Battery Extra

18/08/2017

Will a Battery Extra Desulfator Recover or Extend the Life of My Lead Acid Batteries?
By Dan Hornby
Simple question complicated answer.
I will try to answer as succinctly as possible.
Sulphate crystal build up has been known about since the Lead Acid battery was first invented, and this build up leads to over 70% of premature failure of lead acid batteries. However all batteries wear out over time and no device can stop that happening.
Over the last 30 years or so battery manufactures have made great strides in combatting sulphate build up and improving the life span of their batteries, by introducing changes to the construction of the battery plates, and in ideal circumstances, proper maintenance and correct charging, sulfation should not be a problem.
However we do not live in a perfect world and sulphate build up remains the major cause of battery failure.
It has been found that a controlled overcharge of the battery will break down the crystals, and if used correctly will keep the batteries in good clean condition, and extend the useful life of the battery. This method is not recommended to be used on sealed lead acid batteries (also known as AGM or VRLA batteries)
Around 20 years ago a simple device that created high voltage pulse sent to the battery was developed, called a pulse generator or desulfator. This, in practice, created the same effect as the controlled overcharge except it was not regulated, so over time these high voltage pulses damaged the battery plates. This negated the positive effect. The circuit board diagrams for this type of device are freely available on the internet and many of the low-cost devices available today are built using these designs. Short-term solution, long-term damage.
At the same time alternative solution were considered and experimentation showed that if a frequency pulse was sent to the battery it could break down the sulphate build up if the correct frequency could be achieved, however different frequencies were required for different sizes of crystal that built up on the plates. So the devices using the single frequency method were and still are, hit and miss, some work some worthless.
What was needed was a device that would work over a range of frequencies, voltages and size of battery. Until the last few years building this type of device was very expensive (in excess of $1,000) and large (the size of an old style video player). As no guarantee could be given to the end-user that sulfation was the problem with their battery no companies were prepared to develop them.
Dramatic drops in the size and cost of components has allowed companies to produce small reasonable prices products able to clean the plates of batteries of various capacities and voltages.
A small number of manufactures around the world now produce products that can clean the plates of old batteries and stop the sulphate build-up on new batteries, so recovering them or keeping new batteries clear of the build-up. In effect recovering many old batteries and extend the life of any battery that is not charged or maintained in the correct way. This is ALL they do and is the only thing responsible manufactures claim that their desulfators can do, they cannot recover batteries with any internal damage, shorted cells or AGM batteries that have dried out.
As it is not possible for suppliers to determine the condition or faults of the batteries customers intend to use the device on you should look for suppliers, who give clear information of how to test for faults within the battery, or offer a telephone or email service to help with any problems you may have with using a desulfator or with your specific battery setup.
In conclusion modern multi frequency desulfators are not a magic bullet that will repair all faulty batteries, but they can significantly extend the life of your lead acid batteries, and recover a large proportion of batteries that are sulphated and would otherwise be scrapped. This would greatly reduce you replacement battery costs, which is not insignificant on applications like solar storage batteries, ride on golf carts, fork trucks, large boats and motor homes.
This article is by Dan Hornby product development manager at Battery Extra Ltd. A leading manufacturer of battery management products. The Battery Extra desulfator range covers lead acid batteries and battery banks from 12 to 120 volts and up to 3,000Ah in capacity. All carry a 60 day 100% refund guarantee and a 3 year warrantee. This allows a user sufficient time to try our product and if it does not work for them to return it to us with no financial penalty. More information can be found on the Battery Extra website

01/08/2015

Why do off grid solar batteries suffer from life shortening sulfation

Off grid solar battery banks are particularly susceptible to battery sulfation. During battery discharge, sulphuric acid is consumed and some lead sulfate can form on the plates. If the battery remains in a partially discharged condition, this lead sulfate will turn into hard crystals. This process, called “lead sulfation,” causes the crystals to build up over time, increasing the internal resistance of the battery and lowering the specific gravity. This reduces capacity and results in premature failure. Sulfation from undercharging of the battery is the leading cause of battery failure in solar systems. Normal charging of the battery will convert the sulfate back to active material, if the battery is fully recharged before every use. However, a solar battery is often not completely recharged before it is called into action. This can be because the panels are undersized or poor weather conditions. To try to solve this problem many solar battery charge controllers employ an automatic equalization program, in effect a controlled over charge. Depending on the model this program may be pre-set to operate say once a month, or may be manually set by the user. In either case this is OK if the program runs on a sunny day, when the amount of input energy can fully recharge the battery plus the additional overcharge. Unfortunately this is often not the case.

How to control sulphate build up.

Over the years many devices have been developed to control or eliminate sulfate build up on lead acid batteries. It is fair to say that some work and many don’t, and those that do have generally been made for single batteries or small battery banks. The Battery Extra EX02 was developed in the United Kingdom by Sakura Batteries UK, using the very latest available electronic technology, specifically for the larger battery banks, up to 3,000 Ah, found in off grid systems. Sakura have designed and built an economically priced, powerful and very compact desulfator, that is able to fully clean both the negative and positive battery plates of all the sulfate crystal build up, without the need for the damaging high voltage spikes, keeping them in top condition, ensuring they have the maximum possible lifespan. It works during both the charge and discharge phase of the battery cycle. The Battery Extra EX02 will also recover sulfated batteries, returning them to a fully working condition.

