How to reanimate a car battery at home?

Probably, every car enthusiast at least once faced with a situation where the battery for some reason refused to work. This is a serious problem if you urgently need to go somewhere. Many will go and acquire a new battery. But, knowing how to reanimate the car's battery at home, you can not only restore the battery, but also extend its life for a few more years.

How the batteries are arranged, the principle of operation

The battery is a sealed plastic container inside which negative and positive lead plates are installed. In modern models, the plates can be not only lead, but also nickel, cadmium and other alloys.

Inside also there is a sulfuric acid - thanks to it the galvanic pair is formed. When a current is applied to the battery terminals, the accumulation of energy will begin. When the capacity limit is reached, the battery will become an energy source with a voltage of 12 V.

Every time an automobile owner starts his car, the battery loses some of its energy. But as soon as the engine starts, the generator must make up for the energy reserves. But this is only in the ideal case. Therefore, sometimes the battery is discharged to the limit, and how to reanimate the battery, motorists, especially beginners, do not always know. The reasons why the battery is out of order are many. Statistics say that a large number of batteries fail because of sulphation and sifting of putty.

Sulphation is one of the reasons for the failure of the battery

So, a typical battery is a plate of lead in sulfuric acid. This metal is easily destroyed by the action of weak acids, for example, acetic acid. But sulfuric for him is not at all dangerous, even if it is very concentrated or heated. The film, which is formed as a result of the reaction of sulfuric acid and lead, protects the metal from destruction.

A rechargeable battery is a source of electricity of a chemical type. If the battery is charged, sulfuric acid is in the electrolyte. With a discharged battery, it is located on the electrodes in the form of sulfate. The operation is reversible upon charge and this is a normal process.

If you leave the battery permanently discharged, the lead sulphates will begin to dissolve, and as a result they will begin to form on the electrodes in the form of large insoluble crystals. The sulfate layer is an insulator. As a result, part of the battery capacity is lost, and if the battery is in the discharge state for a long time, it will die.

Diagnose sulfation is very simple - quickly lost battery capacity, not enough power to start the engine, the electrolyte boils and the plates overheat. A higher voltage is also observed at the terminals.

Calcium sulfates

In modern batteries, lead is calcium-doped. This makes it possible to reduce to a minimum the boiling-off of water and to reduce self-discharge. However, if the battery is discharged sufficiently strongly, then the electrodes are covered with calcium sulphate. Charge this battery completely will not work. Due to the fact that the internal resistance of such a battery increases, it is considered that it needs to be charged with voltages from 15 V. This is an error. You need to know exactly how to reanimate the battery, otherwise you can kill it altogether.

The shedding of coal plates

This is also a fairly common reason for failing the battery. The diagnosis is easy to make - sulfuric acid darkens. In this case, there is a risk of battery death - unfortunately, such task as to reanimate the car battery, in this case is not solved.

Lead batteries during evolution many times changed and modernized. However, the principle of action remained the same. The plates are coated with lead oxide paste. This part or the putty is held on the electrodes due to the coupling properties and the construction of the plates. It is showered as a result of vibrations, sulfation, temperature fluctuations. The process of shedding is completely natural. This indicates the aging of the battery. If you handle the battery neatly, then its service life will increase significantly.

How to reanimate a car battery

The reasons are clear. In warranty vouchers for cars in this case, the driver will find only a recommendation to replace the battery. But there are options for restoring the power source.

How to increase capacity and density

The main way that is used for batteries of various modifications is charging with a low current. The battery is quickly charged and also discharged. In a short period of time, the power source stops taking charge. Here it is necessary to pause, and then repeat the cycle.

It is necessary to know exactly how to reanimate the car's battery - if you select incorrect charging parameters, you can completely destroy the battery. So, the current must be only 4-6% of the capacity of the battery. For example, for batteries with 60 Ah, the charge current is not more than 3.6 A. Often, the time of one such cycle is about 6-8 hours. Pause - from 8 to 16 hours. For restoration, you may need 5-6 such cycles. The procedure can be terminated if the density of the electrolyte is restored , and the voltage level is within the limits allowed for a particular battery.

Restorative procedures at home

This option is suitable for those who do not have time. Experienced motorists have been using it for a long time. If anyone did not know how to reanimate the battery, then this method involves dissolving sulfates by washing with special solutions.

First of all, the battery is charged to the maximum of its capabilities. Further - the electrolyte merges, and the insides are washed with distilled water 2-3 times. Then a solution of ammonia and Trilon B is poured into the cavity and the battery is left for an hour. When the reaction is over, it will be seen. Gas evolution will cease. Then repeat the process if the plates are not cleaned sufficiently. After all, the battery is washed again, the electrolyte is filled and charged in a standard way.

How to reanimate an old car battery

Battery manufacturers recommend that they dispose of old batteries at the end of their life. There is no need to rush with this - there is an opportunity to revive them. Today in many cities there are companies to buy up old batteries - they reanimate them and then sell at an affordable price.

If there is only one in the garage, you can try to restore the former possibilities to him. You just need to know how to reanimate the old battery to make it work. After all, even a Chinese battery will cost at least 2000 rubles, and this is some, but still money and you can save them.

Let's start the process

The first step is to determine the malfunction. Black electrolyte is a broken coal plate. The capacity of sulphation fell. It is also possible to close the plates, but how to reanimate the battery with such a problem - we'll tell below. A serious case is the swollen sides of the battery. Here, only a replacement.

How to heal the closure of plates

To eliminate this problem, a special additive will help. It is added to the electrolyte, whose density is 1.28 g / cc cm, and is left there for two days. After that, the mixture is poured into a battery and the density is measured. If the indicator remained at the same level, then it is charged and discharged. If no heating or boiling is observed in the process, the current can be reduced by half.

After two hours, the density of the electrolyte is again measured. If it is back to normal, the charging is stopped. We can assume that the battery is restored. If the density has increased, add water. When decreased, it is sulfuric acid. After that they again charge.

Repair of closures: method No. 2

To eliminate the short circuit, the problem zone is burned off by high currents. To do this, it is sufficient to connect the battery to a welding machine with a rectifier diode. The current must be from 100 A. The circuit is only closed for a couple of seconds.

About unattended batteries

Manufacturers have made these batteries to be simply changed. About how to reanimate a maintenance-free battery, the instructions to them do not write. But there is a way.

The first thing is to drain the electrolyte, and replace it with distilled water. Next, the battery is charged at a constant voltage of 14 V. In a few hours you should listen to what is happening inside the battery. The process must be accompanied by the formation of gases. With intensive separation, the current is reduced.

For two weeks, the battery will turn the water into an electrolyte, and the lead sulfate is converted to sulfuric acid. After two weeks, the contents are drained and water is poured again, and this process is repeated. When the desulphation is completely over, you can fill the normal electrolyte and charge the battery with standard parameters.

How to reanimate the battery, the modern manufacturer does not tell. All these methods are used by motorists themselves, at their own peril and risk. The main thing is to strictly follow these recommendations, and then there is a chance that the AKB will come to life and will please its owner for many more years.

So, we figured out how to reanimate a car's unattended battery.