Battery recondition?

[barryh]

The original poster said nothing about any concern that his batteries were tired so suggestions to replace them don't seem to address the question. For what it's worth my last two batteries have both lasted 12 years.

I read the question as: will the recondition setting on the new charger do any harm if only used occasionally say once per year. My answer would be no it won't but the caution about damage to the cars electronics is valid. My cars handbook stipulates the maximum safe charging voltage as 14.8 volts so the battery should be disconnected before using a reconditioning setting which will certainly be higher than that maximum safe voltage.

 

[zzyzzx]

Nope, you said OLDER.

Many people running 6 7 8 or more year old batteries just fine. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/oldest-battery-ice-vehicles.362373/#post-6301275

True, but not everybody here lives someplace where the weather suggests that batteries can last a long time.

Replacing a perfectly functional part is pretty wasteful. By that theory, why not replace the water pump, alternator, starter, while you're at it?

While I do agree with you on this one, if the OP lives someplace where it's really hot year round and batteries only last 4 years, that might cause them to have a different point of view that we wouldn't understand.

 

[Hermann]

Recently rejuvenated a Lawn and Garden tractor battery by charging it at up to 6 amps for 36 hours. Has worked perfect since. About 2 months. Did not use a float charger. It was an old 6/2 Schumacher charger from the 80's.
It charged at 6 amps for about 4 hours then 2 amps for the duration of the 36 hours

 

[Donald]

There are a couple of different ways the manufacturers of battery chargers have designed battery reconditioning/desulphating. I would disconnect the battery cable from the vehicle before proceeding.

Some take a few hours some can take days or weeks for a battery really in bad shape.

I am thinking 10% of the batteries in bad shape will benefit from battery reconditioning/desulphating. The rest are damaged in a way where the reconditioning/desulphating process will not work.

There are ways with your own DC power supply and time on your hands to recondition a battery. But who has that kind of time.

I have several Battery Minder maintainers and chargers. Mainly for boat batteries over the winter. They do their thing over the winter.

Charge up the battery, if it does not pass a battery load test, replace it. It's on its way out.