Rebuilding batteries may be one the most usefull skills to have when considering switching to alternative energy. When you make a windmill you must have batteries to store the power for later use. By rebuilding batteries, you can effectively reduce or eliminate the cost of storing your renewable energy. You can watch the videos on rebuilding batteries . This guide came from China Depot. It is a great guide to rebuilding batteries, so please visit Walt’s site for more information or to purchase the supplies to rebuid batteries. I grabbed this post from his site to show you that it can be done, and you don’t need to pay outrageous prices for a manual that is free to use.
                     Battery Restoration Manual 2008 Edition

 Please read this manual several times. There is a great deal to help you make money here.

ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION AND FULL ACID PROOF PROTECTION IN CASE YOU EVER HAVE A BATTERY EXPLODE IN YOUR FACE!!!
NEVER EXPOSE BATTERIES TO SPARKS OR FLAMES AND WORK IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA DUE TO TOXIC GASES CAUSED BY CHARGING.

WARNING!!! Make sure that you comply with all of the local and Federal EPA regulations pertaining to shipping, handling, and disposing of batteries.
Please read this text completely before attempting to recondition any batteries. Battery acid is dangerous and can burn you or blind you, and can ruin your clothing. You must wear approved protective safety glasses with front and side protection or a full-face shield is preferable. You must also wear protective clothing. The gas from charging batteries can explode if exposed to sparks, or flames etc. Don’t light matches etc or smoke or make sparks.
DO NOT WORK ON BATTERIES WITHOUT FULL PROTECTIVE GEAR.
When changing batteries always take the ground –negative cable off first and put it back on the new replacement battery last. This way you don’t make sparks and blow yourself up!

INTRODUCTION:
Most individuals are unaware of how car batteries actually work. The process is quite simple. Every year, millions of car batteries are removed from cars. Many of these batteries were simply run down through use (sulfation). Reconditioning is the answer for most of these batteries, further saving time and money for customers. In many instances, a good battery is removed by mistake. The customer may have another problem: faulty alternator, loose alternator belt, loose cable connections, badly corroded terminal posts, etc. These batteries may only need cleaning and perhaps a small charge. This manual is filled with the knowledge I have gained through first hand experience and hard work. The information you will be read herein is not only the complete reconditioning process itself, but pages of extremely helpful information you won’t find printed anywhere else. I want you to succeed in this highly profitable business. I have and so can you!
WE KNOW THAT MANY BATTERIES FAIL JUST FROM CONSTANT UNDERCHARGING WHICH CAUSES SULFATION. ASK ABOUT OUR “EQUALIZER CHARGER.”

BATTERY RECONDITIONING:
Battery reconditioning is a process used to remove sulfation in an attempt to return a battery to its proper voltage and correct amperage output.
Slow charging of batteries accomplishes the reconditioning process over a period of hours at certain amperages. Please remember this – there is absolutely nothing difficult involved. However, not all batteries will recondition. Most of these bad batteries can be eliminated at the very start.

SULFATION:
Sulfating happens during the normal operation of a battery. When you start your car, the acid (electrolyte) is activated between the battery plates. This creates energy. During this period, some of the acid changes from a liquid state into a crystallized state. Over a long period of time, not all the crystallized acid is removed totally. It is this buildup of crystallized acid between the battery plates, which will cause a battery to become weak, and it fails to function properly. It is this “trapped” acid that needs to be broken down and returned to a liquid state. Reconditioning accomplishes the process at hand.

