Yammer Dan Posted June 30, 2013 #1 Posted June 30, 2013 I asked SkyDoc and have it on a reconditioning cycle on my charger now. My question is... I bought a AGM a couple yrs ago (not sure how long or where from) to put on the shelf for a shop battery. It got pushed to the back and forgotten. It was on a shelf in my cellar and shouldn't have froze but temps would have gone up and down quite a bit. Guessing between 35 and 70 degrees. Thing is when I pulled it off the shelf yesterday it was dead. It shows 0.1 volts now. GONE? It is possible door got left open for a while in cold weather and it was on bottom shelf. Could have froze?? Any ideas?
etcswjoe Posted June 30, 2013 #2 Posted June 30, 2013 If I remember correctly the shelf life of an uncharged AGM is 18 months.
utadventure Posted June 30, 2013 #3 Posted June 30, 2013 My understanding is that AGM batteries need to be charged slowly. It was told to use a low charge, like 2.0 amps and only charge for a couple hours and then give it a rest for 20-30 minutes and then repeat the process. I hope it works for you! Dave
Yammer Dan Posted June 30, 2013 Author #4 Posted June 30, 2013 I'll try that Dave. Not sure how old it is.
Condor Posted July 1, 2013 #5 Posted July 1, 2013 I'll try that Dave. Not sure how old it is. Are you sure your multi-meter isn't on the fritz. .1 vdc is ridiculous. I put out .5 vdc by just grabbing the ends of the probes.... It's also hard to believe that after only two years the batt is dead. I've had them sit for over a year and they only take a short time to top off. I think the specs call for a 10% loss over a year. If it's actually that low then it's probably a gonner....but stick a maintainer on it for a couple of months and then hit it with a smart charger.... You never know.....???
Big Lou Posted July 1, 2013 #6 Posted July 1, 2013 Batteries left on a shelf will collect dust, with temp change, dew accumulates, along with grease,,wipe it good and it will take a slow charge,,,, Been there done that,,,,,,,just discharged cause of dirt, Clean and check level of water,,even maint,free batteries you can add water,,,distilled
Snaggletooth Posted July 1, 2013 #7 Posted July 1, 2013 Dan, I'm with Condor on this one. I've been using AGM's now for a while and setting up the guys I work on their bikes for with DEKA AGMs whenever they need a battery. They don't just run down over time without a good reason. Shelf life is crazy long without a drain on them. That said, I do get one run very low sometimes and a smart charger will not pick up enough to start the charge process. I ran across this a while back and this does work on the "dead" ones I've tried it on. http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/general/hrdp_1009_how_to_charge_a_agm_battery/viewall.html Worth a shot. Just remember to keep the charger set to 2 amps max during charging. Let us know how it works out for ya, Mike
Guest tx2sturgis Posted July 1, 2013 #8 Posted July 1, 2013 Any lead acid battery will self-discharge given enough time. Two years is enough time, and high temperatures are worse than low temps for a stored battery. It could have been accelerated with a layer of dust on the top, creating a low resistance electrical path. As the battery discharges, it will be less and less able to withstand freezing temps, and eventually, the damage is done. Assuming your meter is correct, and that you probed 'thru' the oxidation on the terminal posts, its probably sulfated to the point of being a large paperweight. But its worth a try....try charging it with a standard, (not automatic) charger at 2 amps for several hours...and see if there is any sign of life in it. Good luck.
OB-1 Posted July 1, 2013 #9 Posted July 1, 2013 Any lead acid battery will self-discharge given enough time. Two years is enough time, and high temperatures are worse than low temps for a stored battery. It could have been accelerated with a layer of dust on the top, creating a low resistance electrical path. As the battery discharges, it will be less and less able to withstand freezing temps, and eventually, the damage is done. Assuming your meter is correct, and that you probed 'thru' the oxidation on the terminal posts, its probably sulfated to the point of being a large paperweight. But its worth a try....try charging it with a standard, (not automatic) charger at 2 amps for several hours...and see if there is any sign of life in it. Good luck. On a side note: VRLA batteries can actually survive freezing and still work after being thawed and charged. The freezing will certainly cause irreparable damage and greatly reduced life, but the battery will work. Freezing a VLA battery will result in destruction of the battery.
