What causes a lead acid battery to fail?

If you are not familiar with lead acid batteries, see our article What is a lead acid battery. Ironically one of the most common reasons for battery failure is not an actual failure of the battery itself, it is people thinking the battery is dead.

Can a lead acid battery be reconditioned?

Try to avoid running the battery down to zero. Sometimes, lead acid batteries can suffer from irreparable damage that cannot be fixed through reconditioning. One common cause of irreparable damage is sulfation, which occurs when lead sulfate crystals build up on the battery plates over time.

How do you recondition a lead acid battery?

To recondition a lead acid battery, you need to remove the lead sulfate buildup from the plates and restore the electrolyte solution. This process involves cleaning the plates, adding distilled water and sulfuric acid to the electrolyte, and charging the battery to its full capacity.

What happens if a lead acid battery doesn't start a car?

Just because a lead acid battery can no longer power a specific device, does not mean that there is no energy left in the battery. A car battery that won’t start the engine, still has the potential to provide plenty of fireworks should you short the terminals.

Do lead acid batteries degrade over time?

All rechargeable batteries degrade over time. Lead acid and sealed lead acid batteries are no exception. The question is, what exactly happens that causes lead acid batteries to die? This article assumes you have an understanding of the internal structure and make up of lead acid batteries.

What happens when a lead acid battery is recharged?

At the same time the more watery electrolyte at the top half accelerates plate corrosion with similar consequences. When a lead acid battery discharges, the sulfates in the electrolyte attach themselves to the plates. During recharge, the sulfates move back into the acid, but not completely.