When a car owner is faced with problems related to the car's battery, he should not hesitate. How to flush a car battery correctly? The consequences of a faulty battery are the failure of the engine to work at a crucial moment.
This is how a situation is created that is dangerous for the driver of a faulty car, and other people involved in the movement.
The battery needs to be replaced or repaired immediately. One of the recovery methods is its flushing.
To flush the battery, you will need a hydrometer, a rubber bulb, a load plug and a container where the electrolyte will drain.
The need for flushing is determined by the following characteristics:
1. The electrolyte has changed color to become brownish.
2. During charging, the battery is quickly charged to a full charge, then quickly discharged during operation. This means that the battery capacity has changed and decreased. Possible reasons for this are salt deposits or battery self-discharge. Due to battery contamination, the cover insulation resistance has changed, current leakage and battery self-discharge.
3. When checking the terminal voltage with the instrument, “0” or the number corresponding to it is displayed. This means that the sludge fell to the bottom of the active layer of plates, which caused the overlap of the battery plates and a short circuit.
How to flush a car battery correctly - flushing is, of course, not a panacea for the problems listed above, but if you have free time and you are limited in cash, you can completely extend the life of the battery on your own.
Flushing the battery should be done after the battery has been previously discharged. Using a rubber bulb, you need to suck out the electrolyte, then pour it into a glass dish (to be disposed of later). Replace the electrolyte with a disvod. The process should be repeated until the jars contain only distilled water without impurities. The battery with water should be left for a couple of hours. Then you need to drain the water with a rubber pear. The electrolyte should be added to the jars, bringing the density to 1.2.
Put the battery on charge. Charging should be carried out until a constant battery voltage and electrolyte density are established. Then bring the density to normal (this is determined by the temperature that the surrounding air has).
The most difficult case is the shorting of the plates by crumbling sludge. To avoid aggravating the situation, the battery should not be shaken or turned upside down, so that the sludge from the bottom does not rise and the battery plates do not fall asleep. How to flush a car battery correctly - this flush is done during a battery overhaul.
The shorted "jar" must be cut out, then it should be removed from the case, using a rubber pear from the case. Then several times you need to rinse the jar using distilled water. Replace the plate sections and restore the battery circuit. Seal the lid with mastic.
To ensure the safety of working with acidic electrolyte, you should wear goggles, a protective apron and rubber gloves. If electrolyte accidentally comes into contact with the surface of the skin, you should wash it with plenty of water. To reduce the density of the electrolyte, distilled water should be added, to increase the electrolyte, but acid should not be added.
We told you how to flush the car battery correctly - try to restore the battery with your own hands.
Flushing the battery is one of the minor ways to restore it.
But as a rule, car services do not engage in this type of work, since it is believed that this does not lead to tangible results.
Car owners usually wash batteries and change the electrolyte at home, as they are trying to extend battery life and save money on it.
When to flush the battery, signs
Signs that will indicate not only the need to flush the battery, but also other problems:
The reasons for the above symptoms are:
It cannot be said that after washing the battery will restore its previous characteristics, most likely not, but for a while it can extend its service life.
Also, the dark color of the liquid indicates that the active substance from the plates has already begun to crumble and the plates themselves have become thinner and you will not be able to restore their thickness.
Therefore, even after washing the battery and completely replacing the electrolyte, it is not worth talking about a long battery life.
And yet, you need to understand that modern batteries in a plastic case with a common cover, especially maintenance-free, when the plates are closed, it is better to immediately change to new ones, since their disassembly, replacement of plates and subsequent assembly with sealing is troublesome.
A load plug is used to check for continuity, if the battery does not hold the load (the voltage constantly drops and drops below 10 volts), then at least one bank is closed.
Work progress
For washing you will need:
Fully discharge the battery in a way available to you. If the jars are not closed (i.e. there is no sediment at the bottom), then a special design or a rubber bulb can be used to remove the old electrolyte.
As for the design, the moment is debatable, since experts do not recommend tilting the battery by more than 45 degrees, since crumbling elements of the plates can close the latter.
But this does not stop our people, especially since many manage to drain the electrolyte, to flush, to drill holes in the battery case.
At the final stage, pour distilled water again and let it stand for 3-4 hours.
If you understand that there is sediment (the jar is closed), then you should not turn the battery over, as this will only aggravate the situation.
Here, at the first stage, the liquid is extracted with a rubber pear, then the battery is disassembled, it is cleaned of sediment and old electrolyte, assembly and sealing. Is it worth it to do it, everyone decides for himself.
Make no mistake about the density
Before filling in a new electrolyte after washing the battery, analyze what situation led you to these actions, because a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water is sold with different densities - from 1.2 to 1.28 g / cm3. Which one to fill?
For example, in winter the battery was discharged, was on the street and, as a result of a drop in density, the electrolyte froze in it. Of course, in this situation, the car will not start.
At this point, the battery is in a state of deep sulphation of the negative plates.
What does the driver do in this situation? That's right, it warms the dear in warmth and measures the density of the liquid, which, as a rule, is low 1.15 g / cm3. This leads to the erroneous idea to replace the liquid, filling the same, but with a higher density. And here, as a rule, a mistake is made.
