Topic: Did I kill my battery?

[ateamsam]

Hey Guys,

As a new owner of 74 cb550 I am still learning the do's and don'ts of motorcycle maintenance.  I haven't really ridden much, on;y a dozen times for about 10-15 each time and think my battery was suffering as a result.  It wouldn't start using the ignition a couple nights ago and it took me forever to kick start it.  So when I eventually got home I took out the battery to see what the levels where like.  Here is what I did:

- I saw that the levels where low so I topped them off with some of the remaining liquid that came with the battery (not distilled water but some acid stuff, I think.)

-I then hooked it up to the only charger I have ... An old sears 10 amp.

It showed that the amps were low, at around 8 I think, so I let it sit overnight.  When I checked on it the next day the amps were at 0 and there was liquid coming out of the exhaust hose that was attached. 

So I think here is where I went wrong: A) I should have not used a 10 amp for so long.  and possibly B) I should have used distilled water.

I know I screwed up somewhere so just let me have it 

-Sam

[Sporkfly]

10 amps is WAY too much. Get a proper charger for the application. You will be looking at 2 amps max. And always top the battery up with distilled water.

Time for a new battery.

[Laminar]

The liquid that comes with the battery is a precise mix of acid and water. When the battery levels are low, it's because some of the water in the mix has evaporated off. Adding more of the acid/water mix makes the overall mix more acidic than it's supposed to be. Topping it back off with distilled water restores the correct acid/water mixture.

And yes, 2 amps max for the charger.

[IHWillys]

First, with a lead acid battery one should not charge past it's capacity.  Motorcycle batteries are commonly designated with the amp-hour rating right in the "number".  Like YB12AL is a 12 amp-hour battery.  So with a charger putting out 1/2 amp one should not charge for any longer than 24 hours.  If 1 amp charge rate, reduce that to 12 hours, etc. 

Second, one should not charge at a rate beyond about 25% of the amp-hour rating.  Thus a 12 amp-hour battery should not be charged at a rate above 3 amps.  The lower the rate the better, it just takes longer. 

These are considerations for top performance of the battery.  Yes, batteries can handle more but it's not in one's best interest to do so.

A note about a CSOB(cheap son...) charger.  I never throw away the little transformers that come with various electronic devices so I have collected a few over the years after the devices gave up the ghost.  These come in various voltage/amp outputs but I have ended up with a few 6 VDC and a few 12VDC ones.  The 12 volt ones I have  range from 500mA (.5 Amp) to 1.2A.  So I have cut off the plugs and added whatever ends I wanted and voila, I have 12VDC low-amp chargers.  These have worked great for me but they do require supervision, these are not plug it in and come back a week later type chargers.

Ken

[razor02097]

First, with a lead acid battery one should not charge past it's capacity.  Motorcycle batteries are commonly designated with the amp-hour rating right in the "number".  Like YB12AL is a 12 amp-hour battery.  So with a charger putting out 1/2 amp one should not charge for any longer than 24 hours.  If 1 amp charge rate, reduce that to 12 hours, etc.  

Second, one should not charge at a rate beyond about 25% of the amp-hour rating.  Thus a 12 amp-hour battery should not be charged at a rate above 3 amps.  The lower the rate the better, it just takes longer.  

These are considerations for top performance of the battery.  Yes, batteries can handle more but it's not in one's best interest to do so.

A note about a CSOB(cheap son...) charger.  I never throw away the little transformers that come with various electronic devices so I have collected a few over the years after the devices gave up the ghost.  These come in various voltage/amp outputs but I have ended up with a few 6 VDC and a few 12VDC ones.  The 12 volt ones I have  range from 500mA (.5 Amp) to 1.2A.  So I have cut off the plugs and added whatever ends I wanted and voila, I have 12VDC low-amp chargers.  These have worked great for me but they do require supervision, these are not plug it in and come back a week later type chargers.

Ken

What kind of rectifying device do you use?   Also the 12 volt lead acid batteries like to be charged between 13.5 and 14.5 volts

[bistromath]

You probably didn't kill the battery. Those plates can take a lot more than the electrolyte can. Get a couple boxes of baking soda and mix them into a bucket of water, and then pour out the old battery acid into it. Refill the battery with new acid, charge (at <2A!) and go.