Thanks Randy! Your method seems to have worked flawlessly. I did it with my truck battery that was no longer holding a charge. It sat installed in my truck for the better part of two years. The truck was rarely used. The process worked flawlessly! After reconditioning, it was holding a 12.9V charge for 12 hours before I put it into my vehicle and called it good. It's like I have a new battery! I did two baking soda soaks and flushed it out maybe 20 times in total with water, in order to get all of the sediment out of the battery.
@@RandySchartiger Hi Randy, The battery only lasted for a day. By the time I got home on the first day after reconditioning, it barely started the truck up. Then I forgot to turn the lights off (old truck). The next morning, of coarse the battery was DEAD DEAD. Recharged for 24 hours. Battery showed a good charge. Cycled the battery down 1.5V by leaving the headlights on. I've had the battery charging now for another 24 hours and the initial voltage at charger disconnect, is 13.54V. Letting it rest now and will check voltage again in an hour.After 60 min the battery seems to have stabilized at 12.86V. Now I need to check if the alternator is charging the battery. If it is, then I would have to say this experiment, however educational, may have been a failure. It could be that this battery is just not reconditionable. The sense that I'm getting, is that the battery will eventually charge but it doesn't recharge fast enough via the alternator and eventually becomes drained after simply taking a trip into town and back. I will update this post after I check the voltage when the motor is running. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!
@@RandySchartiger Hi there Randy, I drained 50% of the electrolyte out of the battery and replenished it with a SATURATED magnesium sulfate solution. I will let you know how that goes. I have a feeling that will make a difference in the battery charging properly.
After watching several of these RUclips presentation for battery restoration a friend pointed me to Randy's presentation. Randy's is the ONLY presentation that shows the Correct method to insure your battery is properly restored and will Keep a charge. This is a true restoration vs those other quick/simple methods that only work short time. Good job Randy, thanks for an accurate and correct restoration presentation.
I know the videos you mean, they were all I could find too and I figured since I knew how I'd make some videos of the proper way to restore, I've got batteries coming up on 12 years old I still restore and use them. thanks for watching and thanks for the thoughtful words!
This dude is the goat. He gave the measurements, the process, and how long he got out of the battery after the process. You get a sub for being thorough
As an Electronics service engineer for the past 45 years...this guy has impressed me very much, everything he says makes perfect sense, especially with the rinsing of the individual cells with the Baking Soda and the Distilled Water , AND the epsom salts mixed in with the Distilled Water to finish!!...Excellent idea!!...and...it's GREAT for extending the life of a battery!! .... 5 x stars for this video!!
@Prashant Balhara DO NOT add sulfuric acid (please look at the video again) as this will damage the cells, just add epsom salts and distilled water as advised in the video.... NOTHING ELSE!!...ok?
this works very good. When finished and done right works better than new. My son would have his stereo and woofers cranked right up and had to use a chaeger to it to work and said ,son give me that battery for a few days and it will be better than new and i gave it back to him and he looked at me and said riigghht like he didnt believe me but hooked it up and keeps thanking me. what did you do dad. i cant kill this battery . the music just keeps cranking out and holds a charge. thank to Randy Schartiger. he is the best at battery restoration
I'm 62, been wrenching since I was 14, so it's not my 1st day! With these newer computerized vehicles, I tend to Google ALOT of sh_tt ! Being taught by my Dad and Mr CHILTON, I see ALOT OF VIDEOS THAT ARE COMPLETELY FALSE, FULLL~OF~SHITT, LIKE THAT 'SCOTTY' QUACKER THAT LYING REVIEWS STATE HOW GOOD HE IS! I'VE WATCHED AT LEAST A DOZEN ON THIS DILEMMA, AND THE 1'ST THING I NOTICED WAS WHEN RANDY MENTIONED, ( THE ' MEASURES ') OF BAKING SODA AND EPSOM SALT! 100% CORRECT! I'M GONNA TRY THIS, BECAUSE, 'I' BELIEVE, THIS MAN KNOWS, EXACTLY W.T.F. HE'S DOING ! 99 OUT OF 1OO PEOPLE CAN JST FK SHT UP, BY NATURALLY BEING WHO THEY ARE, LIKE AN AUTO PARTS SALES ASSOCIATE TELLING CUSTOMERS, THAT THE SPARK-PLUGS FOR YOUR VEHICLE, COME "PRE-GAPPED" ! I'VE 'NEVER-EVER' FOUND A SET OF 4,6 or 8 that were correctly gapped, stpd fkrs wonder WHY, There car is running worse than it was after tuning it, I had a sales person tell me, if I didn't use NGK SPARKPLUGS IN MY NISSAN, IT WOULD CAUSE IT TO MISFIRE! THERE'S A SONG BY BILL ENDVALL, TITLED ( HERE'S YOUR SIGN, STUPID~PEOPLE! I LISTEN TO IT EVERY MORNING, DURING MY WAKE UP, COFFEE ROUTINE! IT TRULY HELPS ME WITH MY NO-TOLLERENCE-4-FKNG-IDIOTS MENTALITY! I GET BY THEM WITH SOME JOY, MOST OF THE TIME!
I cannot believe this i followed your video and repaired all my batteries. THANKYOU, people who can afford it ,go out and purchase a new battery but people like me your video is a miricle.
You're right I'm from small town in Southwest Virginia & truthfully i don't alway got $80 bucks to drop on a battery for my mower or my damn truck so if I can refurbish my battery for under $10 bucks then Fuckin' A Bro I'm going to give it a try next spring becouse I just know my rider is going to give me shit when i go to fire that Mother up . Does every damn year. That's for the tip man.
Like a teacher, you teach everything deeply and showing the right way of cleaning the battery and replaced with epsam salt and correct measurements, these things no one was told by the you tubers.i am also doing a try to my 10 years old battery thanks a lot .May the god bless you
Randy, You just saved me at least $100.00. Thanks. I followed your instructions and within 2 minutes my battery was putting out 9 volts (on a trickle charge). After a long slow charge, it restored my battery to new. I needed a battery for my winch on my trailer and this is perfect. It is a battery from 2009 !!!!
Mit hoher Spannung und Strombegrenzung laden bis auf Normale Ladespannung kommst... hole tiefentladene Akkus bei 35v und max 0,2-0,3A zurück wenn sie auf normaler Spannung angekommen sind, kommen sie auf konst. 14,2 V bis der Strom den kleinst möglichen Reststrom erreicht haben... dann stehen lassen ob erhöhte Selbstentladung ( Batterie sich wieder schnell entladen hat )
BEEN WORKING ON CARS FOR 50 YEARS AND LIKE YOU SAVED MONEY,NEVER EVER TOOK MY CARS FOR REPAIR. MY BATTERIES CAME FROM THE SCRAP YARD AND I DID JUST WHAT YOUR DOING.I PAID 8 BUCKS FOR A BATTERY vs 89.00 AT AN AUTO STORE
I have looked for this video for a while. I have two dead batteries i need revived. I had watched this video sometime back but then I never thought i will ever need it. I watched so many videos on RUclips but they were all useless. You have nailed it! Thank you
Randy, I want to thank you for this video. This helped save a Miata battery from 2012 that read at 3.86V (also had flakes of metal floating around in the cell) and brought it back to 13.3, which then held a resting voltage of 12.6v. There are some things I want to talk about that I did that might help others in this scenario. One thing I did was I used hot (just below boiling) distilled water mixed with the baking soda. I did this for two reasons: one the baking soda would absorb better just like the Epsom Salt, does and second to increase the reactivity of the baking soda. When you heat up particles they move faster and interact with the Sulfuric Acid at a higher rate. WARNING -- the heated baking soda will also increase potential for the fluid to fly up out of the cell. I also did 3 baking flushes, followed by ~20 filtered water flushes. After the 5th filtered water flush, I tested the pH which was around an 8.5pH. Now I knew the fluid coming out was safe to get on my skin and around me. So I took the battery and began flushing, though I noticed that the coloration of the fluid was not changing. So after the 20th or so flush. I took the battery, flipped it upside down on two 2x4's, so that the holes to the cells were exposed. Then, I took a hose and ran it full blast back and forth between the cells for about 5 mins. The water was still coming out rusty so I decided to just give up. For a final flush, I added a 1:4 distilled water-distilled vinegar flush twice. I did this because even after 20+ flushes, the acidity was still around 8pH. Why is this? I don't know -- my thoughts were the baking soda left over or the pH of the local city water I was passing through a filter was at 8pH. The acidity was brought back down to a 5.5-6pH after two vinegar flushes. Then I added the electrolyte fluid and charged it with an LST 12V Battery Trickle Charger that does it at 1100mA. It is a digital charger, but it's minimum input voltage is 3v. After my flushes and induction of electrolyte fluid, my battery the battery read around 5.5v. So way above the chargers minimum threshold. I searched for an analog charger but they just don't seem to make them anymore! The battery charger had a desulfation stage where it pulsed 14.5v for around a day or so then began charging a constant 13.6v for 3 days then it read "charged." Last thing I did before I tried cranking it was plugged it in and ran my headlights for around 20 mins, then recharged. It dipped down to 11.8v then charged backed up to 12.6. Since then it's started my Miata ~20 times. I hope this helps anyone reading this. This video was a big help and saved me $170. Thanks again!
