Sulphated Batteries: Introduction, Causes and Charge Methods

The battery is a part of our lives and an important one at that. After all, the battery allows many household appliances such as clocks, remote TV, and many more, to come alive and work properly. Unfortunately, due to its common nature, some of us tend to neglect the care of batteries.  The neglect can cause some damage to the battery, such as sulfation. Maybe your battery is suffering from sulfation too. Here, we will talk about sulfated batteries, from its definition, its cause, and how to prevent such damage.

What is sulphated batteries?

Sulphated battery is the situation where we can see sulphate appearing on the battery. When this happens, the battery would lose its capacity, and its owner would have a hard time trying to charge the battery properly.

Sulphated battery is mainly caused by overcharging for an extremely long period of time. When this happens, the chemical inside the battery is no longer stable as there would be many obstacles that can hinder the chemical from working properly. For this reason, it is important for the battery owners to take care of the batteries properly.

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What causes the battery to sulfate?

There are several reasons why a battery can suffer from sulfation. Some of the reasons are:

1. Charged For Too Long

The main reason for a sulphated battery is the time of charging we did. There are times when we would accidentally overcharge and left the battery to stay on being charged for a long period of time. As stated before, when the battery is being overcharged for a long period of time it will interfere with the chemical inside the battery. Moreover, it can also make sulfation happens on the plates.

To prevent this, it is best to occasionally look at your device. So when the device is fully charged, you can take the battery out from the charge as soon as possible.

2. Partial Discharge

The same goes if you do not charge fully and many times too. When the owner keeps charging but cutting it off in the middle of the charge, it can result in sulfation, especially the lower part, of the battery.

Moreover, when the battery is partially discharged repeatedly, the battery’s chemical will not be thoroughly mixed. When this happens, the chemical inside will not be able to work properly.

The battery should also not be left in partial discharge for a long period of time. If you leave the battery in partial discharge, it will leave room for the sulfate to harden. The pores will also close, leaving no room for any space.

3. Acid

If you already have a sulphated battery, it is best not to add other things to it, especially acid. If you add acid to the battery, it can lead to an even worse situation, meaning that there would be more sulfation of the battery.

4. Low Amount Of Electrolyte

You must constantly check the amount of electrolyte in the battery. You must ensure that the battery has a sufficient amount of electrolyte that cannot be below the top of the plates. If you leave the electrolyte below the top plates, then the part that is exposed will harden. This will increase the chance of sulfation, creating a sulphated battery.

5. High Temperature

High temperature does more than making the battery run out of energy. When the temperature is too hot, it will increase the speed of sulfation, especially if the part does not have any electrocyte. Hence, it is best to regularly maintain the temperature of the battery.

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Can the sulfated battery be charged?

Unfortunately, charging a sulfated battery will be hard to do. However, you can resolve the problem by cleaning the damage. Here are some things you can do to de-sulfate the batteries:

1. Clean The Battery

We can clean the battery by using vinegar or lemon. All you need to do is drop a little amount of the vinegar or lemon on the sulfated surface. Wait for a minute or two or when the liquid stars working. Then, clean up the surface with a pad or cloth. You’re done! The battery is officially sulfate-free.

2. Add More Electrolyte

Since one of the reasons why sulfate happens is due to the lack of sulfate, it is best for us to add more electrolytes to it. It doesn’t have to be much, you just need to bring more electrolytes up until the surface for all plater is filled. This way, there would be no surface that is exposed, leaving little or no room for sulfation.

3. Maintain A Cool Temperature

Since high temperatures can make the battery’s energy run out faster and increase the speed of sulfation, it’s best to charge the battery at a cool temperature. Make sure the temperature is not above 50 degrees celsius. Or else, the temperature will damage the battery.

4. Time Toe Charging Period

Since sulfation is also caused by charging for an excessive period of time, it’s best to time the charging after the battery is fixed. When you charge the battery, make sure the battery is discharged from the charger when it’s full as soon as possible. If not, make sure the battery is charged under 8 hours. However it is, make sure the battery stays away from the charger once it’s done charging.

From here, we can conclude that a sulphated battery happens because of lots of reasons. However, the main reason is due to the exposed part of the battery that is not filled with electrolytes as it is supposed to. When this happens, the exposed part will be sulfated. Don’t worry though, you can make the battery work again by cleaning it. After cleaning it, make sure you take proper care of the battery by adding more electrolytes and have a cool temperature during the charging. If you take care of the battery properly, there would be no more care of a sulphated battery. So, don’t be afraid of sulfation!