oldcarkook
12-29-2003, 08:16 AM
We've had a couple of threads on batteries here with what seems to be an even division of opinions both for and against gel batteries. I for one am sold on gel batteries but I learned a trick some years back on how to get 9 years (one post stated nine years of service life on a lead/acid battery) or more from your lead/acid battery.
For the most part, corrosion begins to develop on the plates in times of intermittent or non-use. This corrosion will build up and eventually scale up in such a way as to bridge the gap and make contact, or short out the battery and render it useless.
In my vintage vehicles, it's pretty common to have them parked for extended periods of time and problems with lead/acid batteries are certainly not limited to bikes by a long shot. I had an old timer give me a tip one time that made a dramatic difference. I'm not sure why no one really markets this product for this purpose, but I can certainly see why battery manufacturers would not want it used and promoted.
I'm in the chemical business and handle and sell industrial chemicals for a living. An old timer asked me to get him a small sample of Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid ("EDTA"), which is a chelating agent. You can google chelates and EDTA to read more on them and how they work. What he did was took a small 4 oz sample bottle and then dropped a 1/4 tsp in each lead acid battery cell in his batteries. He swore it would inhibit corrosion and extend the life of the battery. He was right. It's pretty dramatic.
For you guys out there that are still doin' acid, you might want to try this. The way to get some EDTA is to either buy a small bottle (it's a powder) from a lab supply or contact DOW Chemical and order a small sample. It would have to be shipped to a business address and you'd need to have a reason so you can say simply that you are doing battery research with it.
For the most part, corrosion begins to develop on the plates in times of intermittent or non-use. This corrosion will build up and eventually scale up in such a way as to bridge the gap and make contact, or short out the battery and render it useless.
In my vintage vehicles, it's pretty common to have them parked for extended periods of time and problems with lead/acid batteries are certainly not limited to bikes by a long shot. I had an old timer give me a tip one time that made a dramatic difference. I'm not sure why no one really markets this product for this purpose, but I can certainly see why battery manufacturers would not want it used and promoted.
I'm in the chemical business and handle and sell industrial chemicals for a living. An old timer asked me to get him a small sample of Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid ("EDTA"), which is a chelating agent. You can google chelates and EDTA to read more on them and how they work. What he did was took a small 4 oz sample bottle and then dropped a 1/4 tsp in each lead acid battery cell in his batteries. He swore it would inhibit corrosion and extend the life of the battery. He was right. It's pretty dramatic.
For you guys out there that are still doin' acid, you might want to try this. The way to get some EDTA is to either buy a small bottle (it's a powder) from a lab supply or contact DOW Chemical and order a small sample. It would have to be shipped to a business address and you'd need to have a reason so you can say simply that you are doing battery research with it.