BATTERY ADDITIVES:
Once you determine that a battery is reusable you must add one tablespoon of our product to each cell. This will help to dissolve the acid crystals. ONLY USE THE ADDITIVE AFTER YOU HAVE PERFORMED ALL OF THE DEAD CELL TESTS BELOW. THE ADDITIVE WILL NOT RESTORE TOTALLY DEAD CELLS EVER! One quart of our dry powder additive should be enough to do approximately ten batteries if used properly. Battery additives will help in removing sulfation and at the same time give the battery a longer life. A very important item we use to immediately detect and eliminate those batteries that have dead or shorted cells is the 12-volt test meter. There are several other pieces of equipment that we consider essential to properly recondition and test your batteries. See our free catalog.
Please note: We have continuously found that after we add our chemicals and recharge the batteries further testing of the reconditioned units shows that the specific gravity and cranking amps continues to improve. And with successive charging during usage they improve even more.
I have recently built an experimental equalizer battery charger and tested it on a 1999 battery that was not showing improvement. It had been sitting on the shelf in our shop for at least two years. Two hours of low 16 volt charging has brought this seven-year-old battery back to life. You have to be careful not to overheat the battery by too much boiling. If you wish to try one of these equalizer chargers they are hand made here in the USA and are $99.00 each plus shipping. You will still need the regular chargers too.
LONG TERM TESTING IS NOW PROVING THAT BATTERIES EVEN IN VERY POOR CONDITION, BUT NOT HAVING ANY DEAD CELLS ARE GETTING STRONGER WHILE JUST SITTING WITH OUR ADDITIVE IN THEM. HOWEVER IT IS IMPORTANT TO GIVE THEM A SLOW CHARGE EVERY OTHER WEEK. We already knew that our additive slowly improves the batteries in cars that are being driven daily. This is true because the additive continues to dissolve and prevent the formation of acid crystals.
It is a good idea to use our additives on perfectly good batteries to extend their life.
YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT:
1. Slow battery charger or series charger for large operations charging several batteries at one time.
2. 30 amp quick charger for quick twenty-minute jolts.
3. Battery load tester — very simple to use, it is color coded
4. Battery Hydrometer — very simple to learn, It is color coded
Cables and testing equipment for resale may be purchased from Us. New batteries may be purchased from your local battery wholesaler warehouse. Locally we use Deka Batteries. The profit margin is excellent and they supply you with all of the necessary catalogs.
You may want an equalizer charger for very stubborn batteries.
WARNING:
Since batteries do produce explosive gasses, caution should be taken. Never work with an open flame near a battery. When repairing a hole or crack in a battery case we use a soldering iron – no flame. A hot glue gun is the best way to seal cracks in batteries. This is explained in the manual. Wear goggles to protect your eyes and remove rings, watches, etc. Should you get any acid on you, wash off immediately with water.

THE RECONDITIONING PROCESS:
Lets assume that you know very little about batteries at this point. You have purchased 20 to 30 from a local service station. These have been bought “as is.” You don’t know what you have. You don’t know if some have dead cells, dry cells, shorted cells, are too old, possibly damaged, etc. These batteries will have to be tested. First of all, if the battery does not read at least 12 volts to begin with there is a very good chance it has a dead cell if reading 10 or less volts. If you wish to test further, do the following steps.

Step 1:
When testing batteries, first use the 12-volt test meter. Test each cell to assure conductivity, and no “dead” cells. Start by removing all battery caps or lids. Lets assume that you are beginning this first test with a top post battery. Using a 12-volt test meter, hold the one stationary prod on top of the positive post and put the other prod into the first cell. Don’t push the prod way down and into the plates. It just needs to touch the liquid. If you get a 2-volt reading, proceed to the next cell, putting one prod into the first cell and the other prod into the second cell. Always go from left to right. Start in this order: positive post – first cell, first cell – second cell, second cell – third cell, third cell – fourth cell, fourth cell – fifth cell, fifth cell – sixth cell. If you get a 2-volt reading on all cells, hold this battery aside for the next step. If any cell does not produce a 2-volt reading put it on the junk pile. It will not recondition as these particular cells are dead or on their way.

Step 2:
Next, use a low cost, 6/12 volt 10 amp fast battery charger. Hook it up to a battery that passed the 2-volt cell test. If the meter hand moves quickly up to at least 1/3 to ½ the dial capacity, proceed to step 3. If you have a battery that gives you a 2-volt reading on the first cell and nothing on the others, this usually means that you have a battery without enough charge in it for this particular test. In this case, hook it up to your 6/12-volt charger for a few minutes. Leaving hooked up, again take your 2-volt cell tester and test all cells again. If they now give you a 2-volt reading each, this battery will probably recondition. If any cells should give a reading way past the 2-volt mark, put this battery in the junk pile. An excessive reading usually indicates a shorted cell.

Step 3:
Take all batteries that have passed the prior tests add one tablespoon of the chemical to each cell and make sure that the tops of all plates in each cell are covered over with liquid. If any appear low, add some distilled water. Do not add acid! The use of hydrometer for adding water works well. NEVER USE TAP WATER IN A BATTERY. IT CAN SEVERELY SHORTEN THE LIFE OF THE BATTERY.

