Battery charging - a new battery freshly filled with acid, kaput/new one ok.

[anthony1956]

Long story short. It seems things are not as I thought (clearly such a thing is outside my experience), so a new battery kept "in stock" empty of acid, then filled, requires charging.

Battery code 53030 (I thought they were 53034, wondering if the difference is the breather exit is the inside side when in the car, I have noticed these codes represent subtle differences between what look like the exact same battery) - like which side is pos or neg.

Interesting reading: 

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery

also seems my (now old) battery charger is goosed, which hasn't helped. Now replaced this morning.

Slow charge 2A, fast charge10A, in between 6A? Working on all that, currently (!) on 2A while I figure it out. Usually slower charge is better than faster (don't yet know why).

edit: a couple of updates, this one direct from Banner, Austria

my colleague  found an old datasheet, which says you need to put in about 2 liters of electrolyte.
When you fill it for the first time you put in acid only and then normally you wouldn’t need to charge it afterwards but since you already stored your battery for a couple of years it is necessary that you charge it before you
can use it.

That explains exactly my experiences with adding acid to empty batteries. In Portugal 2006 a freshly filled new battery was fully charged. In 2019 this very day, a battery stored empty for some years (may be since 2012) shows 12.2 volts upon filling, and is now on "first charge" to just top it up.

That leaves the dead one. Upon checking with a hygrometer (?) an end cell is rust coloured liquid, all the others being clear, but all showing "bad". I have wondered about this battery because it just looks "hammered", meaning well used, one label practically worn off, so perhaps there has been some confusion somewhere. Did I check it was empty? I think so and the shop never said it wasn't when returning it from below stairs. Whereas the latest one shows "green" across every cell, before any charging.

anthony

[auyt]

As for chargers, they have certainly moved on, I use CTEK chargers ( Battery conditioners) on all my lead acid batteries, clever little suckers. Best thing is you leave the battery charger connected when the car is not being used and they cycle the after 10 days to keep plates clean, I get up to 8 years out of a battery.

AGM batteries I use GENIUS unit as the charging rate is very low for these batteries.

hope that helps 

[CageyH]

CTEK battery chargers seem to have a problem with the mode selection button after a while though, and it becomes a lottery of where it stops.

[anthony1956]

op updated with info from Banner. Bought a new charger, so many functions I expect it to bring me my morning cuppa. http://www.aeg-automotive.com/de/produkte/id/161

[SM25T]

That looks mighty fancy. Are you sure it isn't an alarm clock?

[anthony1956]

no - 10Am is fine though

[anthony1956]

Update from Banner: they used to, but no longer supply batteries without the acid electrolyte already added. 

 

Banner are in. Austria.