battery problems

[siliconmix]

can anyone help me ? i keep a yuasa 12v 1.2 lead acid type battery on my bench.i never let it go too low before charging .i've noticed lately that it won't charge above 8v volts.it's a sealed type.is there anything i can do to it to fix it ?

[PeterG]

If your battery is only charging to 8v, then it was bellow 8v to start with, it is not a good idea to over discharge a SLA like this. Discharging a 12v SLA to below 10v will shorten its life.

Regards

[amspire]

If it only charges to 8v, then 3 of the cells are shorted. The other 3 are way overcharged.

Battery had had it, unfortunately.

Richard

[G7PSK]

If it is the type of SLA that is found in things like burglar alarms as a standby they have a short life anyway and only last a year or two, they also don't like to be discharged and will often need replacing if the mains fails, I would think yours is now skip fodder. Deep cycle one as used in mobility equipment will recover from heavy discharge quite happily although if you cannot get it to charge above eight volts that too would be junk. I have had 13 years of experience now with mobility SLA's as my wife is in a wheel chair due to an RTA. I have quite a pile of them in various sizes that are no good for a chair anymore,they dont hold enough charge for a days use but they still pack a big enough punch to start a car or work other equipment.

[Psi]

Also, the DiaMec brand that Jaycar sell (at least in NZ) aren't very good.
A large percentage of them die in 1-2 years. If you spend 50% more and get a proper SLA, like a Ritar brand, they last much longer. Depending on specific model, the Ritar datasheet say between 5-12 years lifespan.

[siliconmix]

thanks people .i was hoping there would be a cure.me being tight as a ducks arse with cash