Reviving a dead battery

Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
there is so, SO MUCH WRONG with that video and procedure that i cant even figure out what to start with first.... nearly speechless.

so with that said, i'll just leave it for someone else to prove me wrong and tell us how that man is a genius:D...
 
Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
There are already over 1300 comments on that youtube page alone.

Granted, we're not sure that they're all sailors' comments. ;)
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
"could be some fumes coming off". Sounds a little like this process has been done a few times in a small, closed space prior to the making of this video.
 
Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
I agree, that whole thing is scary! If anyone really wants to rejuvenate an old battery it is pretty simple. Just dump out the old acid and put in plain water to help rinse out the lead pieces at the bottom of each cell. Do this several times and then add fresh acid from the local auto parts store. Charge it up good and if it is going to work it will show around 13v when done. If not, get a new one! Merry Christmas, Chief
 
May 24, 2004
7,179
CC 30 South Florida
I guess I'll never know if it works or not as I'm not going through all that work to end up with a battery of questionable reliability to save $70. The guy was actually funny. He was actually surprised when it started the car. Put that battery through a load test and then come back with a video. Like the Shark said, I'M OUT.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
I guess I'll never know if it works or not as I'm not going through all that work to end up with a battery of questionable reliability to save $70. The guy was actually funny. He was actually surprised when it started the car. Put that battery through a load test and then come back with a video. Like the Shark said, I'M OUT.
the chemistry of what he is doing may work in a pinch, but most of us in the modern world, especially if we have toys like boats and such, are never in pinch like that... and im sure the chemistry is NOT a long term fix for the battery.

like edison found out while he was developing the lightbulb, some things that may work for the purpose will be overshadowed by the thing that works the Best for the application....

we dont really know what the condition of the battery was BEFORE he decided to convert it, other than it was severely discharged.... but that doesnt mean the battery was ruined. I would bet that other than it being badly discharged, there was nothing more wrong with it than 60% of the batteries currently in service thruout the world.

before he attempted his experiment, his charger probably wouldnt kick in to recharge it because it wouldnt recognize there was anything hooked up to it that needed to be charged.
this happens with almost all modern chargers, and the way to patch it so it will charge is to connect a good battery to the discharged one to give it 12 volts, and then the charger will sense the voltage and begin to push current.... after about 15 minutes the good battery can be disconnected and the charger will continue to push into the bad one...

but the man in the video would never have known this as he wasnt even really sure how his charger worked.... but he did have some measure of success in his own little frozen world, and that seemed to give him a warm and fuzzy feeling that only he could feel:D
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
What's possibly more interesting than the matter itself, is the fact that the video has been viewed more than 1.5 million times. Sometimes this social media thing makes no sense at all.
 
Jan 4, 2006
7,299
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
the video has been viewed more than 1.5 million times. Sometimes this social media thing makes no sense at all.
How many people believe Osama is still alive ....................

How many people believe the moon landing was a hoax .............

How many people believe Elvis is still alive ...............

How many people believe a Fortress anchor will reset in a wind shift :D .............

None of it makes any sense.
 
Oct 17, 2011
2,809
Ericson 29 Southport..
Like Centerline, I was speechless. Did anybody see what he did with the bucket of electrolyte?
I'm waiting on one of our chemical people to explain the alum thing. Crap, a man can buy electrolyte at a battery store..
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD