Will a battery desulfator restore or extend the life of my lead acid batteries?

Simple question, complicated answer.

I will try to answer as succinctly as possible.

The accumulation of sulfate crystals has been known since the lead acid battery was invented, and this accumulation leads to more than 70% premature failure of lead acid batteries. However, all batteries wear out over time and no device can prevent that from happening.

Over the past 30 years or so, battery manufacturers have made great strides in combating sulfate build-up and improving the life of their batteries by introducing changes to the construction of the battery plates and, under ideal circumstances, proper maintenance and correct charging, sulfation. should not be a problem.

However, we do not live in a perfect world and sulfate buildup is still the leading cause of battery failure.

Controlled battery overcharging has been found to break glass and, if used correctly, will keep batteries in good clean condition and extend battery life. This method is not recommended for sealed lead-acid batteries (also known as AGM or VRLA batteries).

About 20 years ago a simple device was developed that created a high voltage pulse sent to the battery, called a pulse generator or desulfator. This, in practice, created the same effect as controlled overload, except that it was unregulated, so over time these high-voltage pulses damaged the battery plates. This negated the positive effect. Circuit board diagrams for this type of device are freely available on the Internet, and many of the low-cost devices available today are built with these designs. Short-term solution, long-term damage.

At the same time, an alternative solution was considered and experimentation showed that if a frequency pulse was sent to the battery, the sulfate build-up could be broken down if the correct frequency could be achieved; however, different frequencies were required for the different crystal sizes that were accumulated. on the plates. So devices that used the single frequency method were and still are, unpredictable, some work worthless.

What was needed was a device that would operate across a range of frequencies, voltages, and battery size. Until recent years, building this type of device was very expensive (over $ 1,000) and large (the size of an old-style video player). Since the end user could not be guaranteed that sulfation was the problem with their battery, no company was prepared to develop them.

Dramatic drops in component size and cost have enabled companies to produce small reasonably priced products capable of cleaning battery plates of various capacities and voltages.

A small number of manufacturers around the world now produce products that can clean old battery plates and stop sulfate build-up in new batteries, thereby recovering or keeping new batteries free of build-up. In effect, recovering many old batteries and extending the life of any battery that is not being charged or maintained in the correct way. This is ALL they do and it is the only thing responsible manufacturers claim their desulfators can do, they cannot recover internally damaged batteries, shorted cells or AGM batteries that have dried up.

Since it is not possible for suppliers to determine the status or failures of the batteries, customers intend to use the device, you should look for suppliers who provide clear information on how to test for failures within the battery or offer a telephone or email service . to help you with any issues you may have with using a desulfator or with your specific battery settings.

In conclusion, modern multifrequency desulphators are not a magic bullet that will repair all faulty batteries, but they can significantly extend the life of your lead-acid batteries and recover a large proportion of sulphated and otherwise discarded batteries. This would greatly reduce battery replacement costs, which is not insignificant in applications such as solar storage batteries, golf cart rides, forklifts, large boats, and motor homes.