Set your battery charger to "trickle charge" to reactivate your lead-acid battery.
Lead-acid car batteries only last a certain length of time before they need replacing or refurbishing. The lead plates in the cells start to break down, and their ability to retain energy depletes. If you've got a worn out lead-acid car battery that doesn't retain its charge, give it a last chance and see if you can reactivate it before disposing of it and buying an expensive replacement.
Instructions
1. Wear protective gloves. You need to top up the fluid levels of the worn out lead-acid battery cells and they contain sulfuric acid.
2. Place the worn out lead-acid car battery on a battery tray on a flat surface. Unscrew the six caps on the top of the battery using your fingers, or a flat-head screwdriver, depending on the type of caps.
3. Check the fluid levels. You see two marks in each cell indicating the maximum and minimum fluid levels. If the levels are below the maximum you need to top them up. Carefully pour distilled water into each cell until the fluid level reaches the maximum marker. Replace the caps.
4. Attach the black negative cable extending from the battery charger onto the negative terminal of the worn out lead-acid battery. It's labeled "-" or "Neg." The cable has a spring clamp on the end so simply squeeze it using your hand so it opens, then place it over the terminal and release the pressure. The clamp attaches firmly.
5. Attach the red positive cable extending from the battery charger to the positive terminal of the battery using the same method. The positive terminal is labeled "+" or "Pos.".
6. Select the lowest charge rate on your battery charger. Some charges have a switch called "trickle charge". Select it if you have this switch, as trickle charge means the battery gets charged at the lowest possible rate.
7. Plug in your battery charger. Turn it on and check that the charge rate is low. The "trickle charge" light should be on, if it has one, otherwise read the display to ensure it's at the lowest setting.
8. Let the battery charge for 36 hours. Check the battery charger display to see if the battery is still charging. The display will show near zero if the battery's charged, or the "trickle charge" light will turn off. Leave it for a few more hours if the battery is still charging. Turn off the charger and unplug it once the battery is charged. Remove the battery charger cables from the battery terminals.
9. Check the voltage using a voltmeter. Attach the sensors on the end of the wires from the voltmeter to the battery terminals: the sensor on the end of the red wire from the voltmeter needs to touch the positive battery terminal and the sensor on the end of the black wire needs to touch the negative battery terminal.
10. Make a note of the reading on the voltmeter. It says 12 volts.
11. Let the battery rest for 24-hours. Use the voltmeter to check the voltage in the same way as before. Make a note of the reading. If the reading is 11 to 12 volts you have successfully reactivated your lead-acid car battery. If it's below 11 volts it's time to buy a replacement.
Tags: battery charger, lead-acid battery, trickle charge, worn lead-acid, worn lead-acid battery