Step 4:
Using a 6/8 amp multiple slow charger hook up batteries in a series. Use some charging cables for this purpose. The making of charging cables is explained further down the page. To avoid confusion and any errors in hooking up a series of batteries, it is a good idea to turn each battery in the same direction. You can also charge 6-volt batteries along with 12 volt ones, just as long as the total volts hooked together don’t exceed the charger capacity rating.
· Charging cables can easily be made using scraps of good heavy gauge wire and some alligator type clamps. Electrical wire scraps can be obtained from an electrical contractor or ask the foreman at any new building site. The alligator type clamps can be bought from most auto supply parts stores. We recommend this type of charging cables over all the rest. They are fast to hook up and hard to accidentally knock loose. The pin will work OK, but they get dull eventually and excess hammering them into the battery post tops will sometimes result in cracking the plastic case around the post or even damaging some internal parts of the battery.
· To hook up side post batteries, charging posts are needed. These are cone shaped lead plugs with a threaded bolt imbedded in the lead. Screw these into the side posts. Then, simply snap on your charging cables as you would to a top post battery.

Step 5:
Turn on your charger until the hand indicator reaches between 5 and 6 amps. Watch it closely for about 10 minutes and don’t allow the hand to exceed past 6 amps. You could blow a fuse. During the next hour, check often. Most of the time the hand will slowly continue to fall back to 5 amps for a while. Adjust to maintain 5 ½ amps. Special Notice: If at this point you should observe that the indicator needle hand on your charger is nervous it usually means one of the following:

1. You forgot to add water to sufficiently cover the top of the plates in one battery. Turn off charger and correct this.
2. A shorted cell you failed to catch when testing. In this case one of the charging cable ends will get real hot. Turn off charger and remove this battery. Replace with another.
3. Check all connections. There could be a loose clamp or perhaps you forgot to tighten up a charging post.

Step 6:
After 24 hours of slow charging, reduce the amperage so that the hand now reads between 4 and 5 amps. Look into the cells of each battery. If the fluid level has fallen very low add some distilled water with your hydrometer. Charge for another 24 hours.

Step 7:
After the second 24-hour charging period, turn off your charger. Remove the charging cables and set these batteries aside to cool for another 24-hour period. Now – hook another bunch of batteries you have tested and repeat steps 3 through 7.

VOLTAGE AND AMPERAGE TESTING:
After the 24-hour cooling period, your batteries are now ready to test for proper voltage and amperage ratings. Using a voltage and amperage tester, test each battery as follows: Hook the red clamp to the positive post and the black clamp to the negative post. Look at the voltage reading. It should read 12.4 volts or right at it. A fully charged battery in good condition will read 12.4 volts. Lets say you only get a 10-volt reading. This means that one cell went bad during the charging process. Put it in the junk pile. Since a six cell, 12 volt battery should produce at least 12 volts this simply means each cell should produce 2 volts.
Lets say, a battery shows “cold crank amps – 300” and your test only produces a 275 amp reading. Don’t throw it away. It simply means that this particular battery was very heavily sulfated to start with and that the reconditioning process did not completely remove all of it. You can still sell this battery. Many customers need only a 275-amp battery. Most cars with a 4-cylinder engine require a low amp battery. Reduce your price and sell it with no guarantee–and, don’t think that you can’t sell these. Just tell the customer that you can guarantee this battery will start his car – but for how long you cannot determine. Many times you will have a customer wanting a battery just good enough to start his car since he plans on selling it right away. Also, it could improve after several days of charging and recharging on the car etc. Our golf cart customers tell us the driving distance improves with each charging; it is the conditioner working. A battery that tests a little low will improve with successive charging if you have our additive in it. The additive will help to dissolve more acid crystals that have built up on the battery plates.

HOW TO CLEAN BATTERIES:
First, look into each cell and top off with additional water if needed. Then, put the caps back on tight. Using a wood rasp, run it across the top of each post. This will remove any roughness and give a nice clean flat look. Then, using a good battery post cleaner (one with metal blades), run it down and turn around each post several times to even out each post, leaving a clean look. Don’t make the mistake of using a cheap wire battery post cleaner. Now, you are ready to wash each battery. The best and most economical cleaner, and the only one you will need are kerosene. Also, purchase a good, round wheel brush with a wooden or plastic handle and stiff 2 inch long nylon bristles. Pour a few inches of kerosene into a 1 gallon plastic bucket with a wide-open top. Dip the scrub brush into the kerosene and briskly scrub the top and sides of the battery. Next, take a garden hose and attach an adjustable nozzle. Turn on the water and slowly open the nozzle until you get a hard fast spray. Go over and around the top and sides of the battery. Tilt the battery and spray under it. The use of a square, waist high wash pit using a small wooden turn table to place a single dirty battery upon makes the wash operation easy and fast. You can make your own wash pit and turntable.

