That is toxic and you wouldn't want to do that at home. The baking soda thing is a trick to desulfinate batteries and could possibly give you a little additional use from a battery.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I have watched a few videos and read a few posts on this topic.

first video I watched was looked to take place at a roadside market in India. a guy was fully disassembling 12v batteries, temoving lead plates, replacing what looked like cotton or paper pads between lead plates then reinstalling the plates and pads, re-melting lead plate connectors, then melting the plastic tops back onto the battery and finally pouring new lead terminals. he then refilled the battery with liquid and charged it. finally, he shows that it does have 12v charge after completion.

I shudder to think of the toxic waste and lead poisoning likely occurring as a result of that process.

What I didn't see happen was any sort of cleaning or prep of the removed plates. I suspect they left this out since it's one of the most important parts of the process.

next, I read some posts and watched a video where batteries are simply rinsed out with baking soda water, then refilled with Epsom salt dissolved in water and then apparently charged back into service.

These are 90% bullshit. They tend to improve or "restore" a completely dead battery, but the actual capacity restored is a tiny fraction of the rated capacity. This is what you do when there are no batteries to buy, or you can't afford one for a few months.

If you're going to watch all the crazy videos, you should watch the ones that show the same results EXCEPT, they actually conduct some meaningful testing:

currently, my batteries are fine. I am just looking to the future, and trying to accumulate knowledge and skills.

Start by taking care of them now. A well maintained battery will oulast one neglected and then "restored."

 

[Sun_Dried_Toad]

I shudder to think of the toxic waste and lead poisoning likely occurring as a result of that process.

What I didn't see happen was any sort of cleaning or prep of the removed plates. I suspect they left this out since it's one of the most important parts of the process.



These are 90% bullshit. They tend to improve or "restore" a completely dead battery, but the actual capacity restored is a tiny fraction of the rated capacity. This is what you do when there are no batteries to buy, or you can't afford one for a few months.

If you're going to watch all the crazy videos, you should watch the ones that show the same results EXCEPT, they actually conduct some meaningful testing:

Start by taking care of them now. A well maintained battery will oulast one neglected and then "restored."

that is the exact video I was referencing (the Indian guy squatted on side of road)

I hope I will be past FLA battery worries in 2023. we hope to be on Fortress Eflex by the late summer or fall.

our Trojans have been great so far, but I don't think my wife is going to take up electrolyte monitoring. between the maintenance and the 50% DOD I think she will be much more comfortable with LiFePo4.

thanks for the input.

 

[DPC]

Lead acid batteries.....

How they work you have two set of plates, one is sponge lead and the other is a lead peroxide.
Dissimilar materials that are conductive in an electrolyte that lets both cells become the same by current passing from one to the other.
When discharged both plates are led sulphide.

That's really simplified....

So the plate are grids made of lead with a paste of lead particles stuck to them.
This paste or porris and allows the acid to have as much contact to the materials as possible

The chemistry....
the lead peroxide plate is made of red or yellow lead oxide sometimes other metals are added to improve performance and the is paste is ground up fine and coats the grids.
The sponge lead plate is similar made but its not in an oxide sate its simply powdered lead.

If you watch the videos and follow the procedures ( wear your safety open toe shoes please ) you make and dry the pasted plates.
They are dipped in acid to start the chemical reaction to convert them into battery plates and the initial charge is done bring the chemistry into action.
It will take a few charge and discharge cycles to fully activate the chemicals.

AS lead acid batteries are used the crystals of lead sulphides form a coating on plates and sometimes this process does not completely reverse.
the materiel on the plates builds up the the battery degrades because you need higher voltages to force the chemical reaction to happen.
adding the Epsom salts reduce the voltage drop across the plates but it does not cure this problem it just masks it.
Higher charge voltages and charge rates will blow chunks of plate material off as the batter ages and you get a layer of lead sludge at the bottom of the cells.
That's the way the battery dies...

Nicad systems use a base electrolyte, and its only a charge carrier not part of the chemistry like lead acid but they suffer from changes in the material on the plates insulating them from the electrolite or material shedding........ (whiskers forming on the plates as they cycle and the cure is to raise the voltage and current and burn these off).
The result is again your plate material ends up a sludge at the bottom of the cells.....

So you could buy the right chemicals to make a battery at home, it used to be a trade at one time and every city or town had a battery shop.
But better chemistry and battery technology has made it harder and hard to refurbish plates yourself.
Those Indian guys are making batteries like its 1940 and they will get performance and lifetimes with those batteries that are comparable to the conditions they are made under.

Also lead has a 30 year half life in your body I hate to think how these guys will suffer later in life

There is a chemical I forget the name of that will strip the hard stuck on lead sulphides crystals off a plate to restore some function.
I forget what it is but it does work so long as you have lead left on the plates.
This chemical clean process eats at the plates like using acid to was rust off steel and its really only good for newish batteries that have been abused to death but have lots of good fresh material under that hard sulphate layer