'My way', not necessary Ur way ok? Only for those wid plenty of time though. I'd start wid document down wat volts before / after as well as using a load tester reading before / after. Then use hydrometer test wud have shown which cell r lacking concentrated battery acid n need attention. Anudda is a cell to cell meter test. Add distilled water to 'dat particular cell wid a drop or two of battery acid / sulphuric acid' n charge whole battery on high till 'all cells' start to bubble. Off for 20-30mins and repeat X3 times. Den I wud empty battery n add distill water plus Epson salts. Cover n shake vigorously before trickle charger over night wid caps off in ventilated area. Check wid multi meter n load tester for changes. If it's holding over 12.4 - 12.6v n load test is around 75-80% den it's gud to stop. Flush out wid just distill water (after tipping out Epson salt mixture). Refill wid 'old battery acid' (filtered over old shirt to remove visible dirt etc.). Fill to ' jus covering plates ' n install safely back into car. Check voltage stays around 12.6v. Start car, drive around for 5 mins. Rest for 10mins. Repeat X 3 times, Check if voltage is holding 12.4v to 12.6v. ? If ok den U hav 'recovered' some use but it is only 'temporary ' as cheap batteries hav 'thinner plates' dat will break down over time (crank starts). U hav to ask urself is all dis is worth Ur time? Or beta jus go buy anodda new battery. Lol.
Thanks Randy, I followed your process and had great success in restoring a 6 year old lawn tractor battery. This process worked like a charm and I only spent $2.00 for the materials and a little time.
i saw your video a few years back i was lookin again cause i forgot what to do ...none these other dudes coul get my confidence...glad i found you again
Just tried your method I liked that you cleaned out the battery with backing soda,it was the only one that used this method,you seemed like you know what your doing,this is a 2011 battery 12 volt for my Tundra I’ll let you know how it works .Thanks Ron
I so appreciate this gentleman! He definitely is a great teacher; methodical and presenting the information step-by-step. I am going to get my battery out of our Honda and go through the steps. Lots of time with Covid-19 keeping school teachers and administrators home. There's a reason he has over 1.3 million views (4/20/20). You are going to save me a great deal of money. Well done, Randy!
What a pleasant fella with helpful information. The time is coming folks- where your not going to be able to just trash things and buy new. Happening already. That and the fact that everything is being made cheaply makes it smart to revive and restore.
Your method is the best I have seen. I have always just added Epsom Salts directly to the electrolyte in each cell then charge overnight. I have extended every battery 4-5 years with this method. Great video. Thank you sir.
So you mean after you filled it with epson salt + distilled water solution, you add epson salt in every cell? And do you add acid or the solution works like acid. Thanks
Hey Randy man just when I think I've seen all of your videos up Pops another one! At least 50 years ago an old brother of mine showed me this trick back in the days when everybody mostly used that type of battery. And it does work I have done this many a time in the past years. I have been watching you for at least 5 years now and truly enjoy watching your videos! The old boy that taught me this trick was from Virginia and very knowledgeable about certain things and taught me a lot about character in people and it's too bad at some people do not have any character! The word hillbilly in the dictionary is a Michigan potato farmer. And to call someone a hillbilly has no character. Some people's children. Thanks for sharing another good tip Randy and I hope to watch your videos for another five years Lord willin. You get a triple thumbs up brother.
All the info on battery technology and he is still nice enough to let us know the school bus is running. Thanks because I got so caught up in the video I forgot to pick up my kid.
Saw this 40 years ago with a 6 volt battery in an H-D Panhead. The owner threw his battery in a pail of water with the baking soda in Oct and took it back out in April, rinsed it out and re-filled it and rode again until Oct.. Great video, thanks.
Greetings from South Africa. Love your video. I'm busy with my deep cycle battery at the moment. They're so expensive that it's worth the effort. I even think it's a good thing to do as part of a maintenance program.
I had an Uncle who taught me this trick back in the 70's.Back then I couldn't afford to buy a new battery so, all mine came from the junk yard. Once I add the distilled water and Epson salts I always started my car with a different battery then switch them while the engine is running. I lived 45 miles out of the closest Town that had a grocery store. The drive to the store gave me enough charge I never had any issue of not starting for my drive home. I let my cars do the charging.
Peace. Thank you for the warm welcome back. 😂. I watched this video a while back and always wanted to try it. Recently I needed a new battery and kept the older one to experiment with and have some small lawn mowers and other stuff using batteries. Thank you professor and when I get around to it ill let you know. Thank you
I did this simultaneously to watching this video. I found a lot of heavy metals came out of the battery, so I filled it with water and drained it until it came out clean, about 6 times. I let it drain for about 15 minutes and filled it back up with the old acid and Epson salt saluton and it works perfectly. Thank you for showing us how to properly do this!
I tried my first one with this procedure over the weekend. With an 995 cold cranking amp exide diesel truck battery. Trickle charged for 36 hpurs. It came up to almost 14 volts. WOW! This procedure worked just like it shows in this video and IT WORKED FOR ME! saved me 250 bucks. How long it last is yet to be seen. Will report back in 1 month. Thanks randy!!!
I friend over 20 years ago told me about how he did this, now I know what he was talking about, lol. This think about all the money I could have saved lol. Thank you and keep up the good work.
That part because when you're doing with acid in the battery and not knowing what you're doing they could very easily blow up in your face and that's a bad explosion / burn...
Have seen a good number of battery re-con videos and read courses and PDFs on the process. I really like this. I have some old batteries and will try these methods.
This is really smart. I never would have thought of it. By using the baking soda, you are neutralizing the acid. This seems counter productive at first since lead sulfate is usually dissolve by acids like HCl. So you wouldn't think to neutralize the acid, but since its in a battery, which uses acid to make electricity, and electricity forms the lead sulfate in the first place, you are actually preventing any more from being formed, and allowing them to actually break up and be carried away in the basic baking soda solution with your shaking of the battery.
I have been searching for someone who had a way (and made a video) to demonstrate results with this method. Thank you very much Randy. I will subscribe.
Very well done video. I have watched several other video on this very topic and found them missing information or moving hastily on to the next step, leaving confusion. You have explained very well, throughly and completely. Thanh you.
