Motomaster Eliminator Power-Box 800

[Simon Girouard]

Hello There !

I have an Eliminator Power-Box 800 that worked fine the first season we purchased it. The following year we tried to recharge it but it didn't work. It's been in storage for 2 years and, recently, I took it out to see if I can do something with it.

No matter how long I plug it in to charge, the display on the unit does not show any information. I opened it and removed the battery from the circuit and it tested around 2 volts with no load.

I can buy a new battery for about $70(can) but, before I spend the money, I would like to know if there is a way to test the battery properly to be sure it is the problem.


Thanks !

 

[Harald Kapp]

2 V sounds like deep discharge - never keep a lead acid battery in storage without regularly recharging it or the new battery will die equally fast.
Before you buy a new battery, you may try to recondition the old one. Your favorite search engine will turn up some hits on this.

 

[shrtrnd]

What kind of battery is it? (Composition; like NiCad, nickel cadmium, NiMH, nickel metal hydride, or something else?)
It might be the recharger circuit for the battery (is it internal to the unit, or are you using an outside recharger that may not be the correct one for the battery composition type you're using)
Specific battery types need specific chargers and charge times. It SOUNDS like the battery, but after long disuse, some battery types can be cycled several times to regain most of their charge capacity
What have you got?

 

[shrtrnd]

Duh, silly me.
Harald probably knows (and I didn't) that you're using a lead-acid battery.
Leaving a lead acid battery in disuse for 3 years is a killer.
They sell sulfuric acid replacement kits near me (and maybe you, auto parts store) to replace the electrolyte to try to bring the battery back to life.
If the lead plates aren't too covered with (I think they call it) sulfation, it might be feasible to salvage the core you have.

 

[Harald Kapp]

Harald probably knows (and I didn't) that you're using a lead-acid battery.

I didn't know, the Canadian Tyre website told me

The battery is a sealed type. It shouldn't have lost acid and if so, can you repalce it on this type of battery?

 

[shrtrnd]

Hmmm. I don't know Harald. Years ago I bought a 'sealed' lead-acid battery for my car, but it wasn't really sealed, as the 'add water' tops were still there and I could remove them.
I don't know what they're turning-out lately.
If Simon doesn't see a way to replace the electrolyte in his, it sure sounds like he's going to have to buy a new battery.
Simon, whatever happens, Harald is right, you need to recharge that battery once in while whether you're using it or not.
Otherwise if you put it back into storage and forget about it, you'll need another new battery again next time.
Good luck with this.

 

[Simon Girouard]

I just checked the info on the battery and it is a Sealed Lead Acid. Voltage is 12V and capacity 28Ah

Model FM12280. It looks like an alarm system battery but bigger.

As per Harald's suggestion, I looked up a few links on how to revive a Lead Acid Battery. I will try to open it, refill with water and see if I can charge it again.

I'll be back with a status ...


Thanks !

 

[GPG]

Try charging it with a 'dumb' charger. Some chargers will not switch on at all if the battery is very flat.

 

[shrtrnd]

I don't know if you know,...
You can ADD water to top-off a lead-acid battery, but as Harald said, a sealed battery should not have lost any water.
What I was talking about was fully replacing the 'water', which is not just water, it's a sulfuric acid/water mixture made for lead-acid batteries.
At the least, your sulfuric acid mixture in the battery is useless now. At the worst electrolysis has caused sulfation of the plates that compose the cells within the battery.
If the plates have bad sulfation, adding new electrolyte will not help it.
Be careful with what you're 'do-it-yourselfing' doing. Those batteries are high amperage and can explode.
If the battery case actually is 'sealed', don't mess with it, just replace it (the core charge on the old battery can be exchanged on a new battery, to save you a few bucks).
If you're messing with this, use good rubber gloves and a face/eye shield in case of acid splash or detonation.

 

[Simon Girouard]

So, this is where I'm at with this thing :

I disconnected the battery from it's Eliminator circuit . Then, I connected a regular car battery charger to it and left it to charge.

After 6 hours, the no-load voltage was 6.5 volts and going down slowly. Putting a charge (small light bulb), the voltage would drop much faster. I had to go away for a day and did not want to leave the battery on tension, so I disconnected everything.

Now, 2 days later, the no-load voltage is down to about 2 volts.

According to what you guys mentioned in this thread and what I read on the internet, I can conclude that this battery is dead. I decided I will not attempt to open the battery and mess with the water and/or chemicals.

So, I think I will risk to buy a new battery.

Thanks to all of you !

 

[shrtrnd]

... Don't leave it in storage for 3 years this time. Pull it out and charge it up once in a while even if you're not using it.

 

[Harald Kapp]

I can conclude that this battery is dead.

Definitely

I decided I will not attempt to open the battery and mess with the water and/or chemicals.

A good decision.

 

[Simon Girouard]

Conclusion :

I purchased a new battery and put it in the Eliminator unit. All is now working.

Even though there is some charge in the new battery, I will leave the unit to charge for a day or so. The Eliminator comes with a small AC adapter 13.5V 1A. I guess it would take close to 24 hours to charge it if were fairly depleted.

From now on, every 3 to 4 months, I will definitely put it to work and recharge it to keep it fresh.


Thank you all for the help, very appreciated.