WIPE DRY PROCEDURE:
Next, your washed batteries will need to be dried off. First, get some newspapers. Lay these (several sheets thick) on a table and then set each washed battery on top of these papers. Next, get some hand wash towels. Remove the battery lids and wash them off in your wash pit. Take a couple of sheets of paper towels and wipe off the top of the battery. The fluid on the top of the battery under the lids will be greasy and you don’t want this in your dry cloth towel. Throw away this paper towel, take your dry cloth and proceed to wipe dry each battery side and around the terminal tops. Shake out the battery lids, wipe dry and re-apply to battery. The battery will look like new. Lastly, wash out all cloth towels immediately with water and hang them on a line to dry.

NUMBERING BATTERIES:
Your washed and dried batteries are now ready to number. Sets of small metal number dies are needed for this purpose. These are not expensive and can usually be purchased from any hardware store. You can start your numbering system beginning with #1 or #100 or whatever you choose. We stamp numbers on our batteries in two places. Place one on top of the positive post and the other into the top of the plastic case near the positive post and next to the edge of the battery case. Don’t hammer in hard, because you could crack the plastic. The reason for numbering each battery is so you can issue each customer an individual guarantee with his/her battery. The battery number should be written on each sales invoice and guarantee slip. Stamping the date of purchase on top of each battery is not necessary. Also, the customer should bring to you his/her sales invoice and guarantee slip so that you can immediately see when it was purchased.

LABELING PROCEDURE:
A company label with the month of purchase punched out and the year should be applied to the top of each battery. Put the labels on before the sale is made because this makes your reconditioned batteries look more professional. Place your label over any guarantee that might already be on the battery. This prevents the customer from seeing the original age of the battery and also from confusing him/her as to your guarantee.

FINAL TEST:
After labeling, again hook up your load tester and see what cold crank amps your reconditioned battery is now producing. Write this in small letters on your company label for quick reference. You have now classified this battery and are ready to place it on your “selling table.” No further testing will be necessary.

BATTERY WARRANTY:
Some people in this business suggest that you can guarantee your reconditioned batteries for a period of 12 months. This is fine for most batteries and we also endorse this policy. What some people don’t tell and explain are the exceptions. There will be times we feel your guarantee period should definitely be handled in a different way. We give only a 90-day guarantee period on batteries that are used “off the road”. This applies to tractor batteries (usually 6 volt) and marine (boat) batteries. These type batteries are mostly “seasonal” and are being sold and used usually during summer months only. They do not get constant day-to-day charging. Lawnmower batteries also fall in this category. We have had very poor luck in being able to recondition lawnmower or motorcycle batteries and no longer try it. “Off the road” type batteries are seldom used during the winter months and it is the “dead” time that does them no good. Any sulfating will tend to harden during this in-active period. So a 90-day guarantee for off the road batteries should protect you from having many returns. You will also find that a simple explanation such as: “Off the road batteries do not get charged often enough as would batteries used in cars driven daily” will be acceptable to most.

NO GUARANTEE:
You will have some batteries you reconditioned that upon testing do not produce at least a 300-amp reading. These will usually be batteries that are not very heavy, 2-year type, some foreign batteries, small size batteries and some that the sulfating was not totally removed during the reconditioning process. You will generally have an excess of very low amperage batteries on hand and the best way to sell them is to cut the price and give no guarantee period. This is further explained under the VOLTAGE & AMPERAGE TESTING section.

24-MONTH GUARANTEE:
Sometimes you will get a battery that is almost new, one that there is not a thing wrong with it, amperage is fine. Perhaps the customer had an electrical problem with his car and thought he needed a new battery. This happens often! Also, you will get some practically new used batteries that may have a crack or hole in them that you can repair. These types can be sold for $3 to $5 more and give a 24-month guarantee. If we recondition a battery that is putting out high amperage (around 500 amps) and looks very new we will sell it for around $24.95 or more, and give a 12 – month pro-rated guarantee. Through experience in this business, you will better understand the proper guarantee periods to offer customers.

