Defend Against Sulfation – the primary cause of shortened life in seasonal-use batteries (such as in RVs and ATVS)

Defend Against Sulfation – the primary cause of shortened life in seasonal-use batteries

Adapted from BatteryUniversity.com

What is sulfation? During lead acid battery use, small sulfate crystals form. These are normal and are not harmful but during prolonged charge deprivation, lead sulfate crystals convert to a stable crystalline form that deposit on the negative plates of the battery. This leads to the development of large crystals, which reduce the battery’s active material, the part of the battery responsible to deliver its capacity.

Sulfation occurs when a lead acid battery is deprived of a full charge. All batteries are affected by self-discharge, which is not a manufacturing defect but a normal battery characteristic. This is most common in batteries stored for extended periods without being charged, such as Marine, RV and Snowmobile batteries which are only used seasonally.

There are two types of sulfation: reversible (or soft sulfation), and permanent (or hard sulfation). If a battery is serviced early, reversible sulfation can often be corrected by applying an overcharge to a fully charged battery in the form of a regulated current of about 200mA. Permanent sulfation sets in when the battery has been in a low state-of-charge for weeks or months. At this stage, no form of restoration is possible and affected areas become unusable, resulting in reduced battery capacity.

Storing seasonal-use batteries in a warm environment helps reduce the rate of sulfation but a new lead-acid battery stored at normal room temperature still self-discharges at a rate of 5% per month. Older batteries self-discharge at a faster rate.

This means after 6 months, even a new battery stored without recharging will be at least 30% discharged, the point at which the rate of sulfation accelerates.

A good solution to this problem is a fully automatic battery charger with a seasonable storage setting, which can remain connected to the stored battery and ensure the battery remains in a full charge state during extended storage periods.

These chargers are available for much less than the cost of a new battery and can add several years to the life of a seasonal use battery.

The CTEK 12V Charger is a great solution. Learn more about this product here

And for installation tips, watch this: