Hello everyone,
This is my first post here so I`m sorry for any mistakes. I have searched the forum about this specific subject and found no information which is relevant for me.
The basic question is how to get rid of the extra water added to a wet-type SLA... (I turned it in flooded LA).. Below follow lots of details, should anyone care to read them (sorry, it`s a long post).
I have an APC (CS650) with a 2+ years-old APC battery. A couple of months ago, during a power failure, I observed that its capacity decreased to ~66% (held like 5+ minutes instead of 9, same PC, same OS, same screen).
I then opened it and (not knowing that SLA is only a "wetted" lead-acid battery) I filled it almost to the top with distilled water..... Electrolyte concentration definitely decreased....
I only found out like 2-3 weeks ago what is the difference between wet SLA and flooded LA (GEL is simply irrelevant for the context).
I have never had a power failure ever since, only some ugly mains voltage fluctuations (you know, winter is coming and humans in my neighborhood are using electric heaters with fans... what can I say... but the common power lines of the apartment building I live in are from aluminum...). Anyway, little off-topic, sorry about this.
I started to hear the APC UPS crying (that cicada sound, UPS asking for its battery to be replaced). I turned it off and... surprise: the battery was VERY VERY hot (not swollen/deformed/round... checked it with a carpenter`s elbow, all straight edges and 90-degrees corners)... I waited for it to cool down and removed it. Surprise: it vented little acid through the vent near + terminal (slight smell of rotten eggs, + terminal plastic cover eaten about 50%, contacts are full copper now - no longer silvery plated).
My question is if there is anything that can be done for this SLA to restore it to its former glory. I tried to build a 555 timer 1khz desulphator but its inductors nearly produced light (they were almost incandescent-hot, skin-burning), so little success with that... Need to rebuild it. Anyway, not sure the battery is sulphated, but I have no clue why it heats (should be too much charge current, but why?)... Will check the charge current later on today.
Battery voltage is somewhere between 11 and 12 volts while rested (not too good...).
I started to charge it with a smart charger last week, 700mA setting (motorcycle battery), all vents open, and 2 cells bubbled for a long time, but he battery got only surface charge and the charger stopped charging in less than 2 hours, without the battery to get hot... Then the battery voltage dropped again. I will measure the individual cell voltage with two solder pieces and see if there is any imbalance (I suppose there is). Leaving the charger connected to the battery overnight I saw that in the morning it was charging the battery again (same 700mA setting, stopped 7~8 minutes later).
Any help is much appreciated!
This is my first post here so I`m sorry for any mistakes. I have searched the forum about this specific subject and found no information which is relevant for me.
The basic question is how to get rid of the extra water added to a wet-type SLA... (I turned it in flooded LA).. Below follow lots of details, should anyone care to read them (sorry, it`s a long post).
I have an APC (CS650) with a 2+ years-old APC battery. A couple of months ago, during a power failure, I observed that its capacity decreased to ~66% (held like 5+ minutes instead of 9, same PC, same OS, same screen).
I then opened it and (not knowing that SLA is only a "wetted" lead-acid battery) I filled it almost to the top with distilled water..... Electrolyte concentration definitely decreased....
I only found out like 2-3 weeks ago what is the difference between wet SLA and flooded LA (GEL is simply irrelevant for the context).
I have never had a power failure ever since, only some ugly mains voltage fluctuations (you know, winter is coming and humans in my neighborhood are using electric heaters with fans... what can I say... but the common power lines of the apartment building I live in are from aluminum...). Anyway, little off-topic, sorry about this.
I started to hear the APC UPS crying (that cicada sound, UPS asking for its battery to be replaced). I turned it off and... surprise: the battery was VERY VERY hot (not swollen/deformed/round... checked it with a carpenter`s elbow, all straight edges and 90-degrees corners)... I waited for it to cool down and removed it. Surprise: it vented little acid through the vent near + terminal (slight smell of rotten eggs, + terminal plastic cover eaten about 50%, contacts are full copper now - no longer silvery plated).
My question is if there is anything that can be done for this SLA to restore it to its former glory. I tried to build a 555 timer 1khz desulphator but its inductors nearly produced light (they were almost incandescent-hot, skin-burning), so little success with that... Need to rebuild it. Anyway, not sure the battery is sulphated, but I have no clue why it heats (should be too much charge current, but why?)... Will check the charge current later on today.
Battery voltage is somewhere between 11 and 12 volts while rested (not too good...).
I started to charge it with a smart charger last week, 700mA setting (motorcycle battery), all vents open, and 2 cells bubbled for a long time, but he battery got only surface charge and the charger stopped charging in less than 2 hours, without the battery to get hot... Then the battery voltage dropped again. I will measure the individual cell voltage with two solder pieces and see if there is any imbalance (I suppose there is). Leaving the charger connected to the battery overnight I saw that in the morning it was charging the battery again (same 700mA setting, stopped 7~8 minutes later).
Any help is much appreciated!