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Subject Topic: Leisure battery mystery Post Reply Post New Topic
Persontykey
24/4/2016 at 3:13pm
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I know it's the silly season with batteries as we try to wake them from hibernation.
I know I shouldn't have but it seems I've let my battery go flat, but perhaps it's not. On trying it for the first time this year, it was only giving 6.5 volts. So I put it on the battery charger, but it wouldn't accept any charge.Two minutes later, I noticed the green indicator on top was now showing fully charged, and it was giving 12.5v. I touched each terminal with a bit of wire and got a really good spark! Left it overnight and it was back to 6.5 volts, put charger on for 2 minutes and the sparking 12.5v was back!!
Any observations welcome.


PersonDaveS1
24/4/2016 at 3:23pm
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Leave it on charge and see what happens !
Please don't let any "sparks" anywhere near a charging battery. It is giving off hydrogen gas and you are likely to blow yourself up !!
DaveS1


Persontykey
24/4/2016 at 3:30pm
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Thanks for the good safety advice, Dave. I wasn't getting any hydrogen being given off, and it was only a very quick spark! You've reminded me that many years ago,I was trying a starter motor between battery terminals, it gave a really nice explosion! It had two push-on covers, one of which went through the front door, up the stairs onto the landing.😱
I'll put it on charge!


PersonGCMS2012
24/4/2016 at 4:08pm
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A long and 'slow' charge sometimes 'recovers' duff batteries...

At least it has at work.....

-------------
Damned if I do...

Damned if I don't!!!!


Personalex
24/4/2016 at 5:46pm
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Voltages straight after charging can be very misleading. As GCMS2012 says, give it a long slow charge. Not much point taking a voltage reading until it has been off charge for a few hours.

I have never trusted the "green" indicators. If it can be topped up, can you look into each cell to see if they all look the same?


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Persontykey
25/4/2016 at 6:05pm
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The long slow charge seems to work!! Thank you.


Personold chap
26/4/2016 at 6:47am
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when a battery comes off charge it holds the charging currant for some time (13.8) this needs to dissipate for 5/6 hrs before you get a true reading .A fully charged battery should shoe 12.7v . If you find that the battery goes flat after minimal use it is probably due to a fault cell. If its not a sealed battery you can test each cell with a Hydrometer which cost around £5


PersonLes Medes
26/4/2016 at 8:03am
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12.5 volts is not fully charged, do what DaveS1 says

-------------
Les


PersonJTQU
26/4/2016 at 4:31pm
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There is a big difference between fully charged and having any real charge holding capacity.

Even a battery abused by being left flat so it has lost a lot of its holding capacity can still be charged up to "full", except its full is not very much.

Think of the battery like a bucket and abuse like putting bricks in the bucket. Brand new and full it holds a lot of water [full "voltage"]. But nearly full of bricks whilst it can still be filled to the top with water, you don't have anything like as much water in it.

This losing holding capacity is typical of an ageing battery; leaving it discharged accelerates that ageing process massively.

A failed cell, one shorting out makes it into a 10.6 volt battery and likely to "boil" away the acid if left on charge. Volts measured after resting off any load or charge for 12 plus hours.

Post last edited on 26/04/2016 16:37:10


Persontykey
27/4/2016 at 9:05am
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Thanks JTQU, I take your point, but the battery is only 18 months old. When I put in on charge, I get not a single solitary bubble from any of the cells, but voltage is still 12.5 volts. I shall only really know if it's got any capacity when I put it back on the van and try it, especially with the mover.
Thanks to everyone for helping, I can do no more, other than cross my fingers!


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PersonGrampian91
27/4/2016 at 11:43pm
 Location: Midlands
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12.5 volts is not fully charged, 12.4 is approx 50% charged.

If its been left uncharged the plates sulphate, sometimes a hard fast charge will help them recover, where a standard slow and steady charge wont.



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