Re: (ET) Alum+h2o replacement for acid in lead batteries

["David Roden" <etpost drmm net>]

On 30 Jan 2007 at 9:21, Tim Humphrey wrote:

> When I was a kid I used to "revive lead-acid batteries by dropping an
> un-buffered aspirin into each cell.

Quite a few of the snake oil battery cures rely on the fact that if a 
"dead" 
lead acid battery is allowed to rest for a few minutes, it will recover a 
bit of charge.  

Even as a battery ages, the concentration of its electrolyte and the 
amount 
of active material in the grids remain in balance (both are declining).  
You 
can add more-concentrated electrolyte to a battery and get what seems to 
be 
greater capacity.  But then you are overdischarging the electrodes since 
you 
can't add active material.  

Simple formula for success : charge the battery properly when it needs it, 
and add nothing but distilled water when the electrolyte level is low.  If 
the battery doesn't have enough capacity to do its job, replace it.  There 
are no "miracle cures" that have any lasting effect.  Lost capacity can't 
be 
recovered.

I suspect that at best adding aspirin to a battery will do nothing.  At 
worst it might ruin it.


David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA

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