Or you could just touch your tong between the posts:-)

------ no I am joking DON'T do that

I didn't think about bad batteries because my mind was thinking typical
power hog.

You can sort of fix crystallized batteries by over charging them to
16.8 volts and then beading off the excess charge. That melts most of
the crystallization that happens. There is also some acid that you can
buy to add to your cells that prolongs the life of batteries but I a
big believer in changing batteries about every 2 years. Call it cost of
ownership and live with it because it is better and safer for not that
much money.

"Da Kine" wrote in
oups.com:

You can sort of fix crystallized batteries by over charging them to
16.8 volts and then beading off the excess charge. That melts most of
the crystallization that happens. There is also some acid that you can
buy to add to your cells that prolongs the life of batteries but I a
big believer in changing batteries about every 2 years. Call it cost of
ownership and live with it because it is better and safer for not that
much money.



All a disaster waiting to happen. Adding acid to electrolyte to
"rejuvenate" dead cells is SUICIDE! The lead was eaten away from the
plates and crystallized into the bottom of the battery, in the space
provided for it. You come along and add acid, eating holes in already
weakened plates, possibly creating a shorting hazard so the battery
explodes. You have to see a boat whos battery has exploded to realize
what damage that does. Please don't add acid to a dead cell, please?

Going to sea with crap batteries is stupid! Batteries are cheap unless
you suck up to some idiotic gauze batteries for $600 by some slick
salesman in boat shoes. Golf cart batteries are throwaway consumables at
$89 a pop. Use them. They work great for years, and when something
doesn't start to look right, TOSS THEM to the battery recycler pile and
BUY NEW ONES from a BATTERY SHOP, not a boat store!

I like your idea of the 2-year swap, but cheap golf cart batteries will
last much longer if one takes care of them properly....

When you zap a battery with 16.8V at really high current, the good cells
boil like hell, possibly warping a plate and causing an explosion. NEVER
do this crazy crap! You are NOT going to "save" a dead cell...its acid
is used up, its plates are eaten away, its full of lead sulphate
crystals...buy a NEW ONE.

" Adding acid to electrolyte to "rejuvenate" dead cells is SUICIDE!"
The bottle of stuff is sold in most auto stores. It's not my idea. I've
used it before and it works. The lead is not the problem. Its sulfur
crystals formed from gassing and when you add water, the sulfuric acid
gets a little weaker as some of the sulfide stays crystallized.
Shorting just lowers the voltage you can get but it doesn't blow up
batteries as far as I have ever seen. Hydrogen is given off and that
might but crystals don't.

Now as for your view on buying new batteries, I'm right with you. I
buy Wal-mart batteries and they last me 2 years before I dump them.
Even if they are working pretty well, I like really good and easy to
charge batteries. For what I put into my boat, an average of $180 to
$200 a year is nothing.

I've been told by owners that the 6 volt batteries are the best but I
have never liked the idea of losing one and really losing 2. Maybe next
time I will give them a try.

As for the 16.8 volt thing, the majority of high end chargers all offer
that. It can't be that bad can it? I'm still into just buying new ones
but I know people that zap theirs and they say it works for them.

Da Kine wrote:
[snip]
I've been told by owners that the 6 volt batteries are the best but I
have never liked the idea of losing one and really losing 2. Maybe next
time I will give them a try.

As for the 16.8 volt thing, the majority of high end chargers all offer
that. It can't be that bad can it? I'm still into just buying new ones
but I know people that zap theirs and they say it works for them.

hi da kine,

the 6 volts are "better" because of plate thickness and material used
to make the plates, and they are sometimes easier to service, and they
can have tougher boxes so they are harder to puncture, but that's about
it. plate thickness is the biggest thing, with thicker plates being
able to handle a lot more use. i don't replace mine like you do, i
just "over-charge" them sometimes and watch the water levels. it's
really not much use to get heavier better made batteries if you don't
gas them sometimes because they'll get crap on the plates just as fast
as a walmart marine battery and quit holding a charge after enough
cycles. the heavier plates are most useful to people who aren't afraid
to gas them on occasion like you are supposed to.