Charging sealed Lead acid batteries

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wilderness

House Bee
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A bit off the wall this one but here goes anyway ...

I have a Yuasa 12 volt 1.2 amp sealed lead acid battery which acts as a backup for my burglar alarm. According to the alarm control panel the battery is flat. A short power cut last week confirmed this. This battery is approx 2 years old and was bought new by me to replace the previous one.

I attached it to my car battery charger for about 2 minutes to see if it will take a charge. The charger is 12v and it was pulling less than half an amp.

2 questions:

Is 2 years an acceptible time for one of these batteries to go flat?

Can I leave it charging for several hours or do I risk an explosion?
 
Hi WD

I think that your battery may have gone to the great battery yard in the sky. Lead acid batteries do not respond well after 'deep discharge'. The plates get sulphited and they become useless. You may get it back with a battery reconditioning unit (not a standard charger).

If it's gone below about 10 volts for any appreciable time, you might as well get a new one. At best, it isn't likely to hold a charge.
 
which acts as a backup for my burglar alarm.

Normally there will be a trickle/float charge circuit to maintain the battery charge. Do you not have this?

The batteries are, I think, changed at service intervals of about 2 years by the commercial boys. The batteries are still good but the customer pays, and it is better to be sure the alarm system does not fail. Normal 'float' life is probably 5 to 8 years, I would think

If yours does not have a charging facility it would need careful charging (according to the specs - so not any old battery charger - as the gel batteries are much less tolerant to overcharge than flooded lead/acid batteries) every three months or less if known to be actually backing up the system due to mains failure.

Doubt that one will explode; seems pretty well dead already. But don't risk it!

Regards, RAB
 
Normally there will be a trickle/float charge circuit to maintain the battery charge. Do you not have this?

Yes there is a trickle charge.

This battery only lasted 2 years. The previous one was in the system for about 8 years. This is a self-installed system so not serviced by a professional.

Maybe I was lucky with the first one and unlucky with the second?

I'll have to splash out on a new one :mad:

Thanks RAB and Moggs
 
In a former life I owned one of the largest privately owned alarm companies in the South East.
We changed batteries (Yuasa Gel standby power supply) every 2 years if they needed it or not.(NACOSS requirement and BS... ISO or whatever it is called now!)
Also the NiCad in your exterior sounder unit may need replacing if your alarm is fitted with one,
We had batteries get very hot, but I can not remember one exploding!
I use a 7.2 12v sealed gel lead acid battery in a lantern... useful to see hives in dark.. I charge that with a cheap 12v motorcycle battery charger when it needs it... had it for at least 7 years!
 

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