[AT] Batteries charged backwards.

Cecil Bearden crbearden at copper.net
Sat Feb 22 17:32:17 PST 2020


They still have voltage and a big spark.  Weather has things shut down 
here for a day or two.  I am going to discharge them with some welding 
rods and get it over with.
Cecil

On 2/22/2020 6:11 PM, Thomas Martin wrote:
>
> Hi Cecil
>
> How are your batteries, now?
>
> Tony, my friend across the isle rang me this morning.
>
> Using his own advice, he had restored the polarity on a
>
> customer's battery, this week, and was curious as to your
>
> progress, with an alternative solution.
>
> Tom
>
>> On 16 February 2020 at 03:50 Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> wrote:
>>
>> Steve:
>>
>> When I looked a the lamps there was no light seen.  Maybe they were 
>> still drawing current, The battery is still "hot"when shorted across 
>> the terminals.  I need to do something in the next 3 days as I don't 
>> want these batteries to freeze.
>> Cecil
>>
>> On 2/15/2020 8:18 AM, Stephen Offiler wrote:
>>> Mathematically correct, but bear in mind the entire explanation is 
>>> predicated upon your stated assumption, that both 6V and 12V lamps 
>>> are rated at the same wattage.  I agree, and in fact I mentioned 
>>> this myself, somewhere wayyyyy up there in this thread.   Also, if 
>>> you have two of the 12V lamps in parallel (which I believe Cecil 
>>> mentioned back there at square One) that's going to do the same 
>>> thing, double the current draw.  Which option is easier depends on 
>>> what you have laying around:  do you have a couple of 12V headlamps, 
>>> or do you have a single 6V lamp that is rated a similar wattage as 
>>> one of those?
>>>
>>> SO
>>>
>>> On Sat, Feb 15, 2020 at 8:38 AM < deanvp at att.net 
>>> <mailto:deanvp at att.net>> wrote:
>>>
>>>     Cecil, let me try to explain why going to the 6v light helps
>>>     discharge the battery faster.  I think your statement of “….
>>>     would not discharge the battery” should really be phrased as it
>>>     takes too long to discharge the battery.  Lets assume that the
>>>     12V lamp and the 6 V lamp are designed to produce 60 Watts.  The
>>>     12V lamp then uses 5 Amps but the 6V lamp uses 10 Amps to
>>>     produce the same power. So the resistance of the 6V lamp will be
>>>     half of the 12V lamp.  Or looking at it another way, the
>>>     resistance of the 12V lamp is 2.5 ohms and the 6V lamp is 1.25
>>>     ohms.   Now lets assume the 12 V battery has been discharged to
>>>     1.25 volts and needs to be pulled down further.   The 12 V lamp
>>>     will only draw a ½ Amp and slowly draw less but the 6V lamp will
>>>     draw 1 Amp initially and slowly get less. The 6 Volt lamp will
>>>     discharge the battery twice as fast at this lower voltage which
>>>     one could not do at the 12V starting voltage because it would
>>>     burn out the 6V lamp. As the battery discharges a lower
>>>     resistance is needed to keep the discharge rate at a reasonable
>>>     rate. As the battery voltage drops  the discharge rate drops
>>>     with it unless the attached resistance is lower. A 12 V lamp
>>>     would take much longer to fully discharge the battery. That is
>>>     why the 6V lamp is used after the battery has dropped below 6V. 
>>>     Just plain old math.  It takes a really long time to get to a
>>>     true “0” V.  It just takes longer with a 12V Lamp vs a 6V lamp.
>>>
>>>     Dean VP
>>>
>>>     Apache Junction, AZ
>>>
>>>     *From:*AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>>     <mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com>> *On Behalf Of
>>>     *Cecil Bearden
>>>     *Sent:* Thursday, February 13, 2020 7:37 AM
>>>     *To:* at at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>>     <mailto:at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>>     *Subject:* Re: [AT] Batteries charged backwards.
>>>
>>>     The problem I cannot understand is why,  when I connected 2
>>>     incandescent headlights in parallel to the battery it would not
>>>     discharge the battery completely.   My battery supplier told me
>>>     to then use a 6 volt light.  I have seriously thought about just
>>>     hooking both in series and then using them as power for arc
>>>     welding.  A welding rod would discharge them quickly and
>>>     completely.  Welding can be done using batteries as power...
>>>     I charge my batteries outside for safety.  These are sealed
>>>     batteries.
