Other times I see what I'm doing is like a farmer harvesting the ripe fruit when it's ready. "That's right girl ... another day or two and you'll be ready for f ... plucking."
Reminiscing on days gone by I can see I was sometimes more akin to the commander in Guantanamo prison camp. Anyway from the suffering and torment of a few tortured and murdered patients a lot more are going to be all right.
And I was reminded tonight that there are certainly many ways to skin this cat. The most peaceful way to deal with sulphation is to simply leave a batt (with no shorts) on a float charge for a 'certain' length of time.
That's it! If you have just one battery you would like to fix and do not wish to get into the messy and complicated business of speeding the process up, then just get a cheapo charger and use a 3 W (or so) bulb in series with the leads so that the V is somewhere near the middle mark between 13.1 & 13.6 V range and just leave it! Of course check the electrolyte every now and then. After a week or so it would be safe to add distilled water so the levels were just about at the max mark.
* The electrolyte expands by a surprising amount, and a discharged battery with electrolyte levels at the low mark could possibly rise to the high mark once it is charged and the sulphation is cleared. - This is why those in the know will tell you to add the distilled water only after it has been charged/pulsed. Normally the difference is levels isn't so dramatic. But it wold be unwise to fill the cells to the max on commencement of pulsing/charging. So just make sure the plates are covered and add water when the sulphation/state of charge is approaching servicable.
I've created a problem with my newest charger as I have now set a new benchmark and standard for what pulsers ought to be. My other pulsers all work. But their performance is not a patch on the one I have just built.
The two pulsers I have which are the most effective are the two which pulse the highest current. Those two are good for all batteries. The others I have are capable of doing the larger ones but take much longer and are ideal for motorcycle batteries up to (I'd say) 14 a/h. But as I have repeated ad nauseum they will all do the job and it's just a matter of the time it takes.
And I was idly thinking and I believe if one has a 2 A charger, three sulphated batteries and a relay connected to a timer (like AlaskaStar's suggestion of a flasher), you could fix all those batteries in a matter of weeks or months.
Charge them up the best they'll be and then use two to get qa nominal 24 V and pulse this in a short pulse into the third. Just switch them around and all the time the one being pulsed will be gradually coming back to life.
not only this but as they get stronger they'll most likely desulphate more quickly as the process is undertaken.
One thing I have observed is that desulphating in the manner I have described I do it is a process which seems to get faster as desulphation nears completion.
I have read on the internet from countless sources how people acting as experts state how, in various words, that desulphating gets slower towards the end as those sulphates are harder than the rest. I do not concur and based on my experience thus far it seems more as if the sulphate crystals are 'softened-up' over time and the last little bit is somewhat enjoyable as, in the last day or so of pulsing, you can see all those cells lining-up at the 1260 mark!
Maybe I'll have to correct myself on this matter? But as far as I know there are only three types of sulphation:- the overnight variety which vanishes like Scotch mist. the petulant type which is rid after a good crank.
And the genuine article which is of a fairly uniform state within each battery-type, which is dealt with by treating it like a castle you want to destroy when all you have is an unlimited supply of rocks and a few catapaults. Hit enough times the walls will crumble. Then don't stop there! Get on top of the remains and keep smashing the blocks into dust.
(I'm tired).
