# I’m an idiot.



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

House has a footer perimeter drain tile that drains into a sump pit. When we get an extended heavy rain, water flows into the sump pit and then pumped (120 VAC) up and out to a ditch.

Then one day we had a utility electric failure. I scrambled to get a generator running before the sump pit overflowed into the basement.

I added a 2nd sump pump that runs on 12 VDC. First pump (120 VAC) can’t keep up, fails or power outage then the second pump (12 VDC) automatically runs.

2nd pump uses a marine grade battery and a “smart” charger to keep the battery in condition. This gives me about 2 hours of pump time before I need to get the generator on line.

The marine battery is 3 years old. When I did my “getting ready for spring rains” check, battery is deader than a door nail. The “smart” charger it is outputting voltage, maybe the battery is too dead and the smart changer can’t keep up? I hook up my automobile charger for a couple of days, nope battery is still dead. It’s can’t be the battery, only used it 2 or 3 times in the 3 years, looks brand new, stored up off the concrete floor, inside a plastic battery case and never in freezing temperatures.

You see my long term goal was to add batteries to not only increase pump running time but to also to power the HAM radio, CB SBB radio, charge the FRS/GMRS portable radios and run the scanner (SHTF). 

Until I figure out why the marine battery has failed…

At work our backup batteries are all sealed gel types. Then I remembered back 50 years when Dad showed me how to remove battery cell caps and check water levels in his car battery… I’m an idiot! :brickwall:

Yep. The marine battery has 2 “caps” that are almost flush with the top. Gently pried the caps off. The battery is dry and it took almost ¾ of a gallon of distilled water to top it off. Hooked the “smart” charger back up and when I get home tonight I’ll learn if my idiocy has ruined a battery.

Then I realized I’m a double idiot. The sealed batteries at work are 6 volt (stringed to provide 48 VDC) and about the size of 2 standard automobile type batteries placed end to end. Every 10 years they’re replaced and the old ones sold for scrap. I could buy them string them together for 12 VDC and have enough amperage to power the perimeter electric fence and watch towers flood lights for years (well I may be stretching it a bit, but I think you get the idea). ADD I would not have to rely on the local Idiot to maintain electrolyte levels!

Next project would be the design, configuration and purchase of a solar charging system…


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

Hey don't beat yourself up relativly cheap lesson, when I get a setup here it will be seald batterys, was looking at em at Sams the other day.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

The resistance in a completely dead battery is very high. I've often kept them on a 40 amp fast charger for several hours before they began showing a charge. The last one I had to deal with took seven hours on the fast charger to bring it up to snuff. For five-and-a-half of those hours it showed no charge whatsoever. Don't give up too quickly. If it was a good battery before it will probably be good once you get the charge back up.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

We change the battery on our residential generator every two years regardless of how long the battery is supposed to last. Not having the generator come on due to a dead battery is not something anyone should experience - especially during and after a storm.

The last two "four year" batteries we got from NAPA only lasted one year so this last time we changed to a marine battery and put our own trickle charger on it (the one on the generator has gone out twice and that's just been too annoying). Because it's not a sealed battery we will have to check the water level every four to six months. 

Several years ago we were doing the annual maintenance on the generator (oil, filters, check everything) when the question of "why are we doing maintenance during hurricane season?" came up.... we changed the annual maintenance to May. It's just one of those "duh" things. :gaah:


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Wonder if there isn't a ghost load on that battery keeping it constantly in a state of low discharge and re charge over and over. That might acount for it drying out and wearing out quickly. esp a marine battery which is desingened for DEEP discharge then recharge. Just throwing that out there based on my own very limited experience.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

The only time I have ever seen a battery that low on fluid it was from extreme overcharging (boiling). I would be very careful with that charger, test the voltage with a multimeter over a period of time.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I have had good experiences with a product called "Battery Tender" with motorbike batteries. They also recommend making sure that the "battery water" is checked and topped up from time-to-time ...

Also - one of our members talked about a de-sulifination-system (or something like that) that when used could bring dead batteries back to life again. I'll see if I can find a thread about it.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Look on the bright side, you learned in a non SHTF situation, therefore you get the bounce back+XP!
NOW you're ready if it happens again.

Oh.make a small hand cranked pump.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> 2nd pump uses a marine grade battery and a "smart" charger to keep the battery in condition. The "smart" charger it is outputting voltage, maybe the battery is too dead and the smart changer can't keep up?


That was my first suspicion. I have yet to find/try/test a "smart" charger that I thought was worth a chit. The ones I have played with, I have been seriously unimpressed with.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

I bought one of the desulfanization chargers. ONly had one battery to try it on so far and it failed to bring it back. But that is not to say they won't work. The batery had been terribly abused. was over 5 years old and not a premium batery at all it was in a chinese cheapy portable jump starter which had broken and then sat on the porch at the farm for a few years before I tried to rescue it.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

jsriley5 said:


> I bought one of the desulfanization chargers. ONly had one battery to try it on so far and it failed to bring it back.


been curious to try one of those. Good quality "desulfators" are EXPENSIVE. Go get one from behind the shed at the town auto mechanic and see if you can bring it back to life!


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## delbert (Jan 15, 2013)

Don't put batteries on concrete.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Pretty sure he was saying it was not on the concrete. Anyways, I really believe that is just an old wives tale.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

cowboyhermit said:


> Pretty sure he was saying it was not on the concrete. Anyways, I really believe that is just an old wives tale.


Correct. It was in a plastic box.

Indeed an old wives tale, makes no difference at all.


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