# Starter battery maintenance



## bar (Aug 6, 2005)

I bought a new starter battery last year. The van has been unused with occasional mains charge and regular solar panel charges. I have noticed it is not holding charge well. I wonder if I should discharge the battery and then recharge it .I would appreciate answers to the following questions.
1. IS discharging and recharging better than just top up charges?
2. If you advise me to discharge should it be a quick or slow discharge over what period of time?
3 How low would you discharge like 12. volts or lower? How is best to do it?
4/Would you leave battery connected when not in use for a few months or does it not matter?


Thanks Bar

I thought I new f nothing now I know I know f all


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## weldted (May 1, 2005)

*engine battery*

Hi Do your solar panels charge the engine battery, do you have a battery mate or similar fitted? If not your engine battery will discharge by up to 10% of its capacity even if disconnected but running alarms clocks etc all will drain the battery. Batteries should not be allowed to fall below 11.4 volts as irreparable damage may start to happen, it is like giving the battery a heart attack from which it never fully recovers and if repeated will cause premature failure


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## bar (Aug 6, 2005)

Thanks, my solar panel only gets the battery up to around 12.6 and then it falls back quickly. I think I will discharge to around 12 volts then try to get it up with a conventional charger.
Thank you for answering wellted,

Bar


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## tony50 (Oct 16, 2007)

*Starter battery*

AS Welted , never ever run batteries in to severe discharged state !. as he says they and also from a battery manufactures course I went on once a battery goes flat it deterioates , also another problem occurs I see people attempting to to start a vehicle with batteries in a fairly discharged state. just turning the engine over slowly ,that funnily enough makes the starter try to take more current out of the battery than a fully charged one that then makes the starter motor start to deterioate


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## 120722 (Feb 24, 2009)

Different batteries are designed for different jobs. i.e the engine will hold a charge and is maintained wile the engine is running so on a normal day to day use any load that is put on an engine battery is recovered almost immediately. A leisure battery on the other hand is designed for small loads but for longer periods of times. So is more suited to dis charge then charged.

Long story short. I don't think discharging your battery to 12v is going to help it at all.

Would be interesting to see what sort of charge your solar panel is putting in to your engine battery. might be worth getting the battery tested.
cheers
Rob


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## bar (Aug 6, 2005)

Thanks for replies,
My local battery center told me that my battery may have sulpharated but that it is ok. ( they didn't sell it to me originally) They recommended putting a bulb on the battery to discharge it and then charge it up again.
I think that it might work a bit like human muscle where you need to work it up to a peak by exercising it ( ie drain it down and pump it up.)

Solar panel is a 13volt and just puts a low charge in and never pushes the battery up to 13 volts or more as a conventional charger ( even without the regulator).Hence battery never gets properly charged.

Thanks again for your interest.

Bar


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Lead acid batteries last longer kept fully charged. Fully charged being above 12.6v.
As has been said if a 12v lead acid battery gets flatened it rarely recovers to a usable state again no matter how much charge you give it.

Ray.


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