PRO-RATING:
When you make a sale, explain to your customer that his guarantee period is totally pro-rated. That is a term meaning equal amount per month. If a customer paid you $24.95 for a battery and you gave him an 12-month guarantee, then it only cost him $2.08 per month to use this battery ($24.95 divided by 12=$2.08).

ADJUSTMENTS:
You will have some batteries that fail before the end of your warranty period the customer returns for an adjustment. Any battery, even a new one can go bad by developing a dead or shorted cell at any time. This is the usual case 99% of the time. Explain this fact to the customer. State that you are very sorry this may have happened and inconvenienced him, that you will check his battery right away to determine the problem. You will find that being sincere and honest will build your business fast. A pleasant attitude will create an honest impression. Customer talks and word of mouth advertising is priceless.
Once you have determined that the battery you sold the customer is defective, proceed to make an adjustment. Ask for the customer’s warranty slip you furnished to him when he originally bought the battery. A sample slip that you can copy and use is shown below. This slip will show the date of purchase and also show you the battery number. If the customer has lost his slip you can do this – Observe the battery number that you stamped on top of the positive post (top post battery only) and (or) on the case top in front of the positive post. Go through your sales invoice copies and look for his name and match it to the battery number written on the same invoice copy. At no time do you suggest a refund. The customer needs another battery and if you have been polite–as you should have, he probably will not want a refund.
Find another reconditioned battery that meets his car amperage requirement and make the adjustment as follows: Let’s assume that today is May 3, 2005 and your customer bought his battery on June 1, 2004 (Inv. No. XX – Battery No. XX). He paid you $24.95 plus tax for it and received a 12-month guarantee. Your customer has used this battery for 11 months and 2 days. (Forget the odd days; always give a fair adjustment. Your customer will remember this.) Since you originally issued an 12-month guarantee, then you owe him a 1-month credit for unused time (12 month guarantee less 11 months used = 1 month credit). Write up this adjustment as shown. Your customer clearly sees exactly what has happened and understands how he received the adjustment. Collect his $22.88 and give him a new guarantee slip dated May 3, 2005. He is ready to start over again with another reconditioned battery and another 12-month guarantee.
If one of our reconditioned batteries truly fails within 30 days of use, we replace it free of charge. However, remember to leave the date alone on his guarantee slip – just mark through and write in the new battery number. You should never change the date. The customer has had use of the first battery for one month at no charge. The customer should not ask for a date change because he has lost nothing but a little time and convenience. Important – If customer returns within another few days or a couple of weeks and tells you that this battery also failed, give him a refund. More than likely this customer has an electrical problem or dragged starter that has ruined the battery and how won’t admit it. Beware – some people will batter you to death before they will spend time and money to have other problems corrected. Don’t ever argue with any customer. His “word of mouth” can hurt you. If he is in the wrong, his friend will usually know it and what he might say will not hurt your business. Sometimes the customer will tell you that they believe they do have an electrical problem. In this case go ahead and sell them a battery but do not give him a guarantee. If they will take it this way, fine. However, you can tell them that if they will have their problem corrected within two days, return and show you proof showing replaced starter or a found short in the electrical system or some other problem which is now corrected that you will then give them a guarantee slip. You absolutely don’t want to appear hard to get along with, but stand up for your rights when you are right. Battery reconditioning is not real easy work and you are not in this business just for the exercise.

HOW TO PURCHASE USED BATTERIES:
At the present time, in this area, the price being paid for used batteries ranges from $.50 to $4.00 each. This price level will vary depending on the lead market. There are four main ways to purchase used batteries:
(1) Buy them from the public using daily advertising purchase price.
(2) Buy them from stores, service stations, etc., that sell batteries, using one of the following methods:
(A) Buy them all at a certain price per battery.
(B) Just pick out the ones that you feel stand at a high chance of being reconditioned and leave the rest. Also, pay a little more for these selected ones.
(C) Exchange deal. Leave a battery that you know is no good in exchange for each one you select and pay an agreed amount per battery.

HOW TO REPAIR HOLES AND CRACKS IN BATTERIES:
REMEMBER TO ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR EYES AND FACE!
Always wear protective gear.
PROPER CLOTHING:
When working with batteries it is practically impossible to keep some drops of acid from getting on your clothing. Acid will eat holes in most clothes in short order. The best, and most comfortable working clothes we use are jump suits. Acid will not eat through synthetic materials. Polyester/Cotton clothing is ideal for this purpose. Jump suits can be purchased rather inexpensively from large discount stores. Shop uniforms are attractive.

