Battery Desulphation

[JPope]

Have any of you used the battery devices i. e. Battery Minders that desulphate/restore (?) wet cell, including deep cycle batteries?



If so do they work, and how well? Do different models have better results, or do they all do the same or nothing effective? The one I am looking at provides a maintenance charge of one amp (wonder about boiling if it doesn't shutoff completely) for winter storage and says it desulphates & restores for up to 4 batteries at the same time.



Read about desulphation some time ago but cannot remember what the final verdict was.



I guess the best you could hope for is to prolong the battery life somewhat, providing you have charged properly and timely, and then maybe snake oil treatment?



Thoughts, comments, theory, experiences, opinions???

 

[bmoeller]

JC Whitney has a battery additive that is supposed to dissolve sulfation and prevent it. I have no experince with personally, so I don't know if it is any good or not.



If the batteries are kept charged with battery maintainers while in storage, it should help prevent it. That, and check the water levels so the plates are always covered with water.

 

[RustyJC]

The Progressive Dynamics Intellipower 9155 power converter in our 5th wheel, when used with the Charge Wizard accessory, has four output levels (boost, normal, float and desulfation) to maintain the 5th wheel battery. Automatic periodic use of the desulfation mode by the Charge Wizard has the benefit of agitating the electrolyte solution in the battery. Our 5ver stays plugged into shore power 24/7 except when it's being towed, but only requires water addition to the battery about 1-2 times per year since installing the Charge Wizard.



Rusty

 

[Loren]

Jim,



I have been using a Battery MINDer on my Optima batteries for about a year and a half. I can't tell you whether it's working or not, because I'm not doing a scientific study. I am using it on all my batteries, and not maintaining a control group that doesn't get treated.



Most of my batteries are fairly new, especially the Optimas. The oldest Optimas I have were installed in January 1999. I would hope that Optima batteries would 5-7 years with no extra care other than charging here in southern Indiana, so the Battery MINDer may not be making any difference at all.



I have a pair of Optimas in my 2000 truck, an older pair in the 1995, a pair in the travel trailer, and two single Optimas in the tractor and the Toyota farm truck. I also have a couple of regular batteries that I picked up along the way in other vehicles, including my motorcycle. All of them get the Battery MINDer treatment periodically.



I can say that none of these batteries has failed since I started using the Battery MINDer. (I'd better be careful opening my mouth like that. )



My Batter MINDer is a model 12112E, and I ordered it directly from VDC Electronics. The phone number is 800-379-5579. Their web site is:

http://www.vdcelectronics.com/



Optima batteries take a different charge routine than regular batteries, so if you will be using the Battery MINDer on Optimas you need to tell them that. Mine was set up that way. I can use it on regular batteries by bypassing the charge cycle and using the Battery MINDer for desulphation only. I use a regular charger on the standard batteries.



The Battery MINDer will not overcharge your batteries nor boil them dry. The charge cycle is smart and shuts off when the battery reaches the proper level. In fact, because it's such a small charger, they tell you to check it after a day to see if it's still on the charge cycle. If so, you need to disconnect it and charge your battery with a regular charger. The Battery MINDer is not meant to bring a dead battery up to full charge. It will go back into the charge mode for a short time if the battery discharges enough while the Battery MINDer is going through the desulphation cycle. Apparently, the desulphation cycle does not charge the battery.



I have left mine on batteries for really extended periods, like 1-2 months. I haven't seen any adverse affects, and I suspect that the longer the desulphation cycle operates, the better it is for the battery. I've never used it for more than two batteries, although the instructions say it will work with up to four.



Like you, I'd love to know if this expensive gizmo (mine was about $70) really works, but I'm not willing to risk a couple of expensive Optima batteries (control group) to find out.



One last thing. I would NEVER add anything to the acid in my battery.



Loren

 

[TowPro]

I also run the charge wizard on my 5er power supply. I am so happy with it, I got my dad to buy one for his new motorhome.



But you have to have the right power supply for the wizard to work.

 

[georgej]

I also run a charge wizard with a 40 amp converter (proggessive dynamics) to keep two 6 volt batteries in shape. The batteries are three years old and we can still dry camp for 3-4 days running our lights ,reefer and furnace and have enough juice to crank in the slide!



George