Hey Randy great instructions I'm a hill billy from Va. Piney in river and listening to you made me think of whare I came from and who I am . Thank you .. I saw another gentlemen put baking soda in the acid to make in better some how . Maybe it's like pissing on a jellyfish sting .. lol 😂 keep on rocking it bro..😎
Thank You Randy, your Video is So informative. I watched a different video BEFORE I watched this video and it didn’t work BUT.......Like you said.....NO BAKING SODA Was mentioned except to put it in the pan to neutralize the acid from the battery. NO Measurements of how much salt to put in the water. He was doing it with a measuring cup. 1 ounce of water. I’m gonna try it your way and I will be back to give you my results
Gosh.where do I start. Watched a fukton of these videos and you are right they are not clear or complete. I was just riveted by you and so appreciative that you explained everything. Your techniques are different and I could maybe offer 1 suggestion but with almost 1000 comments you probably won't even read this but I still wanted to share with your channel I'm going to try your techniques before I piece together what I can get from the other videos I have watched. Although after watching your video and the information you articulated I at least feel know what the heck I'm doing. Curious to see what other videos you got. Thank you brother.
I did the Baking Soda 3 times and rolled it around the drive way. I found a 5 gallon container of Battery acid at a auto parts store for $26.00. Worked like a charm going to do all my batteries.
This guy is Awesome. Great info and detail on restoring a battery. He seems like a very patient man with a kind heart, two of the qualities I value the most. You sir are a True gentalman in every sense, and I thank you sincerely for that in addition to taking your time ( aka your life ) to help the rest of us. Hope you are able to stay safe in these perilous times. Cheers !
Thank you for the video. I watched another highly viewed battery rejuvenation video where a condescending nerd told me this method wouldn't work. Worked for me, nerd, who failed in his attempt using another method. I made sure to to do the baking soda thing plenty of times, maybe 8 times, and rinsed it out with tap water a couple more times. Boiled a gallon of distilled water, the epson salt in and stirred. Let it cool down some. Poured it back in the water jug and poured it into the battery. Before, the battery wouldn't hold a charge. If I charged it for a couple hours it would start my car but if it sat around for any length of time it wouldn't have the juice to start the car up again. After a day it would drain so much that it couldn't light up the dash and allow me to change gears. I was working on the car for awhile (timing chain, rod knock, etc...) and I always had to charge it for an hour everytime I wanted to put the car in neutral and push it back a couple feet to give me some room to work in the garage. A Crown Victoria is about half an inch shorter than the length of my garage plus a work bench. And yes I know you can put a screw driver under the steering wheel and hit a button that releases it from being locked in park but it's not easy to do on that car and I may have broken that switch at some point because it was so difficult to do. Welcome to my labratory where safety is number one priority.
I am happy to see you put on eye protection. I had a dead battery blow up in my face and I was temporarily blinded for three months. The battery acid ate the nerves up in back of my eyes causing nerve damage.
Randy, you need to put something between the funnel and the opening of the battery to allow the air to escape, this way you can just pour the water in with little or no resistance.
None of you guys use a rubber mallet! Lightly tap the bottom of the battery and it helps break up the calcifaction that fuses them. The major problems are normally on the bottom. Rinse them out before adding the acid with fresh distiled water.
i have been wondering, theres pulse charging, but it breaks up the sulfate build up on plates, i was thinking if somehow physically shocking it will do the same. i was wondering if putting it in a paint shaker or even an ultrasonic device could fix it....... but..... the old school ways are good to know. every tool kit needs a rubber mallet...
Thank you for your time and patience in the making and explanation of each step in your video. Worked like a charm on my mower batteries just I didn't have a charger so I just hooked up the batteries after replacing the fluid and ran the mower for a while and it cranked after turning off after an hour. Saved me some $$$$
Randy. I’m wishing I had seen your video first before I went out and bought a new battery but it makes sense how it cleans the plates on the inside of battery
@@mikeanderson1139 check out our channel for our life off the grid and what led us here.. we share our experience with how we left society and live off very little as we are heading towards a completely traditional self supportive lifestyle.
Thanks Randy your video has so easy to follow I charged the battery my full charge on the charger shows green.we measured the voltage it was 13.75 am I right in saying will battery hold charge if not put back into car .what I'm saying is this battery has now been refurbished and will last for another year.
Your video is infinitely more concise than other videos I've seen on this subject . Stressing the safety is the most important part . Thanks for your video Mr. Schartiger and all the best for an excellent Happy New Year . Lefty
thank you Sir for your effort putting this out there. Ive not a chance yet to fact check it as i do videos i might use the information from but i do appreciate your taking the time you did just to try help others and btw,...sure seems like you know what your doing anyway!! Smile You are what people should be aspiring to be .....just helpful and or kind to their fellow man... i didnt say respectful but be clear, i shouldn't have to say that. To the idiots who mocked you for ANY reason....they are themselves simply sad excuses. You ARE a Gentlemen of the South Sir. Thank you again.
You mentioned" at the beginning of the season " since you put the lawnmower away in the winter, I would pour the acid out of the battery at the end of the season into a clean plastic jug and store battery dry and in the spring put the acid back in . And like the motorcycle batteries that you buy and fill with the electrolight it should be fully charged. This will prolong the battery life where you will never have to buy a new battery again! I like the video , peace !
Randy thanks my grandfather used to just add baking soda to his batteries but couldn't remember the next step.So thanks for the info and also taking me back to a better time in my life, remembering my grandfather
fair play to you this is amazing I have always thought you needed to get the acid from somewhere, I have a pile of battery's in my workshop waiting to be scrapped...not anymore going to give this ago I think 10 out of 10
thanks so much my friend and thanks for viewing! yes the Epsom salt will create acid as charged and is cheaper than buying acid. good luck with your work I can vouch this process works like a charm I still use it to this day! cheers and thanks again!
This is good info period. If you order a battery online and they ship it, it doesnt have the acid in it. Sometimes they send the crystals to male the solution, but you can buy a big bag at advance or napa pretty cheap. Nice change, Randy.
Hi Randy, Actually you are not "restoring" a lead acid battery, you are converting the lead acid battery to an alkaline battery. I love it! There are a couple of alternative electrolytes that can also be used... aluminum sulfate (used for pickling) and copper II sulfate (a footwash for cattle) I hope the alkaline version holds up to below freezing weather, that's my only concern.
I would recommend mixing the baking soda and water in a pot then pour it into the container, a lot easier and faster, apart from that a great informative video, tks.
This works- as long as no dead cells you can save your battery. They are pushing almost 200$ now so this is a cost effective approach. I prefer Epsom salts. This process got a car quest battery to last 12 years- it is working on an advance battery gold unit going into 4 years, after dying after 3...
How can I tell if I have any dead cells? My battery has been dead for at least 3-4 years. It would not take a charge. I have seen videos with results of 12.66 volts but lousy 100 amps which is useless for my car.
@@keithwollaver2307 Use a multimeter and stick in each hole and measure- you should have close to 2.1 volts but do not worry if not- if any one cell is open(no reading or 0) it is dead. If they are all showing voltage you can save it with epsom salt solution and a good charger- both of which cost way less than a new battery.
@@thomasodetinape4180 Thank you Thomas. The battery is a Duralast brand. I popped off the hole cover strips and can see that some cells do not have any liquid covering them. Is this battery too far gone because of that?
@@keithwollaver2307 No - this is why they lose their charge- normal for any battery= mix up a solution of epsom salts and pure water- warm and dissolve it totally before topping off battery- charge and watch the magic-
I've been doing this for 15 years- have not bought a battery since- only time the battery is dead is with a dead cell- rare these days but it does happen
I ride a EW-36 Mobility Scooter, with 4 /12v batteries. You have taught me a lot about Reconditioning, maintaining my battery’s and saving my money ... lol ... Thank You kindly and I’m subscribing Immediately
Great video! In fact by far the best I've watched on this topic! The attention to details and the emphasis on safety and accuracy is not only very professional, but very reassuring. Great job sir.