An important point is not taken into account - the density of the old electrolyte. As a rule, in winter, with a fully charged battery, it is 1.27 g/cm3. Drained was a liquid with a density of 1.15 g/cm3. And where are the other 0.12 g/cm3? And they are on the minus plates in the form of sulfated plaque.
A person remembers the figure 1.27 g / cm3 and, accordingly, buys an electrolyte with the same density for winter.
After the new liquid has been poured into the battery, the latter is usually immediately charged. And what's going on? As a result of charging and desulfation, the remaining 0.12 g/cm3 leaves the plates and is added to the total density of 1.27 g/cm3, for a total of 1.39 g/cm3, which is a figure close to the density of the correction electrolyte.
Therefore, in the example case, it would be necessary to simply carry out the CTC of the battery.
Or, if the charger allows, turn on the cyclic mode of short-term charge and discharge on it to bring the density of the liquid to the real one. You also need to connect any consumer of electricity to the battery, for example, a headlight lamp.
The high density of sulfuric acid negatively affects the condition of the plates and in this aggressive environment they begin to crumble quickly.
Therefore, after washing the battery, in order not to get into the situation described above (our battery is discharged), first fill in electrolyte with a density of 1.20 g / cm3.
To increase the density, electrolyte is added, to decrease - distilled water. Pure sulfuric acid is never used.
Hello friends! Today I want to tell you another simple, effective way to extend the life of your old battery. We all know perfectly well that a lead-acid battery is not an eternal thing. And even if you carefully monitor it, sooner or later it will still begin to fail. The reason for this is the sulfation of the plates, as a result of which the battery loses its capacity and is no longer able to perform the specified functions.
I want to clarify that the method described below is only suitable for sulfated batteries. It is not suitable for batteries with closed or swollen cells, broken plates, etc.
Clear signs of plate sulfation
The most obvious sign is that the battery is not holding the load. That is, when measuring the voltage at the terminals, the voltmeter shows a fully charged battery, and when the load is connected, the voltage sags significantly.
The second sign is fast self-discharge. For example, you haven't used your car for day 3. You go to the garage and try to start it. And the battery is very discharged, that even the electronics do not show their values.
All these phenomena do not occur immediately, but come gradually, usually after 3-5 years of battery operation.
Car battery recovery
The first step is to measure the initial voltage.
I have noticed an increase in self-discharge for a long time, so today it is generally discharged.
It will not be superfluous to check the density of the electrolyte.
After the battery is diagnosed and the diagnosis is made, we proceed to recovery.
With a hydrometer, drain the electrolyte from above as far as possible. As you can see, its color is dark.
Now turn the battery over and drain the rest into a bucket. This must be done very carefully and rotate the body when draining so that the row of cans' holes is horizontal. This must be done so that the outgoing jets of electrolyte do not close to each other.
Well, here it is completely black with a lot of impurities.
Now you need to find the capacity for the battery. I took the basin.
Using running water, rinse all jars with plain water. We fill to the top.
And we pour.
This will remove the electrolyte residue and black deposits.
We breed it with 5 liters of ordinary water in a canister. And mix well.
Pour into each compartment to the brim.
Everything starts to boil. We add to the compartments where a lot of soda solution has poured out.
Wait 15 minutes for the reaction to complete. And drain the solution.
Drain a little longer so that there is a minimum of excess water.
I will pour the previously drained electrolyte back - a new one is not needed. But for this it needs to be filtered. I use synthetic paper as a filter.
I place it in the funnel.
And gradually I filter all the previously drained electrolyte.
Then I gradually pour it back into the banks.
We wait until the bubbles come out, top up if necessary. We wipe everything dry from above and close the lids.
We measure the voltage. It is practically unchanged.
We charge within an hour.
The battery is charging. The current when charging is a witness. The tension has grown.
The load fork test proves it.
Now we put the battery on a full charge cycle.
After a while, the battery was charged and became fully functional.
A bit of process theory
There is no trick in this method, pure chemistry. The fact is that the sulfate located on the plates reacts with a solution of soda and is etched. That's all.
Of course, the method does not give a 100% guarantee that the battery will return to life, but you can still try.
All for now.
Any experienced motorist knows that if there are difficulties associated with the battery in the car, then in no case should you hesitate to correct the situation. The fact is that the consequences of such a delay can be the most unpredictable. Up to the saddest outcome, because if the battery is not working properly, at the most crucial moment, the engine may simply not start. Thus, an extremely dangerous situation will be provoked, in which not only the car owner himself and his car, but also other road users can suffer.
Therefore, for safety reasons, it is necessary to repair the battery malfunction or replace this unit at the earliest opportunity. One of the most popular and quite effective methods for restoring a battery is flushing this unit. Washing the battery with your own hands is not so difficult - even a novice motorist can do it.
When should a battery be flushed?
First of all, you need to make sure that flushing the battery is really necessary. Experts recommend flushing the battery in the following situations:
The electrolyte in the battery has changed its color (from pink to brownish).
