11.7

[Hoofy]

That's the number of volts my car's battery drops to quickly after charging it.

Have ordered a battery conditioner and guessing I'm correct that the battery isn't healthy!

Thoughts?

[fatjon]

It’s knackered.

12.6 or maybe a bit more is healthy.

[MrBen986]

Hoofy said:

Thoughts?

Buy a new battery!

[Shabaza]

Thoughts on what?
Batteries degrade and need changing.
if its degraded, get a new one?

its only worth checking for alternative solution if it is a newish battery and you suspect a drain or alternator problem

[julian64]

Before throwing your battery on a dump, it may be worth checking the fluid level and topping up with deionised if low

[Hoofy]

Thanks. Don't think I can recondition it? I was told it needed desulfating (AA man told me).

New alternator 3 months ago.

I'll probably get a new battery since everyone has said that. What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for? Solar project?

[Hoofy]

Didn't realise there's a home mechanics section. I'm honoured that you think I know enough to start using this section of PH.

[E-bmw]

As others have said, 100% goosed, time to replace it.

[TwinKam]

Hoofy said:

Thanks. Don't think I can recondition it? I was told it needed desulfating (AA man told me).

New alternator 3 months ago.

I'll probably get a new battery since everyone has said that. What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for?

A doorstop?

Hoofy said:

Solar project?

'Solar projects' need healthy batteries also!

[Hoofy]

TwinKam said:

Hoofy said:

Thanks. Don't think I can recondition it? I was told it needed desulfating (AA man told me).

New alternator 3 months ago.

I'll probably get a new battery since everyone has said that. What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for?

A doorstop?

Hoofy said:

Solar project?

'Solar projects' need healthy batteries also!

Oh. It still holds a charge.

I mean at 11.7v it can switch on the lights and make the starter motor click.

[magpie215]

Sounds like a cell has gone down....

Replace

[julian64]

Blimey what a throwaway bunch

11.7 doesn't mean dead. It means not all the plates are functional in the battery.

That is either because they have sulphated, or that they are uncovered, From my experience if its not a sealed for life battery and you take the caps off there is about a 20% chance you will seen low levels of acid and uncovered plate.

If the plates are covered throw it away as said above
if the plates are uncovered fill with deionised and charge it up. I have done this on numerous batteries over the years some of which are still perfectly happy in their respective cars today

I could actually make an argument in your case that if you've recently had a faulty alternator that you could have a perfectly serviceable battery there that just needs a bit of diagnosis.

If you don't want to bother even looking then you obviously have more money to burn than me, and I have no idea why you even posted on here.

[Hoofy]

julian64 said:

Blimey what a throwaway bunch

11.7 doesn't mean dead. It means not all the plates are functional in the battery.

That is either because they have sulphated, or that they are uncovered, From my experience if its not a sealed for life battery and you take the caps off there is about a 20% chance you will seen low levels of acid and uncovered plate.

If the plates are covered throw it away as said above
if the plates are uncovered fill with deionised and charge it up. I have done this on numerous batteries over the years some of which are still perfectly happy in their respective cars today

I could actually make an argument in your case that if you've recently had a faulty alternator that you could have a perfectly serviceable battery there that just needs a bit of diagnosis.

If you don't want to bother even looking then you obviously have more money to burn than me, and I have no idea why you even posted on here.

Thanks for your more positive post.

Well, I am certainly interested in recovering this battery even if to use for a solar project and not in my car. It's due for its annual service this week so I only have a day or so to make up my mind whether I pay for a new battery. I suspect on Friday I will be sitting with a spare 11.7v battery staring up at me in the hallway.

I'm due to taking delivery of a CTEK CS Free which should desulfate the battery. Sadly, this doesn't arrive until after I've had the car serviced (unless Halfords speed up their delivery and I can get it tomorrow... doubtful).

I was thinking of buying a solar charge controller. I picked this panel up last week: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintena...