I worked for a place that buildt car batterys and the only difference between the expensive batteries is the distance from the plates to the bottom of the plastic box where they will eventually short out!
daintree98 every thing does now ... and has for years . I’ve personally watched the expected life of Appliances and A/C - Heat pump life expectancy drop from 20-25 in 80’s to 15-20 years in 90’s 12-15 00’s and now 5-10 at best ( yet all HVAC equipment has a 5 year parts and a 10 year compressor/ sealed system warranty) and after 5 you will have small part failures out of warranty then at 10 it will have some sort of sealed system failure. Most likely it will have a indoor coil leak after 5 years which will be Improperly replaced / cleaned and evacuated which will lead to a 7-9 year in warranty compressor failure ( burn out ) which will also be replaced with out proper clean up so at 10-11 years it will fail again out of warranty .... So it’s planned failure by the manufacturer and most HVAC companies poor sealed system service habits . Sorry for my rant just makes me mad at how disposable everything is being built/ sold
thank you mister Randy this saved me money and agravations God blessmyour heart for helping others in good faith,,this planet needs a lot of humans like you ..to keep existing/
I appreciate that you mentioned the lead in the old battery acid and how you can't just dispose of it even after you've neutralized the acid. No other video on this subject that I've found even mentions how to dispose of the old acid. Where do you take it so you're not dumping lead all over the place?
I have been working on my battery to get it cleaned out. What came out at 1st was jet black. Now there is what feel like and endless supply of Reddish brown color liquid. About the color of Mohagany on a piece of antique furniture from like the 1920s or 30s. I bought this battery band new and it is a champion. So I know no one has put any funky additives in it. The plates where heavily corroded but are getting little better every day
i did thos about 20 yrs ago and i figured I'd refresh my memory and i new it involved baking soda. i watching all the others vids and i was like wheres the baking soda? i thpught i might hve lost my mind or i done it wrong 20 yrs ago. but watching ur vid i was reassured i i didnt lose my mind. plus it seems like all the other vids wasnt explaining every step. like skipping over steps. thx for vid
Glad that I stumbled across your channel Randy. Your method for restoring lead acid batteries is by far the best method I've seen, and the most thorough. Also interested in your work on guitars & such. I will recommend your channel & especially this video series on restoring batteries to others. Thanks........NEW SUBSCRIBER.
Best class I ever had, dude saved me about $190.00 (what AutoZone wanted to charge for a replacement battery) I follow his instructions and my old battery works like new. I even use what he said for a lot of old Pb batteries for my Solar system.
I have read your post guys, thanks, worth trying to my 5 old batteries as part of our recycling activities, maybe a good start for an income generating work in our community
I just want to say brother you did a good job that's just the way I've done it all my years working for my company when we refurbished batteries take my hat off to you boy you so good keep up the good work love you forever talk to you soon God bless
Ok so I've tried this on a few car batteries and it works like a charm. But also tried it on smaller lead acid gel batteries and it actually KILLS them. I don't know why. Maybe has something to do with the gel?
This is a chemical reaction, not an electrical 'short'. Sodium Bicarbonate = Baking Soda. And it is a smart additional step for descaling/desulfating the battery inside. Mostly because it creates such big bubbles when it comes into contact with acid. And if it comes into contact with any acid beneath some of that sulfate scaling on the lead inside, it has a very good chance of knocking it loose from the lead. That will then expose the lead to the electrolyte later. The more surface area you can gets exposed, the better. If you had something similar to the shakers they have to mix paint at the paint stores, that would also help shake loose some of that sulfate from the lead plates. Not so sure about the Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts) as the electrolyte. It may work well in a pinch. It may work just fine. I simply do not know. You could have taken the original contaminated electrolyte and pass it through some coffee filters to remove that lead sulfate scaling sediment. My main concern on this is that you're mixing metals -- lead and magnesium. The new electrolyte will coat (electroplate) those lead (metal) plates with magnesium (metal) rather than lead when the charge is added to the epsom salt electrolyte.
brilliant , thankyou for the info, i have 5 12V in my mobility scooter chucking 60 volts out but my range has decreased over the 4 yrs , ...Will this increase my range back to its original ? [this Q is to anybody who wants to answer]
I have always had bad luck with small batteries as many of you will admit...(seadoos,ZT lawn mower,ect.)1-2 season tops. 90% of these style batteries carry only 90 days- 1 year at best warranty so by next season you're screwed out of your money. Seadoos/PWCs are hard on batteries (seasonal, lot of hard bouncing around) No lie, no sarcasm...I got tired of blowing money.This is what I did... I made a little extra room on the unit's battery tray(modified slightly) and went to Wal-Mart,Sams Club,ect. and bought the SMALLEST group size car battery with a 5 year warranty. KEEP THE RECIEPT OR TAKE A PICTURE OF IT ON YOUR PHONE !!!! The battery will last longer than those cheap ATV batteries and in the event of failure (which usually happens in 3-4 years) TAKE IT BACK !!! They will heavily pro rate the battery in your favor if you have proof of purchase and if its within 3-4 years (which is typical)will usually in your favor just give you a free replacement.No hard work with potential harm PLUS you get a BRAND NEW BATTERY over and over.With a quarter of the time invested if not less ,you can easily modify any lawn mower,ZT,PWC,ATV(sometimes) battery tray and you will get far more CCA's. Sure you will pay 2-3 times more up front but its the warranty which is what keeps you from blowing money and time year after year... If you live in the southern portion of the US, your battery may last longer but from the midwest on up where you get cold winters and the battery isn't used year round ,I think you guys know what I'm talking about..
Thanks Randy! Your method seems to have worked flawlessly. I did it with my truck battery that was no longer holding a charge. It sat installed in my truck for the better part of two years. The truck was rarely used. The process worked flawlessly! After reconditioning, it was holding a 12.9V charge for 12 hours before I put it into my vehicle and called it good. It's like I have a new battery! I did two baking soda soaks and flushed it out maybe 20 times in total with water, in order to get all of the sediment out of the battery.
great to hear! I haven't bought any batteries for years! lol thanks Steffan and thanks for watching!
@@RandySchartiger Hi Randy, The battery only lasted for a day. By the time I got home on the first day after reconditioning, it barely started the truck up. Then I forgot to turn the lights off (old truck). The next morning, of coarse the battery was DEAD DEAD. Recharged for 24 hours. Battery showed a good charge. Cycled the battery down 1.5V by leaving the headlights on. I've had the battery charging now for another 24 hours and the initial voltage at charger disconnect, is 13.54V. Letting it rest now and will check voltage again in an hour.After 60 min the battery seems to have stabilized at 12.86V. Now I need to check if the alternator is charging the battery. If it is, then I would have to say this experiment, however educational, may have been a failure. It could be that this battery is just not reconditionable. The sense that I'm getting, is that the battery will eventually charge but it doesn't recharge fast enough via the alternator and eventually becomes drained after simply taking a trip into town and back. I will update this post after I check the voltage when the motor is running.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!
I used the 12oz/gal solution. Maybe the electrolyte needs to more concentrated??
@@RandySchartiger 14.63V when engine is running. Just checked
@@RandySchartiger Hi there Randy, I drained 50% of the electrolyte out of the battery and replenished it with a SATURATED magnesium sulfate solution. I will let you know how that goes. I have a feeling that will make a difference in the battery charging properly.
After watching several of these RUclips presentation for battery restoration a friend pointed me to Randy's presentation. Randy's is the ONLY presentation that shows the Correct method to insure your battery is properly restored and will Keep a charge. This is a true restoration vs those other quick/simple methods that only work short time. Good job Randy, thanks for an accurate and correct restoration presentation.
I know the videos you mean, they were all I could find too and I figured since I knew how I'd make some videos of the proper way to restore, I've got batteries coming up on 12 years old I still restore and use them. thanks for watching and thanks for the thoughtful words!
This dude is the goat. He gave the measurements, the process, and how long he got out of the battery after the process. You get a sub for being thorough
Let's thank the Lord for this.
THANK YOU SOO MUCH!! I tried you instructions, took a 6 year old dead battery... 5.8 volts, " serviced " it.. it's now rocking 12.9!!!
