I’ve been seeing several emails lately about being able to recharge any battery. Battery reconditioning scams were popular a few years ago, and it looks like there’s still life left in the old trick. The interesting thing is if you do some research, you’ll find information about battery reconditioning on the web. Some people say it’s real, others say it’s a scam. The commonality is they all appear to be trying to make money off the same subject.
The battery reconditioning scam
Here’s the text from one email I received, which includes a header of “Consumer Reports.”
Never Buy Batteries Again
You have questions about the GMAT? We have answers.
Bring your old Batteries back to life ??? Just like new
This simple trick will turn all your dead batteries and make them work again. Once you know how to do this you will never have to buy batteries again.
OMG. Seriously? This one can be summed up in three little words. Bogus, bogus, bogus. Here’s why:
- Regular alkaline, lithium, or Ni-Cad batteries cannot be recharged because of the way they are constructed.
- Even rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan.
- The links in the email are simply lures to get visitors to a phishing or malware site.
It’s straightforward. Depending upon the construction of the battery, its life may be very long, but sooner or later, the battery’s ability to sustain a charge or to recharge will decline. If you try to research battery reconditioning, you’ll find there are plenty of affiliate websites promoting books about the subject. I even found one that claimed the program didn’t work, but said purchases were protected by a money-back guarantee and then offered links to buy the book.
Recycle those batteries
I’m a strong believer in rechargeable batteries, but I don’t believe for a minute there’s a way to make a battery last forever. So, recycle your old batteries as hazardous waste, but don’t spend money on programs to make those batteries last forever.
You can melt lead in a pot on your stove – nobody gives away old batteries that are full of lead + sounds too good to be true!
Why doesn’t someone like the FTC or a similar watchdog agency crackdown on these scammers. There are a lot of people who are not informed enough to know these are scams. They are the people who can least afford to lose money on these scams. Back to what my father said. “If it sounds too good to be true….”
Thank you Terry, I saw the ad for the EZ Battery restore system and wanted to check it out. I was an electricians mate in the Coast Guard and worked for ATT for 30 years. I thought this sounded pretty fishy. Thanks again.
Jyst red about EZ Battery Reconditioning and a similar scam was launched 12-15 years ago in Europe under the name Resulf, a Swiss business. Same bogus false claims, but this program is backed by a strong promotion initiative. The method is also used by NASA to improve new batteries before space missions, but I agree that it is better to recycle old crap and invest your money in new batteries.
idea that ‘re-energized’ batteries that have sulphated in use and can be brought back to life is hard to believe. Also one vendor cites the case of a neighbour running his house electrics on re-energized banks old batteries for 4 days in a blackout is way beyond belief !
One heavy duty 12volt battery will only output about 500 watt hours in total and should be recharged immediately when half discharged to prolong its life .So to power a house under the conditions described to supply 50kW hours over 4 days would take 100 car batteries , and a heavy ans expensive sivewave inverter would also be required and a hefty battery charger as well . Nice concept but not practical .
Thanks for your comment, Des. I have to agree with you. It all sounds pretty Star Trekish. Maybe someday, but not yet.
I listened to the story from apparent owner of the EZ Battery Reconditioning System.
First Answer: Lead Acid Batteries, such as those for Cars, Trucks, Earthmoving Machines etc, have plate banks inside. These usually consist of lead plates attached to metal frames. The container is filled with hydrochloric acid which creates an electrolysis action, giving a charge of electricity for power. Battery is no longer usable when most of the plate is worn away.
Second Answer: Sealed batteries as AA, AAA, C, D etc. Can be given a small charge by heating them up very slowly in an oven set at less then 100 degrees. Otherwise they are stuffed and unusable.
So, I consider that person with the EZ system is just a damn good con man. Most persons today do not know any better about the actions for batteries or for many things as they do not learn from the older generations.
I worked in the Auto trade and for Telecom and the mining industry during my life and did learn a lot of actions for keeping things going.
Cheers
Lead acid batteries (cars, trucks, etc.) do NOT contain hydrochloric acid. They contain sulfuric acid, and have for well over 125 years. Hydrochloric acid is what is in the stomach.
The acid is sulfuric not hydrochloric
Is there a limit to how many times a battery marked “recharge” can be recharged ?
In a four battery wall outlet recharger, can you recharge less than four batteries at one time ?
You would have to ask the manufacturer of the battery about how many times a particular battery can be recharged. The same goes for a recharger. While I would think you could recharge as few as one battery in your charger, that’s something only the manufacturer can tell you (or the instructions that came with the charger.)
The only recycled” batteries I’ve seen have 5% recycled content. Seems almost not helpful, but allowing them to use the term “recycled” to sell to the environmentally conscious
Used batteries that are sold as usable are not “recycled” batteries. They are batteries with useful life remianing that were removed from cars, computers and other devices.
All batteries are constructed of materials that are hazardous to people and the enviornment if they aren’t handled respinsibly. If your batteries are depleted and won’t take a charge, take or give them to a hazardous materials recycling center.
Batteries brought in for “recycling ” are deconstructed to recover materials that can be safely refined and incorporated into new products. It may be called post-consumer waste materials, or recycled material. In most cases this process is either less expensive than mining previously unused raw materials or mandated by law. If a product is labeled as containing some reycled materials, it should not have a higher price than if it didn’t.
I buy recycled batteries to help preserve the environment.
I do the same whenever possible, Linda. We’re also fortunate to have lots of recycling options in our area, so we recycle all of our batteries when they die. 🙂