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03-16-2023, 02:48 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: St. Louis, Misery
Posts: 26
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Battery Equalizer - Experience? Use it?
Found this in a farm magazine, "This product can double the life of any lead-acid battery by reversing the built-up sulphation that kills batteries as they get older. Treated batteries will charge faster and hold a charge longer...." The web site is: https://www.batteryequaliser.com/how...ery-equaliser/
Have you any experience with it? Would you recommend it?
-- Bob
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03-16-2023, 03:12 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 29,465
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Yes, an equalization-charge helps a battery. It works by over-charging for a specified time to get each cell up to the same voltage while reducing plate sulfation.. Some battery mfgrs. do not recommend an equalizing charge, some do; read your battery mfgrs. specs.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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03-16-2023, 04:15 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 34,327
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray,IN
Yes, an equalization-charge helps a battery. It works by over-charging for a specified time to get each cell up to the same voltage while reducing plate sulfation.. Some battery mfgrs. do not recommend an equalizing charge, some do; read your battery mfgrs. specs.
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Did you look at the link ?
It's a liquid you pour into the cells.
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03-16-2023, 10:19 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 29,465
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Good catch twinboat! No, I failed to open the link. Now that I have, IMO it is snake oil designed to remove money from your wallet.
However a true battery equalizer charge does work.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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03-17-2023, 09:52 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Manning, South Carolina
Posts: 1,734
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Been a marine service tech for decades. Additives are mostly snake oil that only improves the wealth of the seller. Our converter/charger does an equalization charge automatically once a week. We have used this for years in both our RV and our liveaboard boat. Our batteries get used and abused with hard use and many charge/discharge cycles. They typically last us 7 to 8 years before needing replacement. Equalization CHARGING is beneficial to your wet cell batteries. Forget the additives. Chuck
__________________
1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34J
Triton V10 Gas
2010 Chevy HHR Panel
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03-23-2023, 02:23 PM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: St. Louis, Misery
Posts: 26
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If additives are mostly snake oil - how about those which aren't (leastly?)? Are there any additives which are real? Which really work?
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03-23-2023, 02:27 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: MN
Posts: 2,771
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Lucas Injector Cleaner.
Bar's Leaks.
That's my entire list.
__________________
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1993 Rockwood 28' Class C - Ford E-350 7.5L
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03-23-2023, 02:29 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Manning, South Carolina
Posts: 1,734
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobDye1
If additives are mostly snake oil - how about those which aren't (leastly?)? Are there any additives which are real? Which really work?
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Yes. Distilled water. If anything else is needed to try and rejuvenate your batteries, it's time to replace them. Some battery chargers will do an equalization charge. That will bring your batteries back SOMEWHAT. Equalization charges should be done on a regular basis. Chuck
__________________
1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34J
Triton V10 Gas
2010 Chevy HHR Panel
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03-23-2023, 02:31 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Manning, South Carolina
Posts: 1,734
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobby F
Lucas Injector Cleaner.
Bar's Leaks.
That's my entire list.
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Huh? You use this in your batteries? Chuck
__________________
1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34J
Triton V10 Gas
2010 Chevy HHR Panel
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03-23-2023, 07:57 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: MN
Posts: 2,771
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckbear
Huh? You use this in your batteries? Chuck
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That wasn't in his question. As I read it, at least.
__________________
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1993 Rockwood 28' Class C - Ford E-350 7.5L
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04-05-2023, 07:00 AM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckbear
. Our converter/charger does an equalization charge automatically once a week. We have used this for years in both our RV and our liveaboard boat. Our batteries get used and abused with hard use and many charge/discharge cycles. They typically last us 7 to 8 years before needing replacement. Equalization CHARGING is beneficial to your wet cell batteries. Forget the additives. Chuck
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My 2012 Itasca 26P maintains the coach batteries when connected to shoreline. It does not maintain the Chassis battery.
I use a Schumacher SC 1299 when we are parked for more than a week. I have this 800 mAh microprocessor controlled maintainer connected to the Chassis (truck) battery.
This unit seems to be well designed and rugged.
I have no financial gain mentioning this $40 unit that I have purchased at O'Reilly Auto.
My question is, do other motorhome units maintain the coach batteries only?
--Stanley
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04-05-2023, 07:04 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 34,327
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fusejockey
My 2012 Itasca 26P maintains the coach batteries when connected to shoreline. It does not maintain the Chassis battery.
I use a Schumacher SC 1299 when we are parked for more than a week. I have this 800 mAh microprocessor controlled maintainer connected to the Chassis (truck) battery.
This unit seems to be well designed and rugged.
I have no financial gain mentioning this $40 unit that I have purchased at O'Reilly Auto.
My question is, do other motorhome units maintain the coach batteries only?
--Stanley
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Most since 2010 or so maintain both batteries on shore power.
Many don't due to a failed isolation/boost relay ( solenoid).
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04-06-2023, 07:55 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Braidwood Il.
Posts: 8,198
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There was another recent thread. I did the math based on Costco/Sam's price golf cart batts at 7 yrs life. If you get one extra year to break even. Battery university claims modern LA batts have additive to prevent salvation and reduce corrosion. Could it get diminished at 4yrs??? If you read reviews of older similar products some swear by using it for 30yrs. Others put in a shot battery get a few months or nothing go figure lol.
__________________
95 Monaco Crown Royale
M11 400hp, 4060 trans.
Aquahot, Generac Guardian7.5k
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04-06-2023, 05:26 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Pigeon Forge, TN
Posts: 635
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If you want to "restore" an aging battery, pouring acid or snake oil in it won't do the trick. Most of the time the plates build up a sulfation layer and hinder the chemical reactions that take place during charging. The only way to "fix" this is to literally burn the sulfation layers off- mainly done by overvolting the battery in pulses to chip off the sulfation. A lot of chargers offer desulfation modes these days- but not all of them are up to the task of anything besides light buildup. It takes some serious pop over a long period of time (days) to rejuvenate a battery, something you won't find in a charger which is simply targeting a specific float voltage.
If you want to restore a battery, or pack of batteries that are simply aged and not suffering from extreme overdischarge (very hard to recover from), I recommend a Chinese specialty unit that does a VERY good job. It's not stylish, or particularly user friendly, but it works very well for desulfation (it's an "ok" battery charger, but not very fast).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QV83YX9
__________________
2021 Newmar Super Star 4051, Glacier Interior + Exterior
2021 Bravo Silver Star 24'
2015 Genesis G80 Ultimate, Caspian Black
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