As an Electronics service engineer for the past 45 years...this guy has impressed me very much, everything he says makes perfect sense, especially with the rinsing of the individual cells with the Baking Soda and the Distilled Water , AND the epsom salts mixed in with the Distilled Water to finish!!...Excellent idea!!...and...it's GREAT for extending the life of a battery!! .... 5 x stars for this video!!
I agree Alan!
Does the baking soda break down the sulfation?
@@Polarcupcheck can't say for sure?
@Prashant Balhara no you don't...you ONLY need to re-fill the battery whenever the distilled water is low (which sometimes can take months)...ok?
@Prashant Balhara DO NOT add sulfuric acid (please look at the video again) as this will damage the cells, just add epsom salts and distilled water as advised in the video.... NOTHING ELSE!!...ok?
this works very good. When finished and done right works better than new. My son would have his stereo and woofers cranked right up and had to use a chaeger to it to work and said ,son give me that battery for a few days and it will be better than new and i gave it back to him and he looked at me and said riigghht like he didnt believe me but hooked it up and keeps thanking me. what did you do dad. i cant kill this battery . the music just keeps cranking out and holds a charge. thank to Randy Schartiger. he is the best at battery restoration
This is the guy it taught me how to charge my batteries and it really worked for two years now the batteries are going strong
I'm 62, been wrenching since I was 14, so it's not my 1st day! With these newer computerized vehicles, I tend to Google ALOT of sh_tt ! Being taught by my Dad and Mr CHILTON, I see ALOT OF VIDEOS THAT ARE COMPLETELY FALSE, FULLL~OF~SHITT, LIKE THAT 'SCOTTY' QUACKER THAT LYING REVIEWS STATE HOW GOOD HE IS!
I'VE WATCHED AT LEAST A DOZEN ON THIS DILEMMA, AND THE 1'ST THING I NOTICED WAS WHEN RANDY MENTIONED, ( THE ' MEASURES ') OF BAKING SODA AND EPSOM SALT!
100% CORRECT!
I'M GONNA TRY THIS, BECAUSE, 'I' BELIEVE, THIS MAN KNOWS, EXACTLY W.T.F. HE'S DOING !
99 OUT OF 1OO PEOPLE CAN JST FK SHT UP, BY NATURALLY BEING WHO THEY ARE, LIKE AN AUTO PARTS SALES ASSOCIATE TELLING CUSTOMERS, THAT THE SPARK-PLUGS FOR YOUR VEHICLE, COME "PRE-GAPPED" !
I'VE 'NEVER-EVER' FOUND A SET OF 4,6 or 8 that were correctly gapped, stpd fkrs wonder WHY, There car is running worse than it was after tuning it, I had a sales person tell me, if I didn't use NGK SPARKPLUGS IN MY NISSAN, IT WOULD CAUSE IT TO MISFIRE!
THERE'S A SONG BY BILL ENDVALL, TITLED ( HERE'S YOUR SIGN, STUPID~PEOPLE!
I LISTEN TO IT EVERY MORNING, DURING MY WAKE UP, COFFEE ROUTINE!
IT TRULY HELPS ME WITH MY NO-TOLLERENCE-4-FKNG-IDIOTS MENTALITY!
I GET BY THEM WITH SOME JOY, MOST OF THE TIME!
I cannot believe this i followed your video and repaired all my batteries. THANKYOU, people who can afford it ,go out and purchase a new battery but people like me your video is a miricle.
You're right I'm from small town in Southwest Virginia & truthfully i don't alway got $80 bucks to drop on a battery for my mower or my damn truck so if I can refurbish my battery for under $10 bucks then Fuckin' A Bro I'm going to give it a try next spring becouse I just know my rider is going to give me shit when i go to fire that Mother up . Does every damn year. That's for the tip man.
How did you dispose of the gunk that came out the battery bro?
Add baking soda, neutralize acid, dilute, dump in flower bed?
Saleem Kader how long did they work?
Like a teacher, you teach everything deeply and showing the right way of cleaning the battery and replaced with epsam salt and correct measurements, these things no one was told by the you tubers.i am also doing a try to my 10 years old battery thanks a lot .May the god bless you
Randy, You just saved me at least $100.00. Thanks. I followed your instructions and within 2 minutes my battery was putting out 9 volts (on a trickle charge). After a long slow charge, it restored my battery to new. I needed a battery for my winch on my trailer and this is perfect. It is a battery from 2009 !!!!
A Napa battery in Covington, IN is $190.00. Jan 2024
Mit hoher Spannung und Strombegrenzung laden bis auf Normale Ladespannung kommst...
hole tiefentladene Akkus bei 35v und max 0,2-0,3A zurück wenn sie auf normaler Spannung angekommen sind, kommen sie auf konst. 14,2 V bis der Strom den kleinst möglichen Reststrom erreicht haben... dann stehen lassen ob erhöhte Selbstentladung ( Batterie sich wieder schnell entladen hat )
BEEN WORKING ON CARS FOR 50 YEARS AND LIKE YOU SAVED MONEY,NEVER EVER TOOK MY CARS FOR REPAIR.
MY BATTERIES CAME FROM THE SCRAP YARD AND I DID JUST WHAT YOUR DOING.I PAID 8 BUCKS FOR A BATTERY vs 89.00 AT AN AUTO STORE
Bbq;
I have looked for this video for a while. I have two dead batteries i need revived. I had watched this video sometime back but then I never thought i will ever need it. I watched so many videos on RUclips but they were all useless. You have nailed it! Thank you
Randy, I want to thank you for this video. This helped save a Miata battery from 2012 that read at 3.86V (also had flakes of metal floating around in the cell) and brought it back to 13.3, which then held a resting voltage of 12.6v. There are some things I want to talk about that I did that might help others in this scenario. One thing I did was I used hot (just below boiling) distilled water mixed with the baking soda. I did this for two reasons: one the baking soda would absorb better just like the Epsom Salt, does and second to increase the reactivity of the baking soda. When you heat up particles they move faster and interact with the Sulfuric Acid at a higher rate. WARNING -- the heated baking soda will also increase potential for the fluid to fly up out of the cell.
I also did 3 baking flushes, followed by ~20 filtered water flushes. After the 5th filtered water flush, I tested the pH which was around an 8.5pH. Now I knew the fluid coming out was safe to get on my skin and around me. So I took the battery and began flushing, though I noticed that the coloration of the fluid was not changing. So after the 20th or so flush. I took the battery, flipped it upside down on two 2x4's, so that the holes to the cells were exposed. Then, I took a hose and ran it full blast back and forth between the cells for about 5 mins. The water was still coming out rusty so I decided to just give up. For a final flush, I added a 1:4 distilled water-distilled vinegar flush twice. I did this because even after 20+ flushes, the acidity was still around 8pH. Why is this? I don't know -- my thoughts were the baking soda left over or the pH of the local city water I was passing through a filter was at 8pH. The acidity was brought back down to a 5.5-6pH after two vinegar flushes.
Then I added the electrolyte fluid and charged it with an LST 12V Battery Trickle Charger that does it at 1100mA. It is a digital charger, but it's minimum input voltage is 3v. After my flushes and induction of electrolyte fluid, my battery the battery read around 5.5v. So way above the chargers minimum threshold. I searched for an analog charger but they just don't seem to make them anymore! The battery charger had a desulfation stage where it pulsed 14.5v for around a day or so then began charging a constant 13.6v for 3 days then it read "charged."
Last thing I did before I tried cranking it was plugged it in and ran my headlights for around 20 mins, then recharged. It dipped down to 11.8v then charged backed up to 12.6. Since then it's started my Miata ~20 times. I hope this helps anyone reading this. This video was a big help and saved me $170. Thanks again!
