How old is my battery?

[NickRobinson]

I have a leisure battery which is below par despite being bought only a year ago. OK, it was from a discounter selling large quantities from a home address mail order.

As it happened, the first one from him had to be swapped, slightly reluctantly, after a few weeks as it was showing 10v.

So- bad luck, or does he sell retailers returns apparently new but who knows how old?

Is there a way of working out the date of manufacture from the numbers etched into batteries? Lead acid are pretty well middle aged at 3yrs.

Thinking about it, that pile of batteries in less busy caravan accessory shops and chandlers, how long have they stood there too? I'd like to be sure of a fresh one next time.

Nick

 

[VicS]

The manufacturers can interpret the codes.

I contacted Lucas Technical department some years ago when I found that a new car battery I had bought was in a low state of charge. They did not tell me how old it was but the comment was, "I wonder where that's been all this while".

I took it back!

Not best pleased as they had tried to sell me the battery for the petrol version of my diesel car at first. "They are all the same, sir".
Fortunately I already knew the number of the correct battery!

 

[pappaecho]

All of the batteries I have bought in the last few years for several different boats come with a minimum 2 year warranty. I have just bought 3 115 amp leisure batteries with 3 year warranty, but other brands had only two at the same price
As you is only a year old I would bung in a claim. AS I understood it an unused battery does not deteriorate when stored. I certainly know that the MOD used o store batteries dry, and only fill them when thy were commissioned. Dry batteries store for years

 

[Plevier]

As you is only a year old I would bung in a claim. AS I understood it an unused battery does not deteriorate when stored. I certainly know that the MOD used o store batteries dry, and only fill them when thy were commissioned. Dry batteries store for years

Sorry it's not that simple.
Unfilled dry charged batteries (that doesn't mean they have been electrically charged as complete batteries; it's the way the plates are processed in manufacture) will store for a certain length of time provided they are hermetically sealed to keep out moisture. This is usually done by a sticky label over the vents.
If you get moisture in it accelerates sulphation caused by residual acid in the plates even though they are dried. This deterioration will happen slowly anyway even without extra moisture.
Typically you won't find manufacturers guaranteeing full performance if the battery is stored more than a year before filling and charging. In practise you may get reasonable results from a battery up to about 3 years old if it's been kept sealed and cool.
When you do fill one, for best capacity and life it needs to go through a specific bench charge regime to regenerate it. Corner cutting dealers who just fill and fit used to be a prolific source of warranty returns.
I don't think filling at retail dealer is very common now in Europe. They either come wet or the bulk importer does it before distribution.

 

[VicMallows]

All of the batteries I have bought in the last few years for several different boats come with a minimum 2 year warranty.

I would be very wary of many of those warranties. All the ones I have read have so many get-out clauses they are not worth the paper. A common condition is that in order to claim you have to 'submit an alternator test report provided by an approved auto-electrician' ... oh yeah. On top of that carriage charges and 'partial life' deductions make it seldom worth claiming from remote suppliers.

Of course if you have purchased from a mainstream retailer you will have your normal sale-of-goods rights, but I would be surprised if these extended beyond a year for a battery.

(fortunately I have never had a dud battery to date from whatever source).

Vic