The Battery Extra EX02 works by creating a wide range of frequency signals coupled with a voltage pulse, and sending them to the battery, these are designed to gradually dissolve the sulfate crystals, which build up on the plates of the batteries. It is this sulfate build up that reduces the batteries capacity. Gently dissolving the sulphate crystals back into the electrolyte, lowers the internal resistance of the battery, and raises the specific gravity. This will keep, or return, batteries to their maximum capacity.

Sakura are so confident in the quality and ability of the Battery Extra to improve the performance of deep cycle batteries that they offer a 60 day full money back guarantee including the return costs. Brian Burton, sales director of Sakura Batteries said “In effect we are offering a free trial of our product, no ifs or buts, if the Battery Extra EX02 desulfator does not improve the performance of your batteries, we give you your money back. Plus we offer an extended three year warrantee with all Battery Extra desulfator products”.

For more information on the Battery Extra please visit Sakura Batteries UK website www.recovermybatteries.com

Battery Extra prices range from US$54 to US$198

reconditioner desulfator designed to recover old or weak lead acid batteries and return them to full working condition

22/03/2015

Sakura Batteries UK develops Battery Extra to extend battery life.

Engineers at Sakura Batteries UK have spent the last two years developing a product, the Battery Extra EX02, to extend the life of deep-cycle batteries, typically used in off grid solar and wind power systems. It has long been known that the weak link in off grid systems is the premature and costly failure of the lead acid batteries. All research has shown that more than 80% of these failures are due to sulphate build up on the battery plates. This is generally caused by the regular use of batteries before they are fully charged.

Why do off grid solar batteries suffer from life shortening sulphation
Off grid solar battery banks are particularly susceptible to battery suphation. During battery discharge, sulphuric acid is consumed and some lead sulphate can form on the plates. If the battery remains in a partially discharged condition, this lead sulphate will turn into hard crystals. This process, called “lead sulphation,” causes the crystals to build up over time, increasing the internal resistance of the battery and lowering the specific gravity. This reduces capacity and results in premature failure. Sulphation from undercharging of the battery is the leading cause of battery failure in solar systems.
Normal charging of the battery will convert the sulphate back to active material, if the battery
is fully recharged before every use. However, a solar battery is often not completely recharged before it is called into action. This can be because the panels are undersized or poor weather conditions. To try to solve this problem many solar battery charge controllers employ an automatic equalization program, in effect a controlled over charge. Depending on the model this program may be pre-set to operate say once a month, or may be manually set by the user. In either case this is OK if the program runs on a sunny day, when the amount of input energy can fully recharge the battery plus the additional overcharge. Unfortunately this is often not the case.
How to control sulphate build up.
Over the years many devices have been developed to control or eliminate sulphate build up on lead acid batteries. It is fair to say that some work and many don’t, and those that do have generally been made for single batteries or small battery banks.
The Battery Extra EX02 was developed in the United Kingdom by Sakura Batteries UK, using the very latest available electronic technology, specifically for the larger battery banks, up to 3,000 Ah, found in off grid systems. Sakura have designed and built an economically priced, powerful and very compact desulphator, that is able to fully clean both the negative and positive battery plates of all the sulphate crystal build up, without the need for the damaging high voltage spikes, keeping them in top condition, ensuring they have the maximum possible lifespan. It works during both the charge and discharge phase of the battery cycle. The Battery Extra EX02 will also recover sulphated batteries, returning them to a fully working condition.
The Battery Extra EX02 works by creating a wide range of radio frequency signals coupled with a voltage pulse, and sending them to the battery, these are designed to gradually dissolve the sulphate crystals, which build up on the plates of the batteries. It is this sulphate build up that reduces the batteries capacity. Gently dissolving the sulphate crystals back into the electrolyte, lowers the internal resistance of the battery, and raises the specific gravity. This will keep, or return, batteries to their maximum capacity.
Sakura are so confident in the quality and ability of the Battery Extra to improve the performance of deep cycle batteries that they offer a 60 day full money back guarantee including the return costs. Brian Burton, sales director of Sakura Batteries said “In effect we are offering a free trial of our product, no ifs or buts, if the Battery Extra EX02 desulphator does not improve the performance of your batteries, we give you your money back. Plus we offer an extended three year warrantee with all Battery Extra desulphator products”.

For more information on the Battery Extra please visit Sakura Batteries UK website www.recovermybatteries.com
Note: The battery Extra is not a battery charger; it works in conjunction with an existing charger set up and will not interfere with its performance. Also the Battery Extra will not recover batteries that have internal damage; however should you find your battery is damaged and cannot be recovered you can still be sent back for a refund.
Price Guide: Battery Extra EX02 from PST£ 89.00 US$ 139.00 €124.00
Sakura Batteries UK Ltd.
Unit G, Lammas Court,
Lammas Road,
Corby
NN17 5EZ
United Kingdom

Tel: 44 (0) 20 8743 2267
Email: [email protected]
Contact: Dan Hornby, Director

16/02/2015

16/02/2015