Reviving old batteries?

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RedFish

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First off, Just a riding mower battery. I wouldn't consider this for my car battery. Anyway... I've watched a few YouTube videos where the person dumps the original acid fill, then uses Epson salt and baking soda solutions to clean and flush the inside of the battery. Then they'll fill it with something different, Cider vinegar in one example.
So my question is, Why not put the original acid back into it? To me that seems simpler/easier than trying to properly dispose of the acid. Educate me
 
Don't know, Red. I don't have much "faith." On youtube I've found how you can have free perpetual motion "magnetic energy" motors, and some guy with a Mopar alternator claimed you could get I don't know HOW many KW of power out of it. And then of course there's the "chemtrails" LOL
 
for the price of a lawnmower battery, i wouldnt even consider it
 
Its more or less a NOS battery. Bought new 2011 and only used at a test bed to run gauges, etc... When it would fall below 9 volts, the Power Wheels charger would bring it back to 12+. Maybe 3 cycles/times during about 3 year use period. It has sat in a corner for about 2 years and now, totally dead. Jumper cables from my car wouldn't bring it up at all.
They don't reuse the electrolyte because it is contaminated w/ lead? Just curious
diymirage said:
for the price of a lawnmower battery, i wouldnt even consider it
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I would use battery electrolyte. It's very inexpensive.
 
diymirage said:
for the price of a lawnmower battery, i wouldnt even consider it
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You haven't priced them. For their weight and size, they are 10X the price of a big brother car battery. In fact I can buy a cheap group 24 for same price
 
I wish I knew if the mfg that made the batteries in my 04 Dodge 2500 diesel did something different! I bought my truck in October of 03.....and it still has the original batteries! 98K miles, and spins over good as new. I have wondered if it has to do with the way I use the truck? When it starts up and pulls out of the garage, it is on the road for 300 miles before I stop. I rarely use it for short trips or around town stuff. To the point of the OP's question, I met a guy a few years ago that had gotten into refurbing dead batteries. He bought a bunch of stuff from a snake oil salesman to do it with. I saw him again a year or so later, and asked how the battery thing as working out. He said it was a waste of time to try and do it as a side business gig, as more of the batteries failed again soon after the rework than ones that did well.
 
ramenth said:
I might. The damned battery for my mower costs as much as a middle of the road car battery.
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67Dart273 said:
You haven't priced them. For their weight and size, they are 10X the price of a big brother car battery. In fact I can buy a cheap group 24 for same price
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i think i run this one in my lawn mower...i got two kids and a wife, i cant eat at mickeyDs for that kind of money

PowerCell U1L-4 12 Volt Small Engine Heavy Duty Lawn & Garden Battery | Meijer.com


krazykuda said:
Do they perform mouth-to-mouth on the battery???
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that reminds me of an old saying i cant repeat here
 
I purchase auction cars and dead car that batteries are dead some for months and other for years. ..
I have pretty good luck reviving them,especially the ones that look new but have no voltage.
Get a fully charged battery and hook up jumper cables to the dead battery and let it sit for a day,you want to get some voltage in the dead battery.
You can also hook up a jumper box to it for a day.
After that put it on 2 amp charge for 24 hours on some I have charged them with the jumper cables and good battery hooked up for the first couple of hours.Your jumper box or good battery will have to charged also.
Sone batteries that are revived do have less cranking amps than when new but work.
 
diymirage said:
for the price of a lawnmower battery, i wouldnt even consider it
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agree, I would start with a new one and then take care of it.

I bought a lawn tractor battery at wall E world for about 40 bucks six years ago and every winter I bring it in and put it on the trickle charger and during the summer I keep it clean and make sure the water level is right and it stays charged.

Six years later, I already got my 40 bucks out of it and then some.
 
I worked at a Caterpillar dealership. Batteries would come in dry and the acid would come in "bulk" plastic lined boxes.
I brought "leftovers" home lol
It doesn't answer your question but maybe check at heavy equipment dealership for bulk acid?
 