The battery is very quickly charged to one hundred percent and just as quickly discharged to zero. Perhaps the reasons for this lie in the fact that sulfitation (deposition of salts) occurs. Self-discharge of the battery can also occur due to excessive contamination of the surface of the unit and, accordingly, a violation of the insulation resistance of the cover, resulting in current leakage (self-discharge).
After completing the voltage test at the battery terminals, the meter reads too low or zero. This indicates that too much sludge has formed and falls to the bottom of the active layer of the plates. As a result of this, the short circuit of these same battery plates is also blocked.
Of course, flushing the battery will not be able to completely solve all of the above problems, however, if there is a lack of money or time, this method can be used in order to independently extend the life of this unit. Before you attempt to flush the battery yourself, please read the instructions below.
Step-by-step instruction:
1. Fully discharge the battery.
2. Using a rubber bulb, draw out the electrolyte and pour it into a glass container previously prepared for this. Subsequently, this electrolyte must be disposed of.
3. Replace drained electrolyte with clean distilled water. Repeat this process until there is clear water left in the jar.
4. Let the battery stand for approximately three hours. Then pull the water back using a tighter rubber bulb.
5. Add electrolyte to the jars, while bringing its density to 1.2.
6. Connect the battery to the charger. Charge the battery until the battery voltage returns to normal. Bring the density of the electrolyte to normal values (depending on the temperature "overboard").
4 ways to restore a car battery
Batteries are a stable source of constant voltage, they are indispensable in individual designs and devices. But of course there are no eternal things on earth, and with batteries, time passes and they are no longer suitable for use, what should I do? Throw it away and buy a new one? You can of course, but it's better to try to repair them. On the market you can find a sea of batteries of different types of capacities and voltages. Mainly use acid alkaline and lithium batteries. Today we will talk about ways to repair such types of batteries as lead. Acid batteries - more commonly referred to as lead-helium batteries. Two lead plates are immersed in sulfuric acid, one plate is positive, the other is negative. Such batteries are most often used in automotive technology and in flashlights. They have a relatively short lifespan. They can be repaired (restored) in several ways.
The first method of multiple charging with a small current rating with short time intervals between charges. By the end of the first and subsequent charges, the voltage on the battery gradually increases, and it stops accepting a charge. During the break, the electrode potentials on the surface and in the depth of the mass of the plates are equalized, while the denser electrolyte from the pores of the plates flows into the interelectrode space and reduces the voltage on the battery during temporary breaks. During a cyclic charge, as the battery gains capacity, the density of the electrolyte begins to increase. When the density becomes normal, and the voltage on one section reaches 2.5-2.7 volts (the nominal value of each can is 2 volts), the charge is stopped. Repeat this cycle 5-8 times. The charging current is ten times less than the battery capacity, let's say the battery has a capacity of 1000mA / h, then the charge current should be between 80 and 100 milliamps.
The second way to restore acid batteries is to replace the electrolyte. We drain the electrolyte from the battery and rinse the battery with hot water several times. Next, take 3 teaspoons of soda and dilute in 100 ml of water. We boil water and immediately pour boiling water into the battery, wait 20 minutes and drain. This process is repeated several times. Then rinse the battery 3 times with hot water. This recovery method is very convenient to use for car batteries. At the last stage of work, we pour a new electrolyte and charge the battery for 24 hours, the repaired battery is charged once a day for 10 days, the charge lasts 6 hours, the charger parameters are 14-16 volts, the charge current is 10 amperes (no more).
The third way is reverse charging. To do this, you need a powerful voltage source (a welding machine, for example), the voltage of the charger is 20 volts, and the current strength is 80 amperes or more, open the plugs of the cans and charge them only back - we attach the plus of the power source to the minus of the battery, and the minus of the power source to the plus battery. At the same time, the battery will boil, but do not pay attention, we charge for 30 minutes, then drain the electrolyte, rinse with hot water and pour in a new electrolyte. We take an ordinary charger with a current of 10-15 amperes and charge the repaired battery for 24 hours, just do not mix up the polarity, since the factory positive pole will already be negative, and the negative positive pole, we will talk about the repair and restoration of alkaline and lithium batteries in the next article, stay with us - Artur Kasyan (AKA).
Fourth way is highly efficient and fast (the battery is restored in less than an hour). A discharged battery is pre-charged. The electrolyte is drained from a charged battery and washed 2-3 times with water. An ammonia solution of Trilon B (ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETACETE sodium), containing 2 weight percent Trilon B and 5 percent ammonia, is poured into the washed battery. The time of desulfation with a solution is 40-60 minutes. The process of desulfation is accompanied by the evolution of gas and the appearance of small splashes on the surface of the solution. The cessation of gas evolution indicates the completion of the process. In case of strong sulfation, the treatment with the solution should be repeated. After treatment, the battery is washed at least 2-3 times with distilled water, then filled with an electrolyte of normal density. The flooded battery is charged with charging current to the nominal capacity according to the recommendations in the passport. Regarding the preparation of the solution, it is necessary to contact enterprises with chemical laboratories. Store the solution in a dark place in a vessel with a hermetic lid to prevent evaporation of ammonia. http://www.handiman.ru/
December 18, 2012, 09:58
battery repair,
battery recovery
