8 Ways to Improve Lead-Acid Battery Life

Lead-acid batteries have become a necessity in today’s society. Our cars, trucks and recreational vehicles all use batteries to start their engines. Forklifts, electric chairs, and off-grid power systems need lead-acid batteries to operate. Lead-acid batteries can be a hassle to replace and expensive, with some batteries costing up to $5000. To get the most out of your lead-acid batteries, follow these simple procedures.

1. Regularly charge your batteries. Let them fully charge before disconnecting the charger.
2. Especially in cold environments, be sure to keep your batteries charged. If you leave an uncharged battery exposed to freezing temperatures, the battery will freeze and crack.
3. In warm environments, store cars and batteries in cool places or at least away from direct sun exposure.
4. Water batteries regularly if they are the unsealed type. Use distilled water only.
5. Do not equalize or overcharge your batteries as it deteriorates the integrity of the plates.
6. Do not use solid or liquid additives in your batteries.
7. PLEASE, DO NOT empty out the fluid in the battery and replace it with new battery acid. It is very harmful to our environment and it is not effective in the long term.

Use a good electronic desulfator that will help to eliminate hard sulfates from the plates. The life and performance of a battery can be increased be keeping the hard sulfates off the plates.

The Patented, Battery Life Saver has been designed especially for that purpose.

Whether you have a golf cart, electric vehicle, fork lift, boat, farm equipment, solar/wind application, truck or RV, The Battery Life Saver has a model that will work for you.

Check out our website at: http://buybls.com

For more information, you can call (800) 993-7886 Toll-Free.

How to Get the Most from your Lead-Acid Battery

By Emanuel Hillmann

We all benefit from using lead-acid batteries. Our cars and golf cars will go nowhere without them. Many niceties of civilization maintained outside electrical grid systems like a refrigerator or TV in our RV would not be possible without batteries. Of course, wind and solar systems depend on battery banks. Those batteries can cost us a pretty penny to replace and most of the time last way below their supposed life expectancy.

How do I get the most out of my batteries?

To better understand what to do we will need to answer a couple questions:

a. What is a battery? A battery is a device in which chemical energy is transformed into electrical energy. That energy can be used in a controlled manner.

b. How does a battery work? In a normal battery we have three basic elements: one plate made of lead, an electrolyte of sulfuric acid and another plate made of lead oxide. When the battery is discharged, the sulfuric acid in the electrolyte reacts with the lead and lead oxide releasing electricity, forming lead sulfate. This leaves a watery electrolyte solution. When a battery is completely discharged, what is left is lead sulfate and water. When you start recharging the battery, the lead sulfate is broken apart by the electric current. This returns the system to the original elements: lead and lead oxide on the plates and sulfuric acid in the electrolyte, for the most part.

We said for the most part because an incomplete recharge is going to leave behind some lead sulfate. The next time you use the energy from the battery, the newly formed sulfate is going to attach to the left over sulfates making stronger sulfates. The problem is that a normal battery recharge is not going to be able to break them down completely. So you will have more and more sulfates that now are not breaking up and gradually are shortening the life of your batteries.

What to do?

First make sure you recharge your batteries completely and regularly even if you do not use your vehicle.

You can use a good electronic desulfator. It can dissolve the otherwise hard to eliminate sulfates, extending the battery life.

After testing many powders and liquids sold to eliminate sulfates, I would not recommend using those kinds of substances.

Overcharging, also called equalizing is another action that is not recommended. It will end up killing your batteries in the long run despite any apparent immediate improvements.

As we mentioned earlier there are chemical reactions charging and discharging batteries. Heat accelerates those reactions causing a battery to discharge faster. It is important to protect your batteries as much as possible from high temperatures. It is better to store in a cool place. Park your cars in a shadowy place and avoiding as much as possible the direct sun.

If heat can dramatically reduce the battery life, ice can destroy it completely. Do not ignore icy weather. If you are going to leave your car or golf car for months in a place that can be hit by extensive freezing temperatures or you expect a freeze, make sure to fully charge your batteries before the freezing temperatures start. If you are going to leave for months at the time a trickle charger is very useful to maintain batteries in a good condition. The risk of a discharged battery hit by freezing temperatures is that the water formed by the discharge of the battery when frozen can crack the battery, destroying it.

Talking about water, if your batteries are the unsealed types make sure to regularly water them.

The worst enemy of your batteries is neglect. Batteries well cared