I have got reasonable short to longer term results by just adding a teaspoon of Epsom salts to each cell on batteries not charged with an alternator , then trickle charge it overnight. If you think that your choice is down to buying a new battery you have nothing to lose by trying it.
Yote
 
I have revived many,many, batteries,all sizes, with a long-term,low amp, hi-volt, automatic charger. Sometimes takes several weeks to a month and longer. The trick is to drive the sulfate off the plates and convert it back to sulfuric acid.
Sometimes tho, the cells are shorted,open, busted or somehow corrupted, and the voltage never comes up. Sometimes the voltage comes up, but they won't pass the load test. Sometimes they pass and then fail in months to weeks down the road. But I won far more than I lost.
 
67Dart273 said:
You haven't priced them. For their weight and size, they are 10X the price of a big brother car battery. In fact I can buy a cheap group 24 for same price
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O'Reilly lawnmower batteries start at 29.99. 24.99 on sale. Can you get a NEW group 24 for that?

O'Reilly group 24eco (economy) battery is 107.99. That's the cheapest group 24 we carry.
 
RustyRatRod said:
O'Reilly lawnmower batteries start at 29.99. 24.99 on sale. Can you get a NEW group 24 for that?

O'Reilly group 24eco (economy) battery is 107.99. That's the cheapest group 24 we carry.
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Yup, basic lawn mower batteries can be cheap. When you get out of the basic "U" batteries it can get pricey.

The best price I found for my Cub was $95.
 
I looked into this subject also since I have a battery back up sump pump. The thing with the Epsom salt and also baking soda made no sense at all. The plates in mine are still immersed so??? I also thought about buying the battery acid solution and using that to rejuvenate the battery. Stuff can be had at a couple of local hardware stores relatively cheap. To replace the deep cycle battery is something around $150 since it has to last 7 hours? And cashola is real tight here at the moment.
 
Louie70Dart said:
I looked into this subject also since I have a battery back up sump pump. The thing with the Epsom salt and also baking soda made no sense at all. The plates in mine are still immersed so??? I also thought about buying the battery acid solution and using that to rejuvenate the battery. Stuff can be had at a couple of local hardware stores relatively cheap. To replace the deep cycle battery is something around $150 since it has to last 7 hours? And cashola is real tight here at the moment.
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I had a friend that was fairly poor, he had to make do w/ very little. He put bayer aspirins in a battery once, one to each cell, shoved the car to get it started, and used it for an unknown " to me", amount of time. I think it lasted him a while tho.??????????
 
famous bob said:
I had a friend that was fairly poor, he had to make do w/ very little. He put bayer aspirins in a battery once, one to each cell, shoved the car to get it started, and used it for an unknown " to me", amount of time. I think it lasted him a while tho.??????????
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i had not thought about that but it does make sense because the acetylsalicyic acid in the asprin will react with the sulfuric acid in the battery.

never heard of anyone doing that but, chemically i can see it working
 
Welp... The battery that has been in the mower for freakin ever did take a charge ( go figure ). It doesn't hold much cranking amps but works atleast. And the used motor I bolted on does run, no smoke. :)
So that battery in question, Why it wouldn't charge at all? What to do with/about it? Its back in the corner where it was for now.
 
RE. My above post. It is not something I just read about, I have done it several times. It does NOT work on ALL batteries. But it has worked for me enough to try before disposing of the battery if I just need to get through a season. I have also seen a battery last for a couple years longer. Also I have seen a battery tender rejuvenate a battery for a couple years.
Yote
 
AJ/FormS said:
I have revived many,many, batteries,all sizes, with a long-term,low amp, hi-volt, automatic charger. Sometimes takes several weeks to a month and longer. The trick is to drive the sulfate off the plates and convert it back to sulfuric acid.
Click to expand...
It took along time for the sulphating to occur.
Sometimes it just takes a similarly long time to drive it off the plates.
 
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