My experience.

Posted by Joe on July 07, 1998 at 08:51:12

In Reply to: How long should a 6 V battery last
posted by Anthony Gal on July 07, 1998 at 07:10:48

: How long should a 6 V battery last?I replaced mine about
: 2 years ago with a new Delco battery and it's beginning
: to not hold its charge.(I must admit that I haven't been
: driving the car much lately, but I've been recharging the
: battery every month or so).
Anthony
Actually, if kept in the fully charged state, a battery should last a good long time.Power plants I have worked in all had a bank of "station batteries" which were kept against a complete failure of plant "station service" electricity.These batteries are by design pampered and in this use typically last 20 years or more.But they never cycle either which is what ultimately kills a battery.
My experience with the Sears version of 6 volt batteries (360Ampere-hours) is that they last about 7 to 10 years with only occasional use and taking care.I have the stock cutout and keep my charge rate set at about 8 amps for daytime driving and (unfortunately) don't do a lot of "A" driving.
Actually I have a feeling that theSears version is a pretty good battery.The Sears 6v batteries are not of the "diehard" ilk and I think are closer to "industrial quality."It wouldn't surprise me to find out that they also are made by Exide who have been making batteries since before Edison was a power company.
Once I removed the battery from the car and left it in my shop for the winter.I left it without paying much attention and on examining it about 6 months later found the battery to be flat out dead.
To be this dead is normally a "kiss of death" to a battery, particulary if it freezes as a result.On recharging, it usually takes the charge so hard and so fast that the plates warp which will ultimately short out a cell and end up ruining the battery for anything except a trade in.
In my case the Sears battery took the charge and appears to have recovered nearly full electrolyte strength in all cells, a good sign.I recommend a hydrometer as a diagnostic tool.
One of the big enemies of a battery is the subtle leakage that can occur either across the top of the battery or within the connected electrical system.One thing I do to prevent this is to keep the top of my battery scrupulously clean and use baking soda to neutralize the battery top and case during cleaning.
Another new thing for me this year is to periodically charge the battery using a *small* (1-1/2 amp) charger which is left connected with a timer to turn it on for only a few minutes each day.
Doing it this way seems to keep the battery charged pretty well, perhaps too well.As the battery has gotten to its maximum charge it tends to "mist off" as the excess energy of charging goes to "disassociating" the water in the electrolyte.I suppose the trick here is to limit the current to just maintain the existing charge or balance the leakage without making a lot of mist.This is what the new generation of "battery maintainers" do electronically (for a mere $59.95.)I haven't taken that step yet.
After more than a year on my timer "pseudo battery maintainer setup" I now have to add a little water to make up for lost electrolyte.I think next I am going to try to cut down on the charging frequency or time to try to limit the loss.
Another thing you may want to consider is to improve the connection between your "A" battery and the electrical system. The connection to the battery posts themselves seems to be a major trouble spot.I use the conductive grease known as No-Al-Ox which is sold for the purpose of making secure electrical connection to aluminum cables in the electrician trade.This stuff works great on lead battery clamps and other uses too.It seems to eliminate the formation of white powder at the connection as well.
Don't have any experience with Walmart or PepBoyz.I confess to a certain wariness of Walmart.Too much of everything, a breeding ground for the "Affluenza" virus.
Hope all this helps,
Best regards,
Joe

Follow Ups:
Re:My experience. Bill Hurlin July 07, 1998 at 12:08:57(0)
NICELY SAID Glen Weilbaker July 07, 1998 at 11:30:26(1)
Re: AMEN! carla July 07, 1998 at 11:50:28(0)

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