# Need Help On AGM Batteries That Is Totally Dead, Please:



## stomper (Jul 17, 2010)

Hello everyone,

I have a great deal of problems with 2 of my AGM Batteries. By reading alot on the forum I decided to join and be a part of this great community and get some help on going into the right direction with my batteries - Any help is greatly appreciated, please.

Now, these AGM batteries has been bought a little over a year ago and kepted in storage for that long. - I'm coming close to 1 full day (24 hours) of charging one of them battery's and I've been using the *CTek 3300 Multi Charger* which was recommended by the manufacture because I called them up and asked for help that this particular charger to charge these AGM Batterys will rejunate these dead batteries of mine - According to the manufacture that these batteries don't go bad, even when it sits on the shelf for 3 years or more. I took his word and recommendations and bought the charger below. (see image below)









Now, I'm on my first day of trying these batteries and it's been about 20 hours now and it's still in this same state: (see image below)








The instructions on this charger says that it may take up to 23/26 hours up to 3 days for these batteries to charged fully. I just feel worried that it may not charge. Before I put the charger on yesterday it read at only .03 Volts and now it's reading 1.19 Volts. - Does this sound right for the time being on the charger for 20 hours?

I probably need some kind of validation so that I know that I'm going into the right direction with these batteries. - Man, these batteries has got to charge. Due to the economy, I don't have money to spend money on battery's that I haven't used YET when I bought it. I kick myself in the ass for not doing this any time sooner. 

Any suggestions and help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

Regards,

stomper


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## EVfun (Mar 14, 2010)

"He's dead, Jim."

If you have a lead acid battery reading anywhere near zero volts it is dead. If you can get it to take a charge it will have a significantly reduced capacity, often with a rapid self discharge rate and increased internal resistance too.


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## stomper (Jul 17, 2010)

Thank you so much EV! 

Shoot!! - Amazing how these batteries just go dead like that after only one year of being on the shelf. I'm so disappointed.  - manufacturer said that it could revive it with the battery charger I just bought ($ 60.00). My high hopes just faded away. .damn!..  - another $ 200 down the drain.. 

Thanks again, EV! 

Best regards,

stomper


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## Duxuk (Jul 11, 2009)

Just for clarification, did you charge the batteries when you got them, or is this the first time you've charged?

My Ctek takes about 8 hours to charge up a 110Ah lead acid from, say, 30%DOD. This is a long way from your experience I would think that EVfun is probably right, sadly.

I'd try the other settings though. The motorcycle setting should limit the ampage of the charge, whilst the normal setting will give you a higher ampage. Another thing which I have heard previously is to dump a large current in to a flat battery using a "traditional" non intelligent car battery charger. You would watch the voltage and see if anything happens. 

It wouldn't normally be good advice to deliberately abuse a battery, but lets face it, you've nothing to lose!

Best of luck, Andrew.


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## ewdysar (Jun 15, 2010)

stomper said:


> Thank you so much EV!
> 
> Shoot!! - Amazing how these batteries just go dead like that after only one year of being on the shelf. I'm so disappointed.  - manufacturer said that it could revive it with the battery charger I just bought ($ 60.00). My high hopes just faded away. .damn!..  - another $ 200 down the drain..
> 
> ...


Lead acid batteries are not like the AA cells rolling around in the deli drawer of your refrigerator (you do keep your batteries in the fridge, don't you), they don't have a really long shelf life.

Nearly all deep cycle battery manufacturers recommend keeping your batteries charged, either with a float charger (not trickle) or with a regular charger every three months or so, more often for flooded batteries.

Like Duxuk said, don't give up on these batteries yet, if you can get them up to about 10V with your little charger, then you can try to hit them with a higher amp charger (25-40A). They will sometmes come back to life, but recognize that even so, they're living on borrowed tiime.

Eric


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## alexcrouse (Mar 16, 2009)

Tap an Arc Welder on the terminals VERY QUICKLY. i do i to SLA and floodies all the time. Blows the sulfur off the plates. WARNING: POLARITY IS VERY IMPORTANT HERE.