'My way', not necessary Ur way ok? Only for those wid plenty of time though. I'd start wid document down wat volts before / after as well as using a load tester reading before / after. Then use hydrometer test wud have shown which cell r lacking concentrated battery acid n need attention. Anudda is a cell to cell meter test. Add distilled water to 'dat particular cell wid a drop or two of battery acid / sulphuric acid' n charge whole battery on high till 'all cells' start to bubble. Off for 20-30mins and repeat X3 times. Den I wud empty battery n add distill water plus Epson salts. Cover n shake vigorously before trickle charger over night wid caps off in ventilated area. Check wid multi meter n load tester for changes. If it's holding over 12.4 - 12.6v n load test is around 75-80% den it's gud to stop. Flush out wid just distill water (after tipping out Epson salt mixture). Refill wid 'old battery acid' (filtered over old shirt to remove visible dirt etc.). Fill to ' jus covering plates ' n install safely back into car. Check voltage stays around 12.6v. Start car, drive around for 5 mins. Rest for 10mins. Repeat X 3 times, Check if voltage is holding 12.4v to 12.6v. ? If ok den U hav 'recovered' some use but it is only 'temporary ' as cheap batteries hav 'thinner plates' dat will break down over time (crank starts). U hav to ask urself is all dis is worth Ur time? Or beta jus go buy anodda new battery. Lol.
Thanks for the additional tips.
Only a week's work of work for $170?
Thanks Randy, I followed your process and had great success in restoring a 6 year old lawn tractor battery. This process worked like a charm and I only spent $2.00 for the materials and a little time.
i saw your video a few years back i was lookin again cause i forgot what to do ...none these other dudes coul get my confidence...glad i found you again
forgot to mention our houses must be on the same block....Lol
Just tried your method I liked that you cleaned out the battery with backing soda,it was the only one that used this method,you seemed like you know what your doing,this is a 2011 battery 12 volt for my Tundra I’ll let you know how it works .Thanks Ron
Only thing is, should we rinse the baking soda out afterwards...?. Thanks for the excellent knowledge, easy to follow clear instructional video. 👍
I so appreciate this gentleman! He definitely is a great teacher; methodical and presenting the information step-by-step. I am going to get my battery out of our Honda and go through the steps. Lots of time with Covid-19 keeping school teachers and administrators home. There's a reason he has over 1.3 million views (4/20/20). You are going to save me a great deal of money. Well done, Randy!
He just poured a.n Epsom salt solution and put it on charging. What about acid? Will it be only on Epsom salt solution?
What a pleasant fella with helpful information. The time is coming folks- where your not going to be able to just trash things and buy new. Happening already. That and the fact that everything is being made cheaply makes it smart to revive and restore.
Your method is the best I have seen. I have always just added Epsom Salts directly to the electrolyte in each cell then charge overnight. I have extended every battery 4-5 years with this method. Great video. Thank you sir.
So you mean after you filled it with epson salt + distilled water solution, you add epson salt in every cell? And do you add acid or the solution works like acid. Thanks
This guy makes me feel like I'm learning a life lesson from my daddy ♡
Hey Randy man just when I think I've seen all of your videos up Pops another one! At least 50 years ago an old brother of mine showed me this trick back in the days when everybody mostly used that type of battery. And it does work I have done this many a time in the past years. I have been watching you for at least 5 years now and truly enjoy watching your videos! The old boy that taught me this trick was from Virginia and very knowledgeable about certain things and taught me a lot about character in people and it's too bad at some people do not have any character! The word hillbilly in the dictionary is a Michigan potato farmer. And to call someone a hillbilly has no character. Some people's children. Thanks for sharing another good tip Randy and I hope to watch your videos for another five years Lord willin. You get a triple thumbs up brother.
All the info on battery technology and he is still nice enough to let us know the school bus is running. Thanks because I got so caught up in the video I forgot to pick up my kid.
Saw this 40 years ago with a 6 volt battery in an H-D Panhead. The owner threw his battery in a pail of water with the baking soda in Oct and took it back out in April, rinsed it out and re-filled it and rode again until Oct.. Great video, thanks.
Greetings from South Africa. Love your video. I'm busy with my deep cycle battery at the moment. They're so expensive that it's worth the effort. I even think it's a good thing to do as part of a maintenance program.
I had an Uncle who taught me this trick back in the 70's.Back then I couldn't afford to buy a new battery so, all mine came from the junk yard. Once I add the distilled water and Epson salts I always started my car with a different battery then switch them while the engine is running. I lived 45 miles out of the closest Town that had a grocery store. The drive to the store gave me enough charge I never had any issue of not starting for my drive home. I let my cars do the charging.
Best restore video! Worked for me, did my trickle charge for 48hrs. Good to go!
Peace. Thank you for the warm welcome back. 😂. I watched this video a while back and always wanted to try it. Recently I needed a new battery and kept the older one to experiment with and have some small lawn mowers and other stuff using batteries. Thank you professor and when I get around to it ill let you know. Thank you
please do let us know how it goes, as long as you don't have any dead cells this method will work! :) thanks for checking out my videos!
I did this simultaneously to watching this video. I found a lot of heavy metals came out of the battery, so I filled it with water and drained it until it came out clean, about 6 times. I let it drain for about 15 minutes and filled it back up with the old acid and Epson salt saluton and it works perfectly. Thank you for showing us how to properly do this!
I tried my first one with this procedure over the weekend. With an 995 cold cranking amp exide diesel truck battery. Trickle charged for 36 hpurs. It came up to almost 14 volts. WOW! This procedure worked just like it shows in this video and IT WORKED FOR ME! saved me 250 bucks. How long it last is yet to be seen. Will report back in 1 month. Thanks randy!!!
Was your battery completely dead ?
So much for reporting back I see
So much for reporting back I see
I friend over 20 years ago told me about how he did this, now I know what he was talking about, lol. This think about all the money I could have saved lol.
Thank you and keep up the good work.
Finally, somebody that uses actual measurements ! Thank you Randy
That part because when you're doing with acid in the battery and not knowing what you're doing they could very easily blow up in your face and that's a bad explosion / burn...
It would be better if it was listed with amounts below the video for reference .......good job though.
Have seen a good number of battery re-con videos and read courses and PDFs on the process. I really like this. I have some old batteries and will try these methods.
Great job with being as detailed as possible! You made it so even a kid could do it. Thank you for your descriptive, professional, and detailed video.
very good and reliable fix for knackered lead acid battery's, ive saved 3 bike batterys, one was nearly 20yrs old !!!
This is really smart. I never would have thought of it. By using the baking soda, you are neutralizing the acid. This seems counter productive at first since lead sulfate is usually dissolve by acids like HCl. So you wouldn't think to neutralize the acid, but since its in a battery, which uses acid to make electricity, and electricity forms the lead sulfate in the first place, you are actually preventing any more from being formed, and allowing them to actually break up and be carried away in the basic baking soda solution with your shaking of the battery.
I have been searching for someone who had a way (and made a video) to demonstrate results with this method. Thank you very much Randy. I will subscribe.
Very well done video. I have watched several other video on this very topic and found them missing information or moving hastily on to the next step, leaving confusion. You have explained very well, throughly and completely. Thanh you.
Im keeping my acid batteries now, great information 💯💜
thanks man! as long as batteries have no cell damage this almost always works! cheers!
Hey Randy great instructions I'm a hill billy from Va. Piney in river and listening to you made me think of whare I came from and who I am . Thank you .. I saw another gentlemen put baking soda in the acid to make in better some how . Maybe it's like pissing on a jellyfish sting .. lol 😂 keep on rocking it bro..😎
Thank You Randy, your Video is So informative. I watched a different video BEFORE I watched this video and it didn’t work BUT.......Like you said.....NO BAKING SODA Was mentioned except to put it in the pan to neutralize the acid from the battery. NO Measurements of how much salt to put in the water. He was doing it with a measuring cup. 1 ounce of water. I’m gonna try it your way and I will be back to give you my results
Gosh.where do I start. Watched a fukton of these videos and you are right they are not clear or complete. I was just riveted by you and so appreciative that you explained everything. Your techniques are different and I could maybe offer 1 suggestion but with almost 1000 comments you probably won't even read this but I still wanted to share with your channel I'm going to try your techniques before I piece together what I can get from the other videos I have watched. Although after watching your video and the information you articulated I at least feel know what the heck I'm doing. Curious to see what other videos you got. Thank you brother.
