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jhinton
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USA
123 Posts
Initially Posted - 12/01/2010 :  20:08:20  Show Profile
Has anyone used this product, Battery Equaliser, before?

http://www.batteryequaliser.com/index.html

I recently read the supposed benefits of it and it sounds pretty appealing.
1982 C-25, SK/SR, traditional interior
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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts
Response Posted - 12/01/2010 :  21:12:31  Show Profile
I tried to find some objective assessments, and couldn't. Their own claims sound to me a little like the "ignition boosters" you stuck on the top of the distributer many years ago, that increased power, gas mileage, tire life, braking, and the owner's sexual performance. Funny GM, Ford, Chrysler, Mercedes, and BMW never figured that out.
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jhinton
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Response Posted - 12/02/2010 :  07:22:27  Show Profile
Which is why I'm fairly skeptical... I found several threads on different forums speculating about this and that but like you said, no objective, independent, hard data to confirm anything.

Good maintenance can probably go just as far...
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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts
Response Posted - 12/02/2010 :  08:33:03  Show Profile
Yup--I believe Bruce "Voyager" Ross is still using the battery that came to me on Passage in 1999--I don't know how old it was at the time. I kept a trickle charger on it each winter, and did not stress it during the season when only the outboard charged it. He keeps a solar charger on it year-round. I think we've gotten our money's worth on it.
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Voyager
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5368 Posts
Response Posted - 12/02/2010 :  17:45:31  Show Profile
J -
I won't speculate on the product's effect or effectiveness, however sulfation can easily be avoided if you don't let your battery discharge without quickly recharging it. If it's discharged for even 1 week without being recharged, sulfation can begin. A month discharged begins the slow decline. Due to H2SO4 (battery acid) and Lead combining, I can't see how sulfation can be prevented in that case. But, hey cold fusion worked for a while!

You can partially reverse sulfation using a method called EQUALIZATION (?) It involves recharging the battery at a high voltage 14.4v for a long time, but results are all over the lot, and you have to monitor it closely while the process takes place. You can google it.

I must make a slight correction in Dave's statement.

The first year I had <i>Passage</i> the Honda's alternator regulator had failed, but not completely (I probably caused it) and it produced something like 16.5 volts when it ran. At that voltage, I literally boiled the electrolyte out of the battery, evidenced by a rotten eggs smell in the cabin.

It did not take long before the 1999 Die Hard indeed did. I repaired the regulator ($25 part) and next season replaced the battery. That battery has served well for the past four years. I baby the battery - I never discharge it past 12.2V and rarely at that, and make sure to recharge it promptly using the engine or solar panels.

I leave it in the boat over the winter, but run a solar panel on the hard. It still reads 12.7V most of the time. I do plan on testing the AH rating over the winter just to make sure it is still up to par.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.