So I finally got around to removing the two 12v chassis batteries out of the battery bay and took them home to see how the Epsom Salts treatment might improve their performance. This whole thing came about because I was having several issues that I didn't know were battery voltage/current related. After many discussions on several RV Owners Forums online about intermittent A/C shutdowns and slideout malfunctions, I figured I should do a little maintenance on all the battery banks, chassis and house. I had been seeing several advertisements online about "...never buy another battery again...." and that's when I started a Google and YouTube search for BATTERY RESTORATION. Here is what I have accomplished so far with the two 12v chassis batteries by treating them with Epsom Salts:
In order to see the actual results, I purchased a Digital Battery Analyzer from Harbor Freight that a friend of mine recommended and it just happened to be on sale for $49.95. The initial test results on both batteries weren't that bad based on the parameters that were in the instruction manual.
The two batteries were manufactured by Duracell and rated at CA(Cranking Amps)=1140 and CCA (Cold Cranking Amps)=950. The date of manufacture is unknown. Here is the test data before and after treatment:
Voltage Resistance CCA %Charged
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Before 12.3 4.5 720 80
After 12.8 3.2 890 100
These results definitely show good improvement after following the treatment process that most YouTube videos recommend, here is a good playlist of videos I used as a guide.
I heated a cup of distilled water and disolved 12 teaspoons of Epsom Salts. I removed enough electrolyte from each cell so that I had enough room to add about an ounce of the water/salt solution into each cell, the excess was divided up to top off each cell. This was repeated for the other battery. I left the caps loose to allow for venting and hooked up a small battery charger that I also bought from Harbor Freight and set it to 12v/2amp and started the charge on the first battery. The YouTube videos I watched recommended they be left on charge for at least 24 hours, but the charger showed full charge after a few hours. The instructions for this charger did indicate that after full charge is reached, the charger still continues to charge the battery and the battery should be monitored for heat buildup.
Both batteries were left on the charger for more than a 24 hour period and left for at least 12 hours before retesting to allow the batteries to normalize after charging. There is a definite improvement seen and I will be re-installing them back in the coach to see how they perform now. I will follow up in another six months and report on the performance.