>>>     Cecil
>>>
>>>     On 2/13/2020 8:28 AM, Stephen Offiler wrote:
>>>
>>>         I do not have ADD, although I am starting to wonder what
>>>         personal issues you might have, Thomas.  And no, the point
>>>         of this exercise is not to reverse the polarity,  The point
>>>         is to make the best possible attempt to recover two
>>>         batteries that have been accidentally reverse-charged.  That
>>>         involves much more than reversing the polarity.  There's a
>>>         right way and a lot of wrong ways to tackle each of the
>>>         steps.  Discharge.  Repolarize.  Recharge.
>>>
>>>         SO
>>>
>>>         On Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 9:08 AM Thomas Martin
>>>         <tmartin at xtra.co.nz <mailto:tmartin at xtra.co.nz>> wrote:
>>>
>>>             Do you have ADD? The point of this exercise is to
>>>             reverse the polarity of a battery.
>>>
>>>                 On 13 February 2020 at 23:15 Stephen Offiler
>>>                 <soffiler at gmail.com <mailto:soffiler at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>                 For some actual information on lead-acid charging,
>>>                 try this:
>>>
>>>                 https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery
>>>
>>>                 On Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 3:49 AM Thomas Martin <
>>>                 tmartin at xtra.co.nz <mailto:tmartin at xtra.co.nz>> wrote:
>>>
>>>                     Hi Dean
>>>
>>>                     After the dead battery is connected to the
>>>                     charged 12v battery in parallel, a battery
>>>                     charger is connected, (the charged battery
>>>
>>>                     is there only to dictate the polarity), and
>>>                     charging can commence.
>>>
>>>                     Tom
>>>
>>>                         On 13 February 2020 at 20:41 deanvp at att.net
>>>                         <mailto:deanvp at att.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>                         Tom,
>>>
>>>                         Could you explain this a little further. If
>>>                         the current from the jumper battery does not
>>>                         have any effect(affect) on the dead battery
>>>                         how does it charge it up?
>>>
>>>                         Dean VP
>>>
>>>                         Apache Junction, AZ
>>>
>>>                         *From:* AT
>>>                         <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>>                         <mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com>>
>>>                         *On Behalf Of *Thomas Martin
>>>                         *Sent:* Wednesday, February 12, 2020 12:47 PM
>>>                         *To:* Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
>>>                         <at at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>>                         <mailto:at at lists.antique-tractor.com>>
>>>                         *Subject:* Re: [AT] Batteries charged backwards.
>>>
>>>                         Stephen
>>>
>>>                         Well it appears you do not understand the
>>>                         difference between connecting in series and
>>>                         parallel.
>>>
>>>                         When you jump start a vehicle, one connects
>>>                         in parallel, the current from the jumper
>>>                         battery does
>>>
>>>                         not have any affect  on the the dead battery.
>>>
>>>                         Tom.
>>>
>>>                             On 13 February 2020 at 07:52 Stephen
>>>                             Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com
>>>                             <mailto:soffiler at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>                             I wouldn't purposely put 50 amps into a
>>>                             totally dead battery if I didn't have
>>>                             to, but then we have the example cited
>>>                             by others, the jump-start.  Who-knows
>>>                             how many amps will flow; limited only by
>>>                             the internal resistance of the batteries
>>>                             and the cables & connections.  I don't
>>>                             think many people appreciate that a
>>>                             jump-start is actually sort of a
>>>                             hail-Mary maneuver.  If you didn't need
>>>                             to get the car/truck/tractor started
>>>                             ASAP, the smart move is to charge the
>>>                             battery slowly and correctly.  People
>>>                             are going to chime in and say "I've been
>>>                             jump-starting my entire life and never
>>>                             had a problem!"  OK.  Me too. But the
>>>                             issue here is that it's impossible to
>>>                             know how much you might have shortened
>>>                             the life of that battery by hitting it
>>>                             with that big uncontrolled amperage
>>>                             surge.  In Cecil Bearden's case, he's
>>>                             not stuck in a field or a parking lot or
>>>                             whatever. He has the opportunity to do
>>>                             it right.  And that definitely does NOT
>>>                             include hitting it with a giant surge.
>>>
>>>                             SO
>>>
>>>                             On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 1:08 PM Thomas
>>>                             Martin < tmartin at xtra.co.nz
>>>                             <mailto:tmartin at xtra.co.nz>> wrote:
>>>
>>>                                 Surely US battery chargers have
>>>                                 adjustable amperage?
>>>
>>>                                 I thought it was a given that you
>>>                                 wouldn't put 50 amps into a dead
>>>                                 battery...
>>>
>>>                                 Tom
>>>
>>>                                     On 13 February 2020 at 03:14
>>>                                     Stephen Offiler <
>>>                                     soffiler at gmail.com
>>>                                     <mailto:soffiler at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>                                     Hold on.  A completely dead 12V
>>>                                     battery connected to a good 12V
>>>                                     battery is going to cause very
>>>                                     large current to flow into the
>>>                                     dead one. This is not a good idea.
