test issue

[purplesyrup]

OK FOLKS, I think i figured out the issue on this battery and looks like it is 100% fine!

I was using a 2 amp trickle charger to try to charge it LOL and no wonder by the next day why the battery had no power.

This thing sat for over 3 years in my garage (nsb 125) and was resting at 9.5 volts when I first tested it, then tried to charge with the trickle and the trickle charger after a few hours would light up that it was charged.

So I got a better 6 amp charger, left it on there for about 16 hours, now the battery is resting at 12.51 volts after an hour. now I went to a amp hour charge rate calculator, and it said that a 5300 amp battery completely discharged will take 600 something hours to bring back to a full charge at a 6 amp charge rate. So the problem here was not enough charging amps and time, which is no wonder why the thing never even started to hardly take a charge.

once I confirmed the the resting voltage a second time, which after more charging was 12.86v, since I am getting a new alternator next week, I have gone ahead and jumped this battery on to my car at idle to start giving it a lot more juice than the 6 amp charger was giving.

I am going to get the battery load tested after a couple more days and that will confirm it is ok!

EDIT: my stock alt is 150 amp, so not sure what it idles at, probably around 60 amps would be my guess.

the only thing running is the car, so no amperage is going anywhere else

[purplesyrup]

[Lbox88]

Just to add to what kranny said, when it comes to batts on concrete:

Fact or Fiction

Well, is it true? Will a battery be damaged or discharged by letting it sit on concrete? NO!
Why then do so many people believe that concrete is a battery enemy? Years ago, batteries could have been electrically discharged by sitting on a concrete floor. My dad, for instance, owned an automotive shop for many years. In fact, I grew up on a creeper. My dad reminded me time after time, "Set that battery on wood! I know batteries discharge on concrete because I’ve witnessed it!" And he was right at that time.

Historical Basis

You see, the myth that concrete drains batteries does have some historical basis. Many, many years ago, wooden battery cases encased a glass jar with the battery inside. Any moisture on the floor could cause the wood to swell and possibly fracture the glass, causing it to leak. Later came the introduction of the hard rubber cases, which were somewhat porous and had a high-carbon content. An electrical current could be conducted through this container if the moist concrete floor permitted the current to find an electrical ground. The wise advice of the old days to "keep batteries off concrete" has been passed down to us today, but it no longer applies because of the advanced technology of today’s batteries.

Today’s Technology

For more than a decade, automotive and commercial battery containers have been made of polypropylene, which is a highly insulative material. In fact, the Interstate Batteries poly material is at least five times more insulative than the old hard rubber. Also, tremendous technological improvements have been made in the seals around the posts and the vent systems, which have virtually eliminated electrolyte seepage and migration. Battery

Discharging

The fact is, all batteries self- discharge whether they’re sitting on the shelf or on concrete. This is why we regularly rotate your inventory. As the temperature increases, a battery’s self-discharge level also increases. Some lead acid batteries discharge 4% - 8% per month at a temperature of 80°F. The level of self-discharge is also contingent upon the type of lead plate alloy plus the age and cleanliness of the battery.

If the battery has a surface layer of acid or grime, which is electrically conductive, it self-discharges more rapidly. This surface layer may actually allow you to measure the DC voltage across the battery’s poly case (using a 10 meg-ohm digital voltmeter). For that reason, we recommend that you always keep batteries clean, whether they’re in storage or in a vehicle.

Grandfather Clause

You may now be thinking that you know more than your grandfather, who tells you that batteries stored on concrete will be damaged. Next time your grandfather says that, I recommend that you just say "Okay" and continue about your business. I’m a grand-father now, and I know that we like to have our way and we like to be right. If my grandson, for instance, tries to tell me that concrete won’t damage a battery, you know what I’ll say? I’ll say if you drop a battery on concrete, it will be damaged.

[purplesyrup]

Any suggestions on how long this thing should charge before I do a load test on it?

[n8ball2013]

do you need it? If not put it on a charger and let it go. when it gets to 13.2 or whatever it floats at take it off for 24 hours to see what it rests at. you can either load test it from there or charge it again.

Keep in mind these are batteries for uninterruptible power supplies. They are not made to handle the fast discharge recharge of the car audio environment. Will they work? Yes. but they may have ashorten life span. For 20bucks i dont think you care though lol youll definitley get the money out of it.

[purplesyrup]

do you need it? If not put it on a charger and let it go. when it gets to 13.2 or whatever it floats at take it off for 24 hours to see what it rests at. you can either load test it from there or charge it again.

Keep in mind these are batteries for uninterruptible power supplies. They are not made to handle the fast discharge recharge of the car audio environment. Will they work? Yes. but they may have ashorten life span. For 20bucks i dont think you care though lol youll definitley get the money out of it.

I dont need it until I install my alt next week,

So I guess I can just keep it going on the 6 amp until then.

I ran an NSB 170 for several years on a stock electrical system in my grand am, it worked flawlessly the whole time, and I never once dealt with a car starting issue from a dead battery, LOL

But yea, I just want to get my 20 bucks out of it, LOL!

Really though, I am just not wanting to buy another batt when I've got that big bastard sitting there, when i'd have to spend almost $600 to get something equivalent.

[n8ball2013]

yeha you've got it. use it. they use to be all the rage in comps. because you could get them cheap. alot of places that utilize them have to replace them every year or two because of customer obligations so you could find them cheap. nothing like a battery thats a year old but sat fully charged the whole time. for chepa.

[purplesyrup]

Alright, held a voltage of 12.73 for 3 hours, back on the charger at 2 amps to top it off and maintain it , looks like its about big batt time, LOL and WOOHOO !!!

[knowledge]

if u can get the 170's for a good price pm me i needs

[purplesyrup]

if u can get the 170's for a good price pm me i needs

Ok, should have a call back today

Also, I just took that battery to get load tested at O'reily's, on the autometer they were using, it showed the voltage was at 12.2, and charged at 44%

Now does this seem right?---> his meter would only go up to 2000 amps, and he said it is not letting him load test it because it wont go up high enough? Does this make sense? I would think he could have tried it at 2000 amps? But he said it wont go up high enough to perform a load test?

Any input on this please.

He did not have anything negative to say about it,