Reconditioned battery

[37chief]

I see batteries for sale listed as reconditioned on craigs list, for 75.00 How do you recondition a battery? I would rather spend more for a new one. Stan

 

[Janicholson]

The answer is you don't. Unless disassembled and the sponge lead plates replaced along with the connections, then reassembling it into a plastic case, there is no real reconditioning available. Jim

 

[timcasbolt]

If you want to recondition a battery you can put it on a trickle charger for a few days and you might get a little more life out of it. Or you might not.

 

[Tony in SD]

A 4 lettered word for that ad. SCAM

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Look up "lead acid battery sulfation." It's a favorite subject of a certain individual from Terre Haute.

 

[NDIHC]

Interstate sells "reconditioned" batteries. I knew a guy who worked there and he confirmed that they were returned batteries that wouldn't make the cut as a new battery but would work good enough for their 30 day warranty. So they just charge them up, peel off the stickers and put on the econopower stickers.

 

[Mule Meat]

"I see batteries for sale listed as reconditioned on craigs list, for 75.00 How do you recondition a battery?"

First question I would ask is...
What type of battery are you talking about? Car/truck, power tool, clock on the wall??

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Oh, and you can get BRAND NEW, NOT-RECONDITIONED batteries from Walmart with a 1 year warranty for $69.97.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

They reconditioned batteries all the time in Pakistan .

 

[wp6529]

One of the chargers I have has a repair/pulse desulphate mode. It does seem to recover some batteries that aren't too far gone and get some more months out of them.

 

[Butch(OH)]

The answer is you don't. Unless disassembled and the sponge lead plates replaced along with the connections, then reassembling it into a plastic case, there is no real reconditioning available. Jim

Jim, do you remember JC Whitney catalogs? They sold VX6? Or VX7, you squirted it in you dead battery and made it new again! LOL

 

[bc]

Jim, do you remember JC Whitney catalogs? They sold VX6? Or VX7, you squirted it in you dead battery and made it new again! LOL

Good old J C Whitney from Chicago. We didn't even trade with China much back then. Not until tricky dicky made his trip to China. I didn't order enough stuff as a kid to know which is/was better, Whitney or Harbor Freight?

 

[Geo-TH,In]

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
I saved $100I buying a battery from summit racing..

 

[Hobo,NC]

Modern cars are very efficient at getting the engine started both with the ignition/fuel/engine drag and the efficiency of the starter. If we have cranking/starting issues a new battery is the first thing most throws at the problem. True battery load testing is a lost art its ashamed because it can be winged by using a voltmeter and the vehicles starter. We have been dumbed down to believe a handheld load tester of some sort has some magic powers.

Truth be known at least haft if not 80 to 90% of batteries turned in for cores have the ability to at the least crank the engine and get it started. Most of those batteries though technically bad will last till the warranty runs out.

I doubt those that refurbish used battery’s will mess with a battery that’s technically bad from the get go. If it does not take a charge and pass a somewhat weak load test it’s sent to the scrapper rat now.

I don’t hold it again those that do not know how to perform a true load test I do hold it again those that refuse to learn how they are on a mission to dumb down all of us. That metal on their chest glitters they cherish the glitter. I load test batteries every day so it comes easy to me. Most batteries have just lost their storage capacity I can hear how the engine cranks over and know it’s down on its punch before I load test it.

Lets make this easy… When you hit the starter the battery is asked to spin the engine from a dead stop it takes 600amps once it gets the engine cranking 150amps is all that’s needed and as long as the voltage stays above 9.6V 99% will start. This is what they are taking advantage of and folks think they are getting a fresh refurbished battery that can deliver. I guarantee you over haft those battery’s will fail a true load test. If it’s your cup of tea to take this gamble then I say go for it. I worked on a no crank yesterday he threw everything he could at it to keep from paying me to diagnosis it. The first thing he replaced was the battery with a refurbished one when it did not fix it he brought a new battery. I checked the refurbished battery it was good the fix was replace the starter so he put two batteries back into circulation that will be sold as refurbished. The original and the refurbished he is going to turn in for a core.

I have not thought to muck about selling refurbished battery’s before I just talk them down. The more I think about it, it may not be a bad GIG! : )

 

[miner09]

There is a local guy that gets new batteries that has set on shelves for a period of time. Don’t know how he goes about getting them. This is his business along with other things. They take off shelves and will not sell as a new battery. Cat dealers that has equipment on there lot that is a year old will not sell equipment unless it has a new battery when sold. These are big batteries and works great. That’s what we always look for. Had some that lasted 4-5 years.

 

[DaveBN]

Their used to be a guy near me that reconditioned lead acid batteries and gave life time guarantee. He would put them in an oven to melt the seal between the case and the top of the battery. Then pull the plates out and drain the acid Into a tank. Beyond that I don't know the rest of his process but his batteries lasted forever.
Dave

 

[Steve in IL]

Oh, and you can get BRAND NEW, NOT-RECONDITIONED batteries from Walmart with a 1 year warranty for $69.97.

Rural King had Group 31s last week for $79. Kinda wished I had something that needed a new battery!

 

[JMOR]

Modern cars are very efficient at getting the engine started both with the ignition/fuel/engine drag and the efficiency of the starter. If we have cranking/starting issues a new battery is the first thing most throws at the problem. True battery load testing is a lost art its ashamed because it can be winged by using a voltmeter and the vehicles starter. We have been dumbed down to believe a handheld load tester of some sort has some magic powers.

Truth be known at least haft if not 80 to 90% of batteries turned in for cores have the ability to at the least crank the engine and get it started. Most of those batteries though technically bad will last till the warranty runs out.

I doubt those that refurbish used battery’s will mess with a battery that’s technically bad from the get go. If it does not take a charge and pass a somewhat weak load test it’s sent to the scrapper rat now.

I don’t hold it again those that do not know how to perform a true load test I do hold it again those that refuse to learn how they are on a mission to dumb down all of us. That metal on their chest glitters they cherish the glitter. I load test batteries every day so it comes easy to me. Most batteries have just lost their storage capacity I can hear how the engine cranks over and know it’s down on its punch before I load test it.

Lets make this easy… When you hit the starter the battery is asked to spin the engine from a dead stop it takes 600amps once it gets the engine cranking 150amps is all that’s needed and as long as the voltage stays above 9.6V 99% will start. This is what they are taking advantage of and folks think they are getting a fresh refurbished battery that can deliver. I guarantee you over haft those battery’s will fail a true load test. If it’s your cup of tea to take this gamble then I say go for it. I worked on a no crank yesterday he threw everything he could at it to keep from paying me to diagnosis it. The first thing he replaced was the battery with a refurbished one when it did not fix it he brought a new battery. I checked the refurbished battery it was good the fix was replace the starter so he put two batteries back into circulation that will be sold as refurbished. The original and the refurbished he is going to turn in for a core.

I have not thought to muck about selling refurbished battery’s before I just talk them down. The more I think about it, it may not be a bad GIG! : )

The HF battery load tester is 0.17 Ohms and draws 17 amperes. My load tester is 0.025 Ohms and at a loaded 9.6 v draws 384 amperes'

 

[Texasmark]

The HF battery load tester is 0.17 Ohms and draws 17 amperes. My load tester is 0.025 Ohms and at a loaded 9.6 v draws 384 amperes'

Remember our co-worker George R. ? He used to go to used car lots and pickup unusable batteries and restored them and sold them back to the lots. On one occasion he mentioned that he had a string of them tied across a rectified 115V power line. Said the room was pretty closed up and full of Hydrogen Gas of which he wasn't aware....he probably didn't think about it as he was smart enough to know of emissions from charging wet cell batteries.

Anyway one day, there was a spark and the room blew up. He said that the only thing that saved his eyes were the glasses he was wearing. That guy was something else. Was always up to something.....like his oil well workover rigs, or his exploration for leaking natural gas by monitoring the surface atmosphere. Really enjoyed working with him and he was an inspiration for me.

 

[miner09]

When the guy reconditioned the battery after taking apart they would clean between the plates. It would have had build up between plates and this would short the battery out. I’ve seen this done years ago. Now the battery case is solid plastic (?). Years ago you could buy acid in bulk. Probably can’t buy it now.