You think its cold ? Battery blues !

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Guest

Guest
Ok this may be based on a non-boat thingy - but applies anyway ....

I have a truck that has stood a while waiting repair to engine. So its time to think about moving it - have to switch on electrics, raise tail-lift and generally sort out release of brakes etc.
Batterys ..... 2 12V 180a/hr jobs are absolutely goosed !! They are frozen solid .... after a few nights of -25 to -30C weather.
So we get them off - that was hard as the cases hard swollen with the expanding ice inside - bring them into the house for warming up....... SLOWLY !!
Volts reading on each in frozen state : Batt A = -0.35V .... yes negative !!, Batt B = 3.54V.... at least that one is +ve !!
After 3.5 days of warming - the ice has finally broken down enough to let the batterys start charging.
This morning day 4 ..... Batt A = 11.56V .... it has reverted to +ve and also coming up to normal levels, Batt B = 11.75V.

So although everyone told me they will be absolutely useless and not charge - they appear to be taking charge and when left off charge - they hold it ....

Just remains to be seen whether they will charge up fully .....

Update will be made after a couple days of intermittent cahrging to get them hopefully to max ......

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G

Guest

Guest
The saga of Frozen batterys !!

Locatio of such cold ? Latvia, Baltic.

Well it is now 5 days and we are at 12V on each one ... with a steady 4.5A pumping into each one from the charger ...

They seem to be holding charge as well - as I give each a good 12 - 18 hrs and rest the other, swap over and repeat etc. Thought it would be better to do it on / off to give battery a chance to settle and not just drive it hard.

All I hope now is that the weather doesn't drop like that agin to frezze them again when I refit them on the trruck !!!!

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A

Anonymous

Guest
One risk is that the expansion will have moved the plates relative to each other and caused a short or open circuit, so test accordingly.
 
G

Guest

Guest
All seems to be charging and settling ok .... I expected trouble, looking into the cells when thawed - you could see the plates and also crud lieing on top of them .... I fully expected to have to replace the batterys.

Knowing that ice occupies greater volume than the water it forms from - and seeing the cases bulging .... I am very surprised they have apparently survived ...

Proof of the pudding will be when they go back on !!!
 
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Guest

Guest
Brake lines ???

No idea ! Onbly thing I know what to do is when the truck has stood for a while and air-pressure is down, I know where the bleed valve is to let the brakes off !!! Total illegal of course to do it - should really wait for system to pump up to pressure and release properly.

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G

Guest

Guest
Update .....

7 days now and voltage is up to 12.7 on each ..... taking a long time as my charger is only a hobby Bosch, rated at 55W .... so 180 a/hr batterys - 2 of them are going to take weeks to come up to scratch !!!!

I am rotating them on / off charge on a daily cycle .... my beliefe is that they can rest between so that I do not wreck them afdter such an ordeal ..... maybe I'm wrong ???? Maybe I should just bang on to one for a week - then change to other ????

Still - I thought they would never take any charge after being frozen hard !
 
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