70 volts at 125 amps will wake up just about anything. lol

just a quick tap!

BTW: insert generic disclaimer here.


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## Dave Koller (Nov 15, 2008)

alexcrouse said:


> Tap an Arc Welder on the terminals VERY QUICKLY. i do i to SLA and floodies all the time. Blows the sulfur off the plates. WARNING: POLARITY IS VERY IMPORTANT HERE.
> 
> 70 volts at 125 amps will wake up just about anything. lol
> 
> ...


Tap the end of a pair of jumpers AWAY from the battery ... Don't cause a spark near the battery - just in case you have some H hanging about... It is true it will blow off Sulfur on the plates and may take a charge.. ( this is where we start the "de-sulfur" "Zapper part of the SLA discussion - )

I have done similar stunts to revive SLA - and used to over-power NiCad (not with a welder !) to "knock the crap off them".

There are two sides to the idea of desulfators circuits....
They use pulses and high "kick" to knock of the crud... hmmm image below of DIY circuit.. Have worked good on SLA in off-grid solar for some people..

Any rebuttals? Any circuits?  P.S. not sure how AGM will respond to this - But - what the heck !


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

AHHH, based on my lousy electronics theory, looks like something is missing in the thumbnail.

where's the load or is this thingee series wired or is *IT* the load?


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## Dave Koller (Nov 15, 2008)

It is powered by the battery and one can put a charger on the battery and it "kicks" pulses INTO the battery "knocking" stuff off the plates ( we hope ) -- do some reading...


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## rmay635703 (Oct 23, 2008)

AGMs are not like Floodies.

The main mode of failure is if you get the active material to separate from the separators (usually caused when the plates bubble)

If an AGM sits, charge it at a VERY VERY slow rate, a fraction of an amp is best.

Wait until it achieves proper voltage, if it can't under very slow charging you will have to uncork the battery and add an eyedropper of acid or water to each cell of the AGM, wait a few days then try again, very slowly.

Occasionally adding a lot of water/acid will bring them back (AKA the separators are blown away and the liquid may bridge the gap) Buy I would not recommend this, only as a last ditch effort.

Once charged, slowly discharge and repeat many times slowly charging and discharging.

AGMs do not sulphate in the normal way, fast charges just blow the separator material away from the active material destroying the battery.

Miles zx40 website has a method for recharging old agms and restoring them.

Good Luck
Ryan


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## butkus1801 (Jun 10, 2011)

rmay635703 said:


> AGMs are not like Floodies.
> 
> The main mode of failure is if you get the active material to separate from the separators (usually caused when the plates bubble)
> 
> ...


Ryan,
Is this how youve added acid? Quote from another thread: "_On the EVDL, none other than Lee Hart himself suggests that some AGMs can be saved by drilling a small hole (7/64", I believe), adding the fluid, and sealing the hole with silicon and a #7 screw._" http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/reviving-agm-batts-18650.html

Also, I couldn't find the info on the miles site you reference. It's a flash based homepage, not apple friendly. Would you send a link or copy and paste?
Thanks
-Mark


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## rmay635703 (Oct 23, 2008)

butkus1801 said:


> Ryan,
> Is this how youve added acid? Quote from another thread: "_On the EVDL, none other than Lee Hart himself suggests that some AGMs can be saved by drilling a small hole (7/64", I believe), adding the fluid, and sealing the hole with silicon and a #7 screw._" http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/reviving-agm-batts-18650.html
> 
> Also, I couldn't find the info on the miles site you reference. It's a flash based homepage, not apple friendly. Would you send a link or copy and paste?
> ...


The miles website has a dealer only website with a password (which you can get easily) in there there are various tech bulletins, manuals, and procedures.

The way I did my 135lbs AGMs was to cut around the rectangular plastic section near the center of the battery, pull out some batting and some rubber plugs, fill through the plug holes, replace the plugs and batting then reseal the plastic tabs.


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