The situation is different for various kinds of batteries, from laptop batteries to car batteries. However, one thing is true for all. After some time, the performance of the batteries deteriorate, and it eventually goes flat completely. But is this the end of your battery? No, it’s not always the case. In this article, we want to share with you some tips using magnesium sulfate battery reconditioning methods for your lead-acid batteries.

Causes of Why Batteries Fail

There are several reasons why a battery ceases to function. It could be because of sulfation, overcharging, or poor maintenance. You ought to maintain your batteries regularly and makes sure you charge them just right.

As for sulfation, lead-acid batteries are vulnerable to this condition. Sulfation happens when sulfate crystals form on the lead plates of the batteries. The consequence of this is that the battery will have a hard time recharging or it won’t charge at all.

Most often, sulfation is accepted as a natural cause of why batteries die. But there are still ways on how to lengthen the life of your batteries. If you can recondition your batteries successfully, then you can still use them for quite some time before you will need to buy a new battery.

Benefits of Reconditioning Batteries

When you recondition your batteries, you simply do certain procedures that can break apart the sulfate crystal build-up so that the battery can be charged again. That is the basic principle behind reconditioning batteries.

One of the best benefits of reviving your batteries is that you will save money because you don’t have to buy new batteries as frequently compared to just throwing away old batteries.

But apart from that, you are also doing something to save the environment because there will be fewer batteries being dumped in landfills. Ultimately, reconditioning batteries is a great idea that everyone should consider doing.

How to Recondition Your Batteries

Let us show you how to do the procedure in this section. But first, let us enumerate the things that you will need. For the following steps, you will need a battery charger, multimeter, rubber gloves, a bucket, baking soda, Epsom salt, and distilled water. We should warn you that this process may take some time so please be patient.

If you do not have all the tools for this procedure, considering investing in them because you can use them again and again when you will be reconditioning your batteries. Besides, it’s a small cost compared to buying new batteries.

Don’t worry if you don’t know a lot about electronics. All you need to do is to identify the negative and positive terminals. That’s it. You won’t be opening the battery and working on the materials inside it.

The steps are clear and easy, so we are confident that you can do this process of reconditioning your battery successfully.

Reconditioning Batteries Using Magnesium Sulfate

Magnesium Sulfate is also called Epsom salt. You probably have this lying around in your house. If you don’t have Epsom salt, you can buy some. It’s very affordable, and the cost is nothing compared to buying new batteries.

Epsom salt has a lot of benefits, and that includes reviving your old batteries. If you mix it in distilled water along with baking soda, you will be able to dissolve the sulfate crystal build-up on the battery’s lead plates. This will improve the performance of your battery.

If you have already prepared the things you will need for this procedure, here are the steps that you should follow.

1. First, clean your battery. You can use a brush to remove the dirt and grime.

2. Take of the cell caps of the battery. Don’t forget to wear your gloves. You don’t want to touch the acid.

3. Place the battery acid in the bucket.

4. Prepare ten ounces of baking soda and dissolve it in a gallon of distilled water.

5. Stir until everything has been dissolved.

6. Put the mixture in the battery cells. Proceed carefully and slowly.

7. Place the cell caps on and then shake the battery. This will clean your battery from the inside.

8. Take off the cell caps and then put the liquid into the bucket.

9. Prepare fifteen ounces of Epsom salt and mix it with a gallon of warm distilled water.

10. Put the solution in each of the cells.

11. Connect the charger and then slow charge your battery for twenty-four hours. Keep the cells open as the solution might overflow during charging.

12. After charging, use the multimeter so you can check the battery’s voltage. It should improve already at this point.

13. If it hasn’t improved, charge it again for another twenty-four hours. Also, check if there are overflow issues as you may have to put more solution in the cells.

It is important that you are patient during the whole process because it can take a few days. You may have to wait at least 36 hours to see the effects of this method.

What to Do Next

There you have it; now you know some Magnesium Sulfate battery reconditioning tips. You can try it so you can know how to recondition dead batteries and use them again.
Hopefully, it will turn out to be a success for you. If you have tried this method, do share your experience with us in the comments.