I did the Baking Soda 3 times and rolled it around the drive way. I found a 5 gallon container of Battery acid at a auto parts store for $26.00. Worked like a charm going to do all my batteries.
I was wondering why people just don't put battery acid back into the battery. You did it and it worked. Great!
You got a better deal than I did > paid $40 at Napa for about a gallon...
This guy is Awesome. Great info and detail on restoring a battery. He seems like a very patient man with a kind heart, two of the qualities I value the most. You sir are a True gentalman in every sense, and I thank you sincerely for that in addition to taking your time ( aka your life ) to help the rest of us.
Hope you are able to stay safe in these perilous times. Cheers !
Thank you for the video. I watched another highly viewed battery rejuvenation video where a condescending nerd told me this method wouldn't work. Worked for me, nerd, who failed in his attempt using another method. I made sure to to do the baking soda thing plenty of times, maybe 8 times, and rinsed it out with tap water a couple more times. Boiled a gallon of distilled water, the epson salt in and stirred. Let it cool down some. Poured it back in the water jug and poured it into the battery. Before, the battery wouldn't hold a charge. If I charged it for a couple hours it would start my car but if it sat around for any length of time it wouldn't have the juice to start the car up again. After a day it would drain so much that it couldn't light up the dash and allow me to change gears. I was working on the car for awhile (timing chain, rod knock, etc...) and I always had to charge it for an hour everytime I wanted to put the car in neutral and push it back a couple feet to give me some room to work in the garage. A Crown Victoria is about half an inch shorter than the length of my garage plus a work bench. And yes I know you can put a screw driver under the steering wheel and hit a button that releases it from being locked in park but it's not easy to do on that car and I may have broken that switch at some point because it was so difficult to do. Welcome to my labratory where safety is number one priority.
Immensely helpful... Thank you from a single mom on a tight budget. Have a great day.
I am happy to see you put on eye protection. I had a dead battery blow up in my face and I was temporarily blinded for three months. The battery acid ate the nerves up in back of my eyes causing nerve damage.
Randy, you need to put something between the funnel and the opening of the battery to allow the air to escape, this way you can just pour the water in with little or no resistance.
Well done brother, did a good job showing us how to do it. I for one really appreciate it. Power to the people!
None of you guys use a rubber mallet! Lightly tap the bottom of the battery and it helps break up the calcifaction that fuses them. The major problems are normally on the bottom. Rinse them out before adding the acid with fresh distiled water.
i have been wondering, theres pulse charging, but it breaks up the sulfate build up on plates, i was thinking if somehow physically shocking it will do the same. i was wondering if putting it in a paint shaker or even an ultrasonic device could fix it....... but..... the old school ways are good to know. every tool kit needs a rubber mallet...
He never said nothing about the acid it must be real messy.
That's how I figured, uses a mallet break it up, just haven't recycled fluid yet
A little long winded but all and all I greatly appreciate that you actually told us the solution instead of trying to make it a sales pitch
Thank you for your time and patience in the making and explanation of each step in your video. Worked like a charm on my mower batteries just I didn't have a charger so I just hooked up the batteries after replacing the fluid and ran the mower for a while and it cranked after turning off after an hour. Saved me some $$$$
You legend, my battery charger said my battery was dead. I did your steps and now it actually knows its a car battery and taking charge
Awesome! Plain, simple & honest instructions and actually works. Thanks Randy
Randy. I’m wishing I had seen your video first before I went out and bought a new battery but it makes sense how it cleans the plates on the inside of battery
GREAT VIDEO AND WELL SPOKEN ON A SUBJECT THAT IS SORELY NEEDED IN A WASTEFUL THROW IT AWAY SOCIETY!
I watched this video years ago but I’ve never tried it. I did save several batteries from different batteries. Thx
Thanks for sharing these, my family lives off the grid and we have a few old batteries I will definitely be restoring!!!
do they know you're on the internet, or did you just out them?
@@mikeanderson1139 check out our channel for our life off the grid and what led us here.. we share our experience with how we left society and live off very little as we are heading towards a completely traditional self supportive lifestyle.
Thanks Randy your video has so easy to follow I charged the battery my full charge on the charger shows green.we measured the voltage it was 13.75 am I right in saying will battery hold charge if not put back into car .what I'm saying is this battery has now been refurbished and will last for another year.
Your video is infinitely more concise than other videos I've seen on this subject . Stressing the safety is the most important part . Thanks for your video Mr. Schartiger and all the best for an excellent Happy New Year . Lefty
thank you Sir for your effort putting this out there. Ive not a chance yet to fact check it as i do videos i might use the information from but i do appreciate your taking the time you did just to try help others and btw,...sure seems like you know what your doing anyway!! Smile
You are what people should be aspiring to be .....just helpful and or kind to their fellow man... i didnt say respectful but be clear, i shouldn't have to say that. To the idiots who mocked you for ANY reason....they are themselves simply sad excuses. You ARE a Gentlemen of the South Sir. Thank you again.
You mentioned" at the beginning of the season " since you put the lawnmower away in the winter, I would pour the acid out of the battery at the end of the season into a clean plastic jug and store battery dry and in the spring put the acid back in . And like the motorcycle batteries that you buy and fill with the electrolight it should be fully charged. This will prolong the battery life where you will never have to buy a new battery again! I like the video , peace !
U can tell by his look and demeanor hes tested this and hes one to trust cause hes tried it.
gramps showed me this same trick in the 70's .. baking soda is the key ,
great video and reminder that reuse and recycle is not a new concept . thanks
Randy thanks my grandfather used to just add baking soda to his batteries but couldn't remember the next step.So thanks for the info and also taking me back to a better time in my life, remembering my grandfather
fair play to you this is amazing I have always thought you needed to get the acid from somewhere, I have a pile of battery's in my workshop waiting to be scrapped...not anymore going to give this ago I think 10 out of 10
thanks so much my friend and thanks for viewing! yes the Epsom salt will create acid as charged and is cheaper than buying acid. good luck with your work I can vouch this process works like a charm I still use it to this day! cheers and thanks again!
Yep, In 2020 I bought a jug of sulfuric acid ( from Napa Auto Parts) for this purpose & it cost about $45...
Great video ,great instructions, Great teacher , very very well explained ,10 out of 10 👍
Thank you very much sir, your measurements are 100% effective I'm in the cleaning process still and its cleaning so amazing
You are a good man! Thank you for your honesty and experience!
This is good info period. If you order a battery online and they ship it, it doesnt have the acid in it. Sometimes they send the crystals to male the solution, but you can buy a big bag at advance or napa pretty cheap. Nice change, Randy.
God bless you buddy for taking the time to show us how to do this, cheers from Uk👍🍻
Didn’t know Billy Bob Thornton was fixing batteries now, but damn he’s good!! Excellent video.
Hi Randy, Actually you are not "restoring" a lead acid battery, you are converting the lead acid battery to an alkaline battery. I love it! There are a couple of alternative electrolytes that can also be used... aluminum sulfate (used for pickling) and copper II sulfate (a footwash for cattle) I hope the alkaline version holds up to below freezing weather, that's my only concern.
I would like to see the stoichiometry for this. What is the difference?
I would recommend mixing the baking soda and water in a pot then pour it into the container, a lot easier and faster, apart from that a great informative video, tks.
This works- as long as no dead cells you can save your battery.
They are pushing almost 200$ now so this is a cost effective approach. I prefer Epsom salts.
This process got a car quest battery to last 12 years- it is working on an advance battery gold unit going into 4 years, after dying after 3...
How can I tell if I have any dead cells? My battery has been dead for at least 3-4 years. It would not take a charge. I have seen videos with results of 12.66 volts but lousy 100 amps which is useless for my car.