So I could keep the 11.7v car battery maintained (assuming I can't fix it) and use it to power lighting or something.

Thoughts? (Your thoughts can include "Hoofy, you don't know what you're talking about, you moron." )

[julian64]

Hoofy said:

julian64 said:

Blimey what a throwaway bunch

11.7 doesn't mean dead. It means not all the plates are functional in the battery.

That is either because they have sulphated, or that they are uncovered, From my experience if its not a sealed for life battery and you take the caps off there is about a 20% chance you will seen low levels of acid and uncovered plate.

If the plates are covered throw it away as said above
if the plates are uncovered fill with deionised and charge it up. I have done this on numerous batteries over the years some of which are still perfectly happy in their respective cars today

I could actually make an argument in your case that if you've recently had a faulty alternator that you could have a perfectly serviceable battery there that just needs a bit of diagnosis.

If you don't want to bother even looking then you obviously have more money to burn than me, and I have no idea why you even posted on here.

Thanks for your more positive post.

Well, I am certainly interested in recovering this battery even if to use for a solar project and not in my car. It's due for its annual service this week so I only have a day or so to make up my mind whether I pay for a new battery. I suspect on Friday I will be sitting with a spare 11.7v battery staring up at me in the hallway.

I'm due to taking delivery of a CTEK CS Free which should desulfate the battery. Sadly, this doesn't arrive until after I've had the car serviced (unless Halfords speed up their delivery and I can get it tomorrow... doubtful).

I was thinking of buying a solar charge controller. I picked this panel up last week: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintena...

So I could keep the 11.7v car battery maintained (assuming I can't fix it) and use it to power lighting or something.

Thoughts? (Your thoughts can include "Hoofy, you don't know what you're talking about, you moron." )

okay well if you want me to be negative .. Desulphaters don't work. The chemical reaction of the iron sulphate is so strong very little will shift it. Desulphaters or the pulsating charge or high frequency that you see advertised never seem to work for me, although I occasionally buy one because someone says this works a treat only to ever be disappointed.

They had the right idea in the last war. lead acid batteries had removable plates which you took out, scrapped all the surface sulphate coating off and then put fresh sulphuric in. The battery would be rejuvenated to brand new. The problem is that after many times of doing this eventually you'd run out of plate and have to replace them. But the battery would effectively last forever.

There are some problem with that approach nowadays as you might imagine. But the advice on checking the acid level still stands as your best bet.

[CraigyMc]

Hoofy said:

What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for?

It'll hold down one corner of a gazebo pretty well I'd have thought.

[Hoofy]

julian64 said:

Hoofy said:

julian64 said:

Blimey what a throwaway bunch

11.7 doesn't mean dead. It means not all the plates are functional in the battery.

That is either because they have sulphated, or that they are uncovered, From my experience if its not a sealed for life battery and you take the caps off there is about a 20% chance you will seen low levels of acid and uncovered plate.

If the plates are covered throw it away as said above
if the plates are uncovered fill with deionised and charge it up. I have done this on numerous batteries over the years some of which are still perfectly happy in their respective cars today

I could actually make an argument in your case that if you've recently had a faulty alternator that you could have a perfectly serviceable battery there that just needs a bit of diagnosis.

If you don't want to bother even looking then you obviously have more money to burn than me, and I have no idea why you even posted on here.

Thanks for your more positive post.

Well, I am certainly interested in recovering this battery even if to use for a solar project and not in my car. It's due for its annual service this week so I only have a day or so to make up my mind whether I pay for a new battery. I suspect on Friday I will be sitting with a spare 11.7v battery staring up at me in the hallway.

I'm due to taking delivery of a CTEK CS Free which should desulfate the battery. Sadly, this doesn't arrive until after I've had the car serviced (unless Halfords speed up their delivery and I can get it tomorrow... doubtful).

I was thinking of buying a solar charge controller. I picked this panel up last week: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintena...

