200
« on: December 12, 2006, 05:21:08 PM »
Well, here's some anecdotal evidence from my own experience:
I have a '92 Dodge pickup with the Cummins diesel. The radio had been iffy ever since I bought the truck in 2001. About a year ago, the radio quit working altogether. Oh well, I figured, I didn't like that stock radio anyway, maybe it's time to upgrade. At the same time, I noticed that the battery voltage was dropping quite a bit when the glow plugs kicked in. I also noted that the even after the engine was running the battery voltage was cycling periodically until the engine warmed up. The battery voltage would drop low enough that the headlights would dim to a feeble, yellow glow. (I wish I had some real voltage readings to report here, but the voltmeter on the dash is difficult to read accurately.) Extended charging with a conventional trickle charger didn't help. At this point the battery was at least 5 years old and I figured it was about time to replace it.
In the mean time, I had picked up a battery maintainer to use on my motorcycle and garden tractor batteries. The main feature I was interested in when I bought this device was it's ability to maintain the charge on a small battery without overcharging it, but the particular device I purchased offered, in the words of its manufacturer, "patented high-frequency pulse technology" which the makers allege "automatically dissolves harmful power-robbing sulphation" and was "guaranteed to increase your battery's life and performance".
Figuring I had nothing to lose, I tried the battery maintainer on the truck battery. After using it for about a week, I noticed that the radio began working again. I also noticed that the battery voltage it not dropping down low as it was before. Also, at this point the improved battery performance has been maintained even during periods when I don't have the device connected.
So, does this prove that "de-sulphating" works? Probably not. It may just prove that I now have a more effective trickle charger than I had before or maybe the battery just decided to "come around". On the other hand, I'm happy that I didn't have to puy a new battery for the truck (yet, at least). But mainly I'm happy to have a charger that I can leave on small batteries for extended periods with worrying about damaging them. (I have boiled several motorcycle batteries dry using chargers supposedly made specifically for that type of battery.)
Having an easy way to safely maintain the charge levels on these batteries is probably more valuable than any benefits the "de-sulphating" feature has to offer.
Best regards,
Andy Hall