Yammer Dan Posted July 1, 2013 Author #10 Posted July 1, 2013 Found receipt. Bought 11/11/11. Weird? Might be some warrentee left on it. Receipt got damp in bottom of box, can't tell where its from but I think Advance Auto. Anyway showing 5.3 volts this morning. Smart charger charges for a while and kicks over to FO1 which is Internal Short. I'll see what I can get it up to today and do another reconditioning cycle on it this evening. Only did about 1/2 of the reconditioning cycle the first time. Got it on small 2 amp charger today.
Beau-Kat Posted July 1, 2013 #11 Posted July 1, 2013 Dan, I'm with Condor on this one. I've been using AGM's now for a while and setting up the guys I work on their bikes for with DEKA AGMs whenever they need a battery. They don't just run down over time without a good reason. Shelf life is crazy long without a drain on them. That said, I do get one run very low sometimes and a smart charger will not pick up enough to start the charge process. I ran across this a while back and this does work on the "dead" ones I've tried it on. http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/general/hrdp_1009_how_to_charge_a_agm_battery/viewall.html Worth a shot. Great link. With all of the motorcycle and small engine maintenance I have done over the years, I've used a parallel battery to trick my charger on several occasions.
Yammer Dan Posted July 1, 2013 Author #12 Posted July 1, 2013 I had it up to 6.3 volts. It dropped back to 0. I think its done.
Guest tx2sturgis Posted July 1, 2013 #13 Posted July 1, 2013 On a side note: VRLA batteries can actually survive freezing and still work after being thawed and charged. The freezing will certainly cause irreparable damage and greatly reduced life, but the battery will work. Freezing a VLA battery will result in destruction of the battery. This is true, except that the freezing point of the acid is not 32 degrees. Its MUCH lower, UNLESS the battery is discharged. In fact, an AGM battery thats fully charged will probably tolerate temps way below zero quite easily, as they do in cars and other vehicles when parked on cold winter nites.
Yammer Dan Posted July 1, 2013 Author #14 Posted July 1, 2013 It was stored in box on bottom shelf about a foot off floor. It is possible door door was left open for a while in low temps but we don't get that much. Cleaned terminals. There was very little dust on it. It is just dead. 1 year and 7 months old. 1 yr free replacement. Never used at all.
GeorgeS Posted July 1, 2013 #15 Posted July 1, 2013 http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/general/hrdp_1009_how_to_charge_a_agm_battery/viewall.html Also, google search " charging an AGM battery" , and read several items, more info then you would ever want to know !!
BuddyRich Posted July 1, 2013 #16 Posted July 1, 2013 George, I actually had to do that a couple of years ago on an older AGM I had in the bike. Walked off and left it with ign on for a week.. It worked. That battery lasted two more years. Just got a new on this year.
Big Lou Posted July 1, 2013 #17 Posted July 1, 2013 Had a ffriend one time, ,took an old battery and was throwing it up high in the yard and did this a dozen times said the plates all would become solid in the bottom from sitting,,, then he put it on a charger on medium over night, ,we used that battery at the fish camp to start the generator. All that summer, never jumped it off after we put it on,,,,started every weekend,,,,,,,,,,try. That, just dont bust it,,cant hurt
Yammer Dan Posted July 3, 2013 Author #18 Posted July 3, 2013 www.hotrod.com/techarticles/general/hrdp_1009_how_to_charge_a_agm_battery/viewall.html Also, google search " charging an AGM battery" , and read several items, more info then you would ever want to know !! Got it on a reconditioning cycle now. See what happens then try this. I just hate to give up on it.
frankd Posted July 3, 2013 #19 Posted July 3, 2013 I agree with the HotROd article, but want to suggest another way to get the battery to accept the charge. I would take an old type battery charger---the type that have just a transformer, rectifiers, and maybe a meter and connect it to the battery. This type charger will charge whenever it's plugged in and connected. I've got a small 2 amp. version of this that I've used for many years, and another heavier (10 & 50 amp ranges) charger. Either would be fine, but I'd probably use the 2 amp. Charge the battery like this for a couple of hours, and then switch to the new fancy charger with all the protection. As the article mentioned, the AGM batteries are really just a fancy lead-acid battery and still work almost the same way. Frank
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