So I could keep the 11.7v car battery maintained (assuming I can't fix it) and use it to power lighting or something.

Thoughts? (Your thoughts can include "Hoofy, you don't know what you're talking about, you moron." )

okay well if you want me to be negative .. Desulphaters don't work. The chemical reaction of the iron sulphate is so strong very little will shift it. Desulphaters or the pulsating charge or high frequency that you see advertised never seem to work for me, although I occasionally buy one because someone says this works a treat only to ever be disappointed.

They had the right idea in the last war. lead acid batteries had removable plates which you took out, scrapped all the surface sulphate coating off and then put fresh sulphuric in. The battery would be rejuvenated to brand new. The problem is that after many times of doing this eventually you'd run out of plate and have to replace them. But the battery would effectively last forever.

There are some problem with that approach nowadays as you might imagine. But the advice on checking the acid level still stands as your best bet.

Right, Trigger's 12v battery?

[Hoofy]

CraigyMc said:

Hoofy said:

What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for?

It'll hold down one corner of a gazebo pretty well I'd have thought.

Watch out for my moronic new post, "What gazebo?" later this evening.

[CraigyMc]

Hoofy said:

CraigyMc said:

Hoofy said:

What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for?

It'll hold down one corner of a gazebo pretty well I'd have thought.

Watch out for my moronic new post, "What gazebo?" later this evening.

Rock Awnings do ones you can do pullups on the frame of. I'm not affiliated, I just have one and it's a solid bit of kit.

If you want an actual use for your enbuggernated battery, a 12V inverter (up to 180w output at 240v) could probably run a laptop and/or monitor/phone charger for a bit in a powercut.

I've used a varta E43-shaped battery with this and it ran:

• a laptop with a 40w power supply
• some low power USB LED ribbon lights
• a phone charger

for >30h during a karting event, but that was with a healthy, full-at-the-start battery.

The inverter I used is https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08CVC6QTY/ref... but many others (probably better engineered/better in some way) are available, and they'll kill the battery after not many cycles (for lots of cycles you want a deep cycle battery which is prohibitively expensive).

I'd imagine someone will be along with some sort of concern about doing this though, that's the nature of PH.

For the record, I also have a couple of suitcase gennies for redundancy at most karting events. It's just nice to have the core stuff running on silent power that is inside.

[Hoofy]

CraigyMc said:

Hoofy said:

CraigyMc said:

Hoofy said:

What can I use the 11.7 volt battery for?

It'll hold down one corner of a gazebo pretty well I'd have thought.

Watch out for my moronic new post, "What gazebo?" later this evening.

Rock Awnings do ones you can do pullups on the frame of. I'm not affiliated, I just have one and it's a solid bit of kit.

If you want an actual use for your enbuggernated battery, a 12V inverter (up to 180w output at 240v) could probably run a laptop and/or monitor/phone charger for a bit in a powercut.

I've used a varta E43-shaped battery with this and it ran:

• a laptop with a 40w power supply
• some low power USB LED ribbon lights
• a phone charger

for >30h during a karting event, but that was with a healthy, full-at-the-start battery.

The inverter I used is https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08CVC6QTY/ref... but many others (probably better engineered/better in some way) are available, and they'll kill the battery after not many cycles (for lots of cycles you want a deep cycle battery which is prohibitively expensive).

I'd imagine someone will be along with some sort of concern about doing this though, that's the nature of PH.

For the record, I also have a couple of suitcase gennies for redundancy at most karting events. It's just nice to have the core stuff running on silent power that is inside.

That Rock Awnings sounds impressive! I've only ever used those cheap Argos folding things.

Running a laptop etc sounds cool. But even just charging a phone off the battery once it's been topped up by solar would certainly be handy.

[Hoofy]

Update: the CTEK is available for pickup (2 days early!) so I will give it a shot later. Maybe it will fix the battery. Maybe I will hear a loud bang and be in the market for a new car.