Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has, in addition to a few trolleys that have a battery aboard, three (soon to be four) diesel locomotives, two battery forklifts, and numerous machines with 12V and 24V battery systems. So we have a lot of bucks tied up in batteries. We're obviously not alone in this situation.

During an investigation of various means to preserve the life of all these batteries, we've come across several vendors selling add-on devices that claim to "extend battery life 3X" and other benefits by use of a technology that puts high frequency short duration pulses into the battery to prevent and actually remove lead sulfate build-up on the plates.

We'd like to hear from anyone that has been using this technology. What has been your experience? It is for real, or is this another "miracle" gizmo whose claims are greatly over-blown?

I've resuscitated older but not quite dead yet batteries for a power wheelchair and scooter using one from Northern. Now I generally hook the batteries up to that charger rather than the internal charger to hopefully help prevent sulfite related failure.....at least it think it's sulfite, somebody who knows much more about battery chemistry can chime in on the exact mechanisim of failure. Wish I'd paid more attention in high school chemistry, but I sat next to Mona and......was distracted.

dave

Very sophisticated pulse trickle chargers are available from several vendors. One source is Onan that sells emergency generators. They tend to be very expensive, over $200 for a 24 volt version. When the battery is fully charged, they switch automatically to the pulse trickle mode.

I have used them on emergency generators for broadcast stations that use both lead-acid and ni-cad batteries for starting. Reliable generator operation is a must in this application. The batteries almost never need any fluid added. Bubbles are never visible on the plates. During regular tests they perform like new batteries even after a number of years. Some ni-cad batteries have a 20 year lifespan specified with pulse charging.

Watching the battery charger meter, it will flicker several times a minute. I understand that current flows for only one millisecond or so.

I am totally convinced of the value of pulse charging when maximum reliability is required.