Has anyone used “Battery Equaliser”, an additive that is supposed to extend battery life of lead acid batteries. I am interested in using it on my golf cart,that has 4 cells/battery and six 8 volt batteries. What has been your experience with either this product or any other?
You’re kidding?
Tester
Snake oil.
one would hope.
The battery lasts so long as is, I see no reason why I would do anything to it. Come on, they will give me a new one for no charge if it dies within a four year period and it is prorated after that. How much more can you expect.
The additives probably work, but will only give a small reprieve to a dying battery. I’ve never bothered with any additives. A healthy battery doesn’t need anything, a weak battery will have its life extended briefly but will soon need replacement in any case. Try it, it won’t hurt anything. Don’t expect miracles.
I’ve not familiar with the product at all but I’m always skeptical of any additive that promises the world. If this product actually worked then one should ask themselves why the battery manufacturers are not dribbling a bit of this stuff into every battery they make. What better way to prevent pro-rated battery returns and especially considering the fact the battery makers could produce this stuff themselves for pennies.
What I would really be concerned about is the bit about “cadmium”. I have no idea what any cadmium substances would do in a battery but cadmium plating can produce cyanide gas and one whiff of that could send you to the graveyard pretty quickly.
That is one reason why many plating operations (other than aircraft) have done away with cadmium plating, which is not to be confused with Copy Cad plating (similar in appearance only).
I can’t help but notice that this is your first post. Would you happen to be an employee of a company that sells this snake oil?
Actually, there is an additive that helps batteries that is used in the wine and food industry. Forget the initials of the chemical. Go to a solar or remote living website and search. You would probably be better off with pulser electronics to restore sulfated plates. There is not much that can be done with car batteries because of the thin plates, but deep cycle batteries have more options.
C’mon all you experts. Quit showing off your ignorance. This is NOT snake oil! We’re dealing with real chemistry today. A popular battery additive sold in the 60s, 70s, and 80s (when you could unscrew those caps on top of your battery) was called VX-6. It worked. A battery that could no longer hold a charge could be treated with VX-6 and it became rechargeable again.
The ingredients were secret but was known to contain cadmium. Over time, the plates on a lead-acid battery would become sulfated and unable to take a charge. VX-6 could partially reverse the sulfation. Those who used it and charged their battery saw instant improvement. Some claimed the battery would become functional for another two years.
“If this product actually worked then one should ask themselves why the battery manufacturers are not dribbling a bit of this stuff into every battery they make.”
They do, sort of. There are rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. For automotive considerations the battery additive is only useful to a lead-acid battery after it has become sulfated, not when it is healthy.
I’ve heard that battery additives of this type are preferred by those who use the marine deep-discharge batteries. I’m not a boater so I have no experience with this usage.
I used to maintain my car’s old-style battery by checking its specific gravity and adding distilled water when necessary. No more. Today’s car batteries tend to be permanently sealed. You can’t simply add stuff any more. But, guys, don’t knock this stuff. It really works. The issue is between whether it is worth using or simply replacing a dying battery now rather than shortly down the road.
No…I am a retiree and saw brochure on extending battery life. Golf carts are deep cycle batteries and last about three to four years if you keep the distilled water level above the plates. Untreated electrolyte has sulfation which makes the lead plates brittle which can cause pieces to fall away from the plates and short out the battery. Sulfation also makes it harder (and takes longer) to recharge.
The real question is the product cost worth the extended life? Without having experience or hearing others who have tried it, it is hard to make a decision.
You do not get more than a three year warranty with a golf cart, which is about when the battery shows signs of wear and imminent death…and at six batteries per golf cart, it can get expensive as these batteries are deep cycle batteries.
There’s a big difference between a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery and a lead acid auto battery; the nickel-cad one is not venting to the atmohphere like the automotive one.
I’ve personally seen a couple of battery explosions due to emitted gasses so my opinion is better safe than sorry.
Besides, a cheap and perfectly suitable/capable battery from Wal Mart is only 40 bucks and that’s pocket change to have peace of mind rather than worrying about when a sulfated battery is going to wheeze its last.
Back in the 70s I used a product product like this (don’t remember if it was VX-6 or not) on my old Harley flathead. The 6 volt batteries were hard to come by so squeezing them to the bitter end was pretty common.
Unfortunately, the bitter end came to me about 150 miles from home after a weekend ride to the lake with some buddies.
I remember VX-6 and didn’t hear complaints, but there wasn’t an internet then. I would say that there are five eight volt batteries in that cart but I haven’t seen the cart.