Many of these repairs can be made with a hot glue gun. If not, use the following methods.
Minor holes and cracks can be easily repaired using a #2 soldering iron. This is the heavy-duty type (1 1/4 lbs.) 15-inch variety obtained from most any plumbing supply house. You will also need a 20 lb. Propane gas tank fitted with a top burner. Or, you can use a torch to heat the iron. It must be almost red hot when properly ready to use.
I avoid using a torch around batteries, just as a safety factor. Use of any flame is very dangerous.
Cut up some old battery cases into small pieces. These plastic scraps are what you will be using as a sealer. Since battery cases come in a variety of colors, always use the same color plastic when repairing holes or cracks. Also, there are different kinds of plastic cases. Match the same type for each repair job. If you don’t, you will find some plastics not melting or blending in with another different type or consistency.
Before repairing a hole or crack, first clean the damaged area. The tilt the battery until the inside fluid has moved away from the hole or crack you want to work on. A few scrap wooden blocks are useful to prop up the battery so you can have both hands free.
To repair a crack:
Take the hot soldering iron. Using the pointed end, lightly touch the beginning of the crack until it begins to melt. Slowly follow the cracked seam to the other end of the crack. Then quickly take some matching type plastic scraps and lay them over them over the entire length of the crack. Hold the flat surface side of your soldering iron over these scraps until they melt, filling the seam. Practice will teach you about how long to apply the iron. Allow the repaired surface are to thoroughly cool. Return the battery to a position whereby the acid is now, back in contact with the repaired area. Put a piece of paper under this battery. After about an hour pick up the battery and examine the paper for any tell tale signs of a wet spot.
To repair a hole:
Cut a small plastic scrap just a little larger than the hole. Lay this scrap over the hole. Take the pointed end of your hot soldering iron and apply it around all sides of the scrap until the edges have melted into the surrounding plastics. Test for any leakage as described above. As you work with the soldering iron you will learn how to smooth out any rough edges to make the repair area look more neat and professional. You will find many batteries that only need a minor plastic repair job to put them back in service.
Should a customer bring you a battery that is a candidate for the above treatment, repair it and charge him your hourly rate plus materials.

WHEN YOU ARE OUT OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF BATTERY:
After a customer has been lured to your business, the very worst that can happen is for him to leave without making a purchase. He has come because he likes your price and guarantee. The time will come when you don’t have a particular type battery that the customer needs. I have found it best to do the following. If you will have that group size he needs, ready in a couple of days, ask if he can wait. Tell him you will save it for him. Get his name and phone number and a deposit and tell him you will call him when the battery is ready. Just the fact that you save him a battery right away makes him feel important.

DIFFERENT TYPE BATTERY LIDS:
Most lids are removed, some are constructed so as to appear that they can’t be removed and some cannot be removed without usually cracking them in trying. Raised type lids are removed with a screwdriver and with little effort. Batteries with strip lids can also be removed with a screwdriver. Some of this type will be labeled “maintenance free”. And, some even have plugs under the lids but they will come out with a little screwdriver effort. Some have caps that are slotted. These are removed, again with a screwdriver. Batteries in some of the newer automobiles have rectangular shaped lids that are not removable. But, don’t fret – there is a way to get in. Also, one thing to remember is that batteries are not “airtight”. If so, they could blow up. There are little breather slots in the lids or at the corner of the battery to let out normally produced gasses from time to time.
Remember too – “maintenance free” batteries had better maintained if at all possible. By this we mean, when the fluid level drops below the battery plate tops, trouble is on the way. And, add water to this battery.