@@keithwollaver2307 Use a multimeter and stick in each hole and measure- you should have close to 2.1 volts but do not worry if not- if any one cell is open(no reading or 0) it is dead. If they are all showing voltage you can save it with epsom salt solution and a good charger- both of which cost way less than a new battery.
@@thomasodetinape4180 Thank you Thomas. The battery is a Duralast brand. I popped off the hole cover strips and can see that some cells do not have any liquid covering them. Is this battery too far gone because of that?
@@keithwollaver2307 No - this is why they lose their charge- normal for any battery= mix up a solution of epsom salts and pure water- warm and dissolve it totally before topping off battery- charge and watch the magic-
I've been doing this for 15 years- have not bought a battery since- only time the battery is dead is with a dead cell- rare these days but it does happen
I ride a EW-36 Mobility Scooter, with 4 /12v batteries. You have taught me a lot about Reconditioning, maintaining my battery’s and saving my
money ... lol ... Thank You kindly and I’m subscribing Immediately
I really enjoyed the thorough and honestly simple presentation, thank you for this informative video.
Great video! In fact by far the best I've watched on this topic! The attention to details and the emphasis on safety and accuracy is not only very professional, but very reassuring. Great job sir.
I worked for a place that buildt car batterys and the only difference between the expensive batteries is the distance from the plates to the bottom of the plastic box where they will eventually short out!
Great to know that the batteries have ' Planned obsolescence' built-in. Instead of the battery lasting 10 or 20 years it only lasts 2 to 5 years.
daintree98 every thing does now ... and has for years . I’ve personally watched the expected life of Appliances and A/C - Heat pump life expectancy drop from 20-25 in 80’s to 15-20 years in 90’s 12-15 00’s and now 5-10 at best ( yet all HVAC equipment has a 5 year parts and a 10 year compressor/ sealed system warranty) and after 5 you will have small part failures out of warranty then at 10 it will have some sort of sealed system failure. Most likely it will have a indoor coil leak after 5 years which will be Improperly replaced / cleaned and evacuated which will lead to a 7-9 year in warranty compressor failure ( burn out ) which will also be replaced with out proper clean up so at 10-11 years it will fail again out of warranty .... So it’s planned failure by the manufacturer and most HVAC companies poor sealed system service habits . Sorry for my rant just makes me mad at how disposable everything is being built/ sold
that makes sence
Planning obsolescence is in almost everything ESPECIALLY automakers!
Good video showing how you rejuvenate the battery as well as the solutions needed.
Best battery rejuvenation vid I have seen.
see much ?
thank you mister Randy this saved me money and agravations God blessmyour heart for helping others in good faith,,this planet needs a lot of humans like you ..to keep existing/
I appreciate that you mentioned the lead in the old battery acid and how you can't just dispose of it even after you've neutralized the acid. No other video on this subject that I've found even mentions how to dispose of the old acid. Where do you take it so you're not dumping lead all over the place?
One needs to find a toxic Waste collection facility. Most land fills have such a facility on site.
I have been working on my battery to get it cleaned out. What came out at 1st was jet black. Now there is what feel like and endless supply of Reddish brown color liquid. About the color of Mohagany on a piece of antique furniture from like the 1920s or 30s. I bought this battery band new and it is a champion. So I know no one has put any funky additives in it. The plates where heavily corroded but are getting little better every day
i did thos about 20 yrs ago and i figured I'd refresh my memory and i new it involved baking soda. i watching all the others vids and i was like wheres the baking soda? i thpught i might hve lost my mind or i done it wrong 20 yrs ago. but watching ur vid i was reassured i i didnt lose my mind. plus it seems like all the other vids wasnt explaining every step. like skipping over steps. thx for vid
thank you for taking the time to make and post the video ... followed the procedure and in the process of charging the battery now
Useful Video! Clear, direct, helpful add-ins Good Job Randy!!
Glad that I stumbled across your channel Randy. Your method for restoring lead acid batteries is by far the best method I've seen, and the most thorough. Also interested in your work on guitars & such. I will recommend your channel & especially this video series on restoring batteries to others. Thanks........NEW SUBSCRIBER.
Best class I ever had, dude saved me about $190.00 (what AutoZone wanted to charge for a replacement battery) I follow his instructions and my old battery works like new. I even use what he said for a lot of old Pb batteries for my Solar system.
I have read your post guys, thanks, worth trying to my 5 old batteries as part of our recycling activities, maybe a good start for an income generating work in our community
I just want to say brother you did a good job that's just the way I've done it all my years working for my company when we refurbished batteries take my hat off to you boy you so good keep up the good work love you forever talk to you soon God bless
Awesome vid thank you. I am about to give it a try. What do I do with the waste I dump out? Do you simply store it in a metal can forever? Subscribed
Ok so I've tried this on a few car batteries and it works like a charm. But also tried it on smaller lead acid gel batteries and it actually KILLS them. I don't know why. Maybe has something to do with the gel?
This is a chemical reaction, not an electrical 'short'. Sodium Bicarbonate = Baking Soda. And it is a smart additional step for descaling/desulfating the battery inside. Mostly because it creates such big bubbles when it comes into contact with acid. And if it comes into contact with any acid beneath some of that sulfate scaling on the lead inside, it has a very good chance of knocking it loose from the lead. That will then expose the lead to the electrolyte later. The more surface area you can gets exposed, the better. If you had something similar to the shakers they have to mix paint at the paint stores, that would also help shake loose some of that sulfate from the lead plates.
Not so sure about the Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts) as the electrolyte. It may work well in a pinch. It may work just fine. I simply do not know. You could have taken the original contaminated electrolyte and pass it through some coffee filters to remove that lead sulfate scaling sediment. My main concern on this is that you're mixing metals -- lead and magnesium. The new electrolyte will coat (electroplate) those lead (metal) plates with magnesium (metal) rather than lead when the charge is added to the epsom salt electrolyte.
you are the real deal, Mr Battery Man.
I'm a new sub. Seems like you among all the youtubers know alot more.ty so much...
Hek I have 6 batteries. Sht
Thankyou Randy, I don't have the cash for a new battery, mine up and laid over and died. I am going to try this tomorrow.....
Thanks, just did 2 batteries that were unable to hold a charge. Very descriptive.
How did it work?
brilliant , thankyou for the info, i have 5 12V in my mobility scooter chucking 60 volts out but my range has decreased over the 4 yrs , ...Will this increase my range back to its original ?
[this Q is to anybody who wants to answer]
Yes! As long as ALLthe cells are still good and have no damage. Good luck! And thanks for checking out my videos!
I have always had bad luck with small batteries as many of you will admit...(seadoos,ZT lawn mower,ect.)1-2 season tops.
90% of these style batteries carry only 90 days- 1 year at best warranty so by next season you're screwed out of your money.
Seadoos/PWCs are hard on batteries (seasonal, lot of hard bouncing around)
No lie, no sarcasm...I got tired of blowing money.This is what I did...
I made a little extra room on the unit's battery tray(modified slightly) and went to Wal-Mart,Sams Club,ect. and bought the SMALLEST group size car battery with a 5 year warranty.
KEEP THE RECIEPT OR TAKE A PICTURE OF IT ON YOUR PHONE !!!!
The battery will last longer than those cheap ATV batteries and in the event of failure (which usually happens in 3-4 years) TAKE IT BACK !!! They will heavily pro rate the battery in your favor if you have proof of purchase and if its within 3-4 years (which is typical)will usually in your favor just give you a free replacement.No hard work with potential harm PLUS you get a BRAND NEW BATTERY over and over.With a quarter of the time invested if not less ,you can easily modify any lawn mower,ZT,PWC,ATV(sometimes) battery tray and you will get far more CCA's. Sure you will pay 2-3 times more up front but its the warranty which is what keeps you from blowing money and time year after year...
If you live in the southern portion of the US, your battery may last longer but from the midwest on up where you get cold winters and the battery isn't used year round ,I think you guys know what I'm talking about..