I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

waynefromnscanada

Hahahaha This takes the cake. If only I had known! My 11 year old L16 battery bank could have been made like new again for only $5. All I had to do was fill them with a mixture of baking soda and water! Hahahahahahaha Oh, and make sure you cover the "fins" , then drain it and refill with pickling salt. lol
Sad thing is, many people will get sucked in by this idiot.

Removed link to insane video to prevent it's spread.

inetdog

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

Hi Wayne!

May I respectfully suggest that you munge the link so that people going there to get a good laugh do not end up creating referral links from this site and thereby giving it more status than it has now?

waynefromnscanada

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

inetdog wrote: »

Hi Wayne!

May I respectfully suggest that you munge the link so that people going there to get a good laugh do not end up creating referral links from this site and thereby giving it more status than it has now?

Good point. Done. :cool:

mike95490

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

I'm sorry I missed the link.

BB.

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

How about this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sup@e1a3L@W2U

Remove the two "@" symbols towards the of the link.

-Bill

valley ranch

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

waynefromnscanada wrote: »

Hahahaha This takes the cake. If only I had known! My 11 year old L16 battery bank could have been made like new again for only $5. All I had to do was fill them with a mixture of baking soda and water! Hahahahahahaha Oh, and make sure you cover the "fins" , then drain it and refill with pickling salt. lol
Sad thing is, many people will get sucked in by this idiot.

This is a joke, right? I have used Epson Salts.

Cariboocoot

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

It is a joke. There is no way to rejuvenate a dead battery.

ILFE

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

Obviously, I had way too much time on my hands today. I took time to both watch the video, AND read some of the replies. Here is one I feel is relevant to those of you in colder climates. Wayne, I am quite sure you would benefit from this too. See quote below:

A Viewer Who Bought The Idea wrote:

I wonder if there would be any adverse effects from adding some ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) to the solution just to be sure it won't freeze bad enough to rip apart the plates.

To Clarify: This post was meant purely as a humorous reply to Wayne's original post in this thread. It was, in no way, meant to be taken seriously by anyone reading this thread.

BB.

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO BATTERIES OTHER THAN DISTILLED WATER... THEY ARE FULL OF A VERY STRONG SULFURIC ACID + WATER SOLUTION. ADDING ANYTHING ELSE COULD LEAD TO AN EXPLOSION AND SPRAY ACID ALL OVER YOUR EYES/FACE/SKIN (besides, usually, ruining the battery).

I have no idea what would happen if you add some form of glycol to a lead acid battery cell--But I am pretty sure it will ruin the battery.

There are a few additives you can buy that may or may not "help" a battery. And I have heard that adding Epson Salts is something that may extend the life of a dieing battery--I have know idea if it helps ore not, or even if it is dangerous or not. In general, you should not add anything--But do your research and decide if it worth the risk to you or not.

Just a generic warning that a person needs to treat a battery with respect.

-Bill

waynefromnscanada

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

Hahaha I tend to see the funny side of things, and when I first came across that outlandish, out to lunch video, I shared it assuming others would also see the funny and crazy side of it, have a laugh and thus perhaps brighten their day. Many readers have seen the comical side, realizing the video was produced by a nut case, but unfortunately a few don't have the same sense of humour, and have unfortunately taken the topic too seriously, possibly steering some in the wrong direction and bringing the reputation of this forum into question. For that I am sorry and therefore ask that if the Moderators see fit - - to please delete this thread for the greater good.
Oh, and ILFE, I enjoyed your comical post.
Wayne

ILFE

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

@ BB: Sorry about that. My post was PURELY meant in humor.

@ Wayne: Thanks. I'll be here all week.

ILFE

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

BB. wrote: »

DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO BATTERIES OTHER THAN DISTILLED WATER...

Here in Cambodia, they sell de-ionized water for flooded batteries. Apparently, while it isn't exactly the same thing, the processes are similar?

BB.

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

It is OK to leave up--Just wanted to make sure people understand that we are not suggesting people follow any of the "solutions" link to. English is not everyone's first language here (hmm--what is my excuse . English is my first/only language--barely) and humor (I find) does not always translate well.

In theory, deionized water is the same as distilled water--Just uses a different process.

Water Deionization Process Explained

While distillation should remove all the unwanted stuff in the water, deionization only removes charged particles and leaves organics (bacteria, chunks of wood, gasoline/oils/etc. behind) and needs a good water source plus mechanical filtering too.

Even rain water from a (clean) roof can be used too directly in batteries.

Since deionization filters become used up, you should get/make a TDS meter (total dissolved solids) to detect minerals/ions in the water output to make sure your water is still good.

http://www.tdsmeter.com/what-is
Amazon--Some basic TDS meters

-Bill

ILFE

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

BB. wrote: »

Even rain water from a (clean) roof can be used too directly in batteries.

Cool. I have, quite literally, thousands of liters of rainwater. any larger contaminants are separated and filtered before the water goes into the storage tanks. That's how we get our domestic use water at the farm.

BB. wrote: »

Since deionization filters become used up, you should get/make a TDS meter (total dissolved solids) to detect minerals/ions in the water output to make sure your water is still good.

I buy it by the case. It is actually de-ionized at a plant in Thailand. I have thought of having one sent over from the states, though.

BB.

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

Purchased water is probably the better choice.

But if you can filter your rain water (would collecting from a "metal roof" be bad?) well and use a TDS meter to confirm the water is "OK" (to a first approximation)--May be worth the savings from buying water--Although if you kill the bank due to water issues, that is not a real savings.

You can buy small resin based deionizers--Couple that with clean rain water, you probably would do OK:

http://www.ameriwater.com/products/industrial/silex%E2%84%A2-deionizers/

I believe the resin filters are only "depleted" if there are ions in the water (assuming a good mechanical pre-filter)--So you should not need cartridge replacements very often.

-Bill

Cariboocoot

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

The main concern with non-distilled water other than particulate matter is that the pH is not always neutral. If you've ever tried drinking distilled water you'll know it tastes of nothing - very blah. Most all water, even rainwater, has a pH either higher or lower than 7. Processed drinking water often has trace amounts of calcium in it to make it palatable, and slightly alkaline.

Obviously then if the water you add is above or below neutral it will alter the acidity of the electrolyte. You'll never get the SG right after you do that.

Pouring stuff into the cells is not going to remove the hard sulphation or reverse plate erosion and oxidation. It in fact has a very high probability of doing further damage rather than fixing anything.

But snake oil continues to be sold in vast amounts to the gullible who read comics during science class instead of paying attention to the teacher.

waynefromnscanada

Re: I feel like such a fool! $5 would have made my old batts like new again

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Snake oil continues to be sold in vast amounts to the gullible who read comics during science class instead of paying attention to the teacher.

WOW! Coot I'm proud of ya man! That's the best description I've ever come across, of so many of the worlds problems! And so very true!