What are your thoughts on desulfators?

[Jacotenente]

Hey guys: Several guys I subscribe to on YouTube have installed the "Battery Extra" desulfator on their battery banks. See the companies site and the one I am talking about: http://www.recovermybatteries.com/ex02-12-48-400.html
They are very pleased with this device. Even "elated" about how well it works. So, I bit-the-bait and ordered one for mine. I reached out to Trojan and their website to inquiry about desulfators...no response from Trojan. Trojan's website says they can cause "more harm than good". Hmmm. Would they say this because they SELL batteries...want you to buy more? So, what are your thoughts?

Chris DIYer
Moore, Oklahoma

[Westbranch]

Quite a while back I read about one of those type of units, don't remember brand, that conflicted with the CC.... seemed to be some frequency issues and the CC was not charging properly... don't recall if it was a PWM or MPPT... probably on NAWS site

[bbrian]

Chris,  There are different types of desulfator device available for lead acid batteries. The older ones used a simple high voltage pulse spike that over time would do more harm than good. This is probable the type that Trojan were referring to.

With the dramatic lowering of the cost of components it seems that far more sophisticated devices, that utilise some kind of frequency pulse technology, can now be built at an economical price. The first of these was the "Battery Life Saver" (BLS) but these are restricted to single voltages.

The "Battery Extra" appears to have gone one step further by producing models that are capable of being programed to work with multi voltages and capacities. 

Who knows what will be developed over the next few years.

[niel]

imo, they're all a waste of time and money.

btw, welcome on your first post bbrian.

[Jacotenente]

Quite a while back I read about one of those type of units, don't remember brand, that conflicted with the CC.... seemed to be some frequency issues and the CC was not charging properly... don't recall if it was a PWM or MPPT... probably on NAWS site

Thanks...just got the desulfator in. Will install it and try it out. I will let everyone know (either on here or on my "Chris DIYer" YouTube page. Trojan never responded back to my inquiry.

If it is a POS..so be it. Esp if it interferes with my three Classics and Outback Power inverter. If it does, might take my AR-15 to it and use it for target practice.

v/r

Chris

[Westbranch]

working with no interference, working with interference and NOT working are all different...
Have you read the Water treatment for over sulphation of FLAs on NAWS...  I did not have any hope of it working despite the published document that said it can work...

http://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/351467/water-treatment-for-over-sulfation#latest

[Jacotenente]

working with no interference, working with interference and NOT working are all different...
Have you read the Water treatment for over sulphation of FLAs on NAWS...  I did not have any hope of it working despite the published document that said it can work...

http://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/351467/water-treatment-for-over-sulfation#latest

Thanks...will take a look at it. Heavy solar FLA batteries "sit" and don't move around...kinda like a human heart. If you sit and don't move around...the arteries tend to cake up and get used to being lazy. Maybe a bad analogy.. .

cGs

[off-grid-geeks]

The first of these was the "Battery Life Saver" (BLS) but these are restricted to single voltages.

I have the BLS model, and the basic model is dual voltage, it works on either a 12 volt bank or a 24 volt bank.
When I changed over my bank to 24 volt, I did not have to replace the BLS.

For other voltages, you do need to buy the correct model.

I originally viewed these as 'snake oil' type of devices. Jury is still out, I'm only on year 5 on my bank. If I get to year 8, I'll believe in them. I'm not quite to the point of cutting a battery in half to see if they work.

Fingers crossed.

[ClassicCrazy]

How will you know if these desulfators work or not ?
Wouldn't the only way be to do a load test on the batteries, then run the desulfator for whatever amount of time, and do another load test to see if the battery capacity got better ?
From what I have read is that once the battery plates sulfate up that is not going to get better . The ways to keep the battery plates from getting sulfated up are not letting the batteries sit in a discharged state for too long ( more than a week I think ) and to make sure that at least every ten days the batteries get a good long absorb cycle to make sure that the electrolyte gets mixed up and the acid doesn't stratify .

Larry

[niel]

"I originally viewed these as 'snake oil' type of devices. Jury is still out, I'm only on year 5 on my bank. If I get to year 8, I'll believe in them. I'm not quite to the point of cutting a battery in half to see if they work.

Fingers crossed."


if you viewed them as snake oil then why were you foolish enough to buy one?
how are you going to know that it wasn't the keeping up on charges, watering, etc. that didn't make the batteries last as that is what makes them last and not a desulfator?

[Westbranch]

sort of like a defibrillator, if you didn't have heart attack and had one put in your chest and you were still with us a year later how would  you know if it prevented a heart attack just because you still didn't have one

[russ_drinkwater]

I did use these when I was trying to bring the sulphated rolls batteries back from the dead.
In all fairness the batteries are now working well and do not collapse under load and take charge well.
Did they help or not? I am unsure.
Worth a try if there is not serious 1000's $$$ involved and a loss would be life changing.

[Westbranch]

I did use these when I was trying to bring the sulphated rolls batteries back from the dead.

Yes like the thread over on NAWS about adding water to dead batteries and very methodically recharging at various set points using an old published  document on the procedure

http://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/comment/365457#Comment_365457..

starts at post 397

document listed  in that post, sec. 2.25

[off-grid-geeks]

if you viewed them as snake oil then why were you foolish enough to buy one?

Was the insult really necessary?
The reason I made the investment is because I'm more open minded than you, and willing to give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt and trust them enough to try out their product. Even if it truns out to be snake oil and not work, at least I got some experience ansd learned something for my money.

I have no idea why you chose to reply to my post in the manner you did, but your certainly built a wall between us. If you can't say something nice, then you might want to just keep quiet.

To answer your question, no amount of 'care' for my batteries would get them to 8 years of life. If their SOH is still good at that point, then I will be convinced that there is merit to the product.

[off-grid-geeks]

sort of like a defibrillator, if you didn't have heart attack and had one put in your chest and you were still with us a year later how would  you know if it prevented a heart attack just because you still didn't have one

I don't completely agree with your analogy.
If the case of FLA batteries, being the 'heart' in your analogy, they have a known lifespan of 2-7 years. The 7 year life is with very good care. So, if the defibrillator in your analogy got me more years of life than my known lifespan, then I have good evidence that the extra life is due to the defibrillator (desulfator). If I don't get any extra life, then it did not work.