HOW DO YOU CHECK A SEALED TOP BATTERY?
Note:
You can purchase our special plugs and use a stop drill to avoid damaging the battery plates when you drill the holes into the top of each cell, or, you can do the following. Personally we prefer the plugs because it makes it much easier to check the water levels in the batteries.
The first step is to purchase a small metal punch with a sharp tapered end. Then, peel off the labels on the top of the battery lids. Inserting a knife blade under one corner of the label can do this. As soon as you have curled up enough of the label to grasp with your thumb and adjacent finger, just simply peel the label off. Underneath, you will then see the circular outline of a hole in the plastic directly above each cell. Using a hammer, drive your punch right through the middle of each circular outline. Don’t go too deep or you could hit and damage the plates. Just make the hole wide enough so that you can insert the prod on your 2-volt tester. Test each cell, as you would do to any top post battery. Some sealed lids have a circular (green eyed plug) in them. This is easily be removed by driving a flat head screwdriver into and below the top and prying out this plug. It can later be hammered back in. Some advise you to drill out holes in the tops and later use excess battery caps to plug them shut. We have found this to be time consuming and you never seem to get these caps to stay on tight or in a neat straight row. We have a solution for this. After you have punched the holes and the battery tests OK, with the 2-volt tester, proceed to recondition. If you need to add water to any cells, use your hydrometer for this purpose. The tip end will go over the holes enough for you to “squeeze in” the water. If this battery reconditions, clean it and wipe it dry. Be careful when scrubbing the top, not to use too much kerosene.
Now to seal back the tops –
First, you can plug the large hole by taking this same plug and just hammering it back in. As for then sealing the other holes, we use a self-adhesive film. Put a piece of this film across each battery top and trim off the excess. We use a single edge razor blade and ruler edge for making a straight cut. Press the film down firmly all the way to the edge of the lids. The small holes will show through the film, but so what. You can then place your label over one of these lids if you prefer and leave the other lid as is. You can tell them if you want, that the holes were necessary in order to properly chemically treat the battery as part of your reconditioning process. You then create a mysterious era about your work without revealing what you are actually doing.

BATTERY DISPLAY:
After you have reconditioned, cleaned, numbered, labeled and determined the cold crank amperage of each battery, they are now ready to display. We move ours to the front room of our building and arrange them neatly by group size on a long table. From left to right, we begin with group 24 batteries, and then group 74. Next is group 22, 72, 27, 77 and then Volkswagen batteries (group 42), followed by any odd sizes and finally any 6-volt batteries we have reconditioned. This arrangement makes a neat and orderly display.

CUSTOMER WANTING YOU TO RECONDITION HIS BATTERY:
As you know by now, not all batteries can be reconditioned. First, customer’s battery will have to be checked as to age and condition. You can immediately rule out his battery if your 2-volt cell tester shows a dead cell. If his battery passes all of the other tests do try and recondition it, but inform your customer that even after you have reconditioned his battery it may not produce the correct amperage output. I always charge a customer the same price if his battery does recondition properly as I would for one of my reconditioned batteries. There would be no charge for a battery that you can’t recondition. This customer will more than likely buy one of your batteries anyway if his doesn’t recondition. And, he will appreciate your efforts in trying to save his battery because it has cost him nothing. Always show the customer why his battery failed, using a model SB-5 tester or equivalent.

HOW TO DISPOSE OF YOUR BAD BATTERIES:
These are batteries that have failed the reconditioning process, damaged or old, and some batteries you took in on exchange. In other words, batteries that are of no use to you. Usually, most junkyards or metal recycling plants buy used batteries every day. If you accumulate around 300 to 400 batteries you can usually sell them direct to the company that buys from the junkyards. This price difference can run from $ .25 to $ .50 more per battery. However, if you don’t have storage space or need a faster turnover, the junkyards are your best bet. ALWAYS FOLLOW EPA GUIDELINES WHEN HANDLING OR DISPOSING OF BATTERIES. YOU CAN CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL MAJOR BATTERY WAREHOUSE WHOLESALE SUPPLIER. WHILE YOU ARE AT IT GET A WHOLESALE PRICE LIST FROM HIM SO YOU CAN BUY NEW BATTERIES FROM HIM AND SELL THEM TO YOU CLIENTS. Locally, we use DEKA Battery. They are on the Internet and very nice people to do business with.

HOW TO MAKE BATTERY ACID, INEXPENSIVELY:
You must first, take a plastic 5 gallon bucket, and pour the liquid from several batteries that you can determine would not recondition. Fill the bucket about ¾ full. This acid will be weak in specific gravity and have water in it plus impurities. Purchase a gallon of 66 degrees sulfuric acid from most chemical companies. The cost will usually run $6-$8. Slowly pour in about a quart. Stir with a wooden stick. The 5-gallon bucket will get very warm. This is o.k. Remember to handle this concentrated acid very carefully. If you should splash your skin, wash off immediately with water. Allow this mixture in the 5-gallon bucket to settle for a day. The dark impurities will sink to the bottom. Proper strength acid for adding to batteries should have a specific gravity reading of at least 1250. Using a hydrometer, take a reading of you 5-gallon bucket mixture. If it is still too low in specific gravity add a little more of the 66 degree concentrate. What you have done here is take free acid from your unusable batteries and brought it up to proper strength. Your actual cost for a gallon of acid is very low. You can sell it for $4 to $6 per gallon, easily.