>>>
>>>                                     SO
>>>
>>>                                     On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 9:08 AM
>>>                                     < szabelski at wildblue.net
>>>                                     <mailto:szabelski at wildblue.net>>
>>>                                     wrote:
>>>
>>>                                         Cecil,
>>>
>>>                                         I agree with completely
>>>                                         discharging the batteries
>>>                                         and then putting the
>>>                                         batteries in parallel one at
>>>                                         a time with a good 12V
>>>                                         battery. The batteries will
>>>                                         try to equalize when in
>>>                                         parallel. When you drain the
>>>                                         battery, take the load off
>>>                                         and let the battery sit for
>>>                                         a while, then put the load
>>>                                         back on and drain some more.
>>>
>>>                                         You should use a battery
>>>                                         charger that has a trickle
>>>                                         charge feature. This puts a
>>>                                         full charge into the battery
>>>                                         at first, then drops down to
>>>                                         a small charge to top the
>>>                                         battery off. You may have to
>>>                                         do this several times and
>>>                                         should leave the charger on
>>>                                         for at least one full day.
>>>                                         Don’t rush the job.
>>>
>>>                                         You can also check that each
>>>                                         cell is good by taking a
>>>                                         reading between each cell. A
>>>                                         bad cell will indicate a
>>>                                         lower charge then the
>>>                                         others. Do this with every
>>>                                         recharge attempt and note if
>>>                                         you’re making any progress.
>>>
>>>                                         Don’t know if you’ve ever
>>>                                         gone on-line to look for
>>>                                         videos on bringing dead
>>>                                         batteries back to life, but
>>>                                         their are some that show how
>>>                                         to drain a battery, rinse it
>>>                                         out, then refill and
>>>                                         recharge. They appear to
>>>                                         work out quite well, but I
>>>                                         can’t swear by them since
>>>                                         I’ve never done anything
>>>                                         like this myself.
>>>
>>>                                         Good luck!
>>>
>>>                                         Carl
>>>                                         ----- Original Message -----
>>>                                         From: Thomas Martin <
>>>                                         tmartin at xtra.co.nz
>>>                                         <mailto:tmartin at xtra.co.nz>>
>>>                                         To: Antique Tractor Email
>>>                                         Discussion Group <
>>>                                         at at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>>                                         <mailto:at at lists.antique-tractor.com>>
>>>
>>>                                         Sent: Wed, 12 Feb 2020
>>>                                         00:24:36 -0500 (EST)
>>>                                         Subject: Re: [AT] Batteries
>>>                                         charged backwards.
>>>
>>>                                         Hi Cecil
>>>                                         I  consulted a very good
>>>                                         friend on the other-side of
>>>                                         the isle.
>>>                                         Tony is auto-electrician, of
>>>                                         vast car, truck & tractor
>>>                                         experience.
>>>                                         He says you MUST discharge
>>>                                         the batteries, separately
>>>                                         with a bulb.
>>>                                         They need to completely
>>>                                         discharged. No measurable
>>>                                         voltage.
>>>                                         Then one battery at a time
>>>                                         needs to be placed in
>>>                                         parallel with another
>>>                                         fully charged 12v battery,
>>>                                         they then need to be
>>>                                         connected to a 12v
>>>                                         charger...
>>>
>>>                                         Tom
>>>
>>>                                         > On 12 February 2020 at
>>>                                         15:31 Cecil Bearden <
>>>                                         crbearden at copper.net
>>>                                         <mailto:crbearden at copper.net>>
>>>                                         wrote:
>>>                                         >
>>>                                         >
>>>                                         >
>>>                                         > > I had 2 group 31
>>>                                         batteries out of the tractor
>>>                                         that were completely
>>>                                         > > dead.  I hooked them up
>>>                                         in series and connected my
>>>                                         24Vcharger to them
>>>                                         > > as It was handy and I
>>>                                         wanted to charge both. 
>>>                                         After a couple of days I
>>>                                         > > checked them and found
>>>                                         that I had hooked the
>>>                                         charger backwards.  I
>>>                                         > > hooked a couple of
>>>                                         incandescent headlights to
>>>                                         drain the battery, but
>>>                                         > > after 3 days they won't
>>>                                         light up the headlights, but
>>>                                         they still have a
>>>                                         > > lot of spark when
>>>                                         shorted with cables..  A guy
>>>                                         at my battery shop said
>>>                                         > > I should hook up a 6volt
>>>                                         light to them and use that
>>>                                         to run them
>>>                                         > > down....  At $100/ea, I
>>>                                         need to try to save these...
>>>                                         > > Cecil
>>>                                         >
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