From:Backyard Bob e-mail:somewhere-A-newjersey
Subject:RE: BATTERY INFO Date:Mon Oct 13 19:59:28 2014
Response to:19933
You'll be lucky if it does. You're probably only reading a 'surface charge' and not the real charge of the cells. Batteries that are properly maintained (read fully charged) have a balance in the electrolyte. The acid at this charge (potential) doesn't hurt the lead plates within. Let it drop beyond a certain point and the lead begins to absorb the acid. When this happens the lead begins to deteriorate (sulfation). If it were steel the term would be 'rust'. Sulfation cannot be reversed no matter if you add acid or charge it forever. Long story short? Your battery is toast. At today's prices it's worth buying a battery tender and leaving it on all the time. Buy a good one and also realize a 'tender' is not a charger.....make sure your battery is fully charged before you put it on the tender. Another wise piece of advice is don't ever use the 'quick charge method' on any battery unless it's an emergency. It warps the plates, boils off the water in the acid, and shortens the life of the battery. NOTE: Battery prices will double and possibly triple in the next few years as the Obama Administration recently used the EPA/DEP to shut down the last lead mine in the USA. All lead will be imported. That lead will be substandard....as will all the rest of the battery components. I'm not being political here, I'm being informative. Don't even get me started on gel cells......

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I let my 6Volt battery run down and after maybe a couple of years I put battery acid in and charged it slowly on and off several times over several days. It seams to be holding 5 volts, do you think that 5 volts will start my 1952 125cc Hummer or is the battery done for?