Around the world, millions of batteries are disposed of when they are no longer serviceable. This includes batteries used in cars, golf carts, motorcycles, heavy equipment and many other battery types used for many other purposes.
There is a reason for most batteries becoming unusable; it is from a process called sulphation. This is actually a buildup of deposits on the lead plates inside the battery. As the buildup continues the battery begins to lose its capacity to take and hold a charge till it reaches the point it is considered dead.
What happens when you recondition a battery is you are removing the deposits on the lead plates. One way of doing this is to add an additive to the battery which in turn helps remove the deposits.
You may ask why recondition the battery when you can hook up a battery recharger. The recharger only charges the battery to the capacity the battery will allow under its current state.
Charging the battery does not remove the deposits from the sulphation process. After reconditioning the battery you can recharge back to its full capacity again.
There are a few ways a battery can be reconditioned and some people do this with the tools they already have at home. There are other tools that can be purchased to make the process even more streamlined. Many have made it a profession and made a successful business of reconditioning batteries.
Some specialized tools are recharger like devices that are design for reconditioning batteries. Another technique is to pre-condition a battery in a refrigerator before reconditioning with a tool like this. It may help ease the breaking up of the deposits.
You can even recondition NickleCadmium batteries such as used in household devices. A common method is to cycle them by fully charging then fully discharging completely three times. This can bring them back up to their full capacity in many cases.
Remember to check your car battery occasionally to make sure it is in good condition. Also car batteries need care when handling, be very careful with all aspects of handling them for your safety. When working on them be sure to wear protective gear.
If you can recycle batteries by reconditioning them you would be saving yourself money by keeping your batteries in use much longer. You will also be helping the environment by reducing the amount of waste in the form of batteries from going to the landfills.