HOW TO CONVERT AMP HOURS TO COLD CRANK AMPS:
Many batteries are still being marketed with amp hour ratings. An approximate cold crank amperage rating can be figured by multiplying the amp hours by 5 and ¼ times. Example: 59 amp hours x 5 ¼ = 309.75 cold crank amps at 0 degrees F or –17.8 degrees C. Also, a close relationship can be obtained by relating a car engine’s cubic inches to cold crank amps.

WAYS TO NOTICE AND ELIMINATE BATTERIES THAT WILL NOT RECONDITION:
First of all, understand that it is good used batteries that you want. Batteries that are over three years old will usually not completely recondition. An easy test is to remove the caps and look into each cell. If the fluid is dark and so murky that you cannot see the tops of the plates, this type will not recondition. After you have seen hundreds of batteries you can usually tell which ones to immediately avoid. This is why a 2 volt cell tester will pay for itself hundreds of times over as it will show you immediately if a battery has a dead cell. Remember – you are reconditioning batteries, not rebuilding them. Put batteries with dead cells in your junk pile, as they cannot be reconditioned. You can make more money per man-hour reconditioning batteries than you could ever make in trying to rebuild them. Forget batteries that are labeled “2 year” batteries. They usually have not had time to go bad due to sulfating. Also, this type battery is not made up of heavy or numerous plates and when they fail, it is more than often a dead cell situation. Even if you did successfully recondition a 2-year battery, the remaining normal life left is very short. Batteries that are labeled as having a low amperage output are not worth trying to recondition. The demand for this type is not sufficient to cover your expenses. Also, these types are much lighter in weight due to thin and very few plates.

LAWNMOWER AND MOTORCYCLE BATTERIES:
As a rule, these types are not very durable and not worth the effort to try and recondition. However, if you get some lawnmower batteries that are around less than a year old, give them a try if they pass the usual preliminary tests. And, charge them at a slower rate then cut off and check.
Batteries that have just one or more cells not showing fluid over the tops of the plates should be avoided, with one exception – those that have just recently acquired a crack or hole in the case causing the acid to leak out. These can usually be repaired. How to do this is explained in this manual. Absence of fluid in any cell for any length of time is damaging to the plates. Also, avoid side post batteries that have had the posts stripped out. These can seldom be repaired since the seal is usually damaged inside the battery behind the lead slug. These will always leak and not be satisfactory. You can usually see fluid leaking at the bottom of the post. If you cannot find a hole or crack in the case on any battery showing little or no fluid in any of the cells, forget these for reconditioning. In this instance a dry cell or extremely low fluid showing in any cell usually means that particular cell has had its plates overheated and boiled dry. A short can cause this. A voltage regulator set too high can also cause it.

MATCHING AMPERAGE TO VEHICLE REQUIREMENT
The Battery Council International publishes a Battery Replacement Data Book listing all vehicle battery requirements and in terms of the necessary cold cranks amperage. By using the BCI book there will be no guesswork. The very worst thing you can do is selling a battery that doesn’t have the proper amperage. Just having a BCI book also makes your business look more professional and convinces the customer that he has been served correctly.

ABOUT BATTERY INSTALLATION:
I usually try to avoid this and suggest that you display a sign inside your shop above your batteries reading: ALL SALES CASH & CARRY. INSTALLATION SERVICE $10.00 EXTRA. It usually does not take more than 10 minutes to change one and the extra cash is nice. If you are busy or have no helper at the time, and would have to cause another customer to wait, you may never want to start this. It is up to you. Just having the above worded sign on display lets the customer know that he cannot expect you to install a battery free of charge. Very few battery shops install batteries free. If they do, you can bet that they charged enough for the battery they sold to cover the labor to install it. Remember – you are operating a discount type store anyway. Most of your customers have come to you because of the attractive prices and the nice guarantee. They should not even expect you to provide free installation. However, there will be exceptions – such as: a physically handicapped person or a lady customer. In either case, it is better to install the battery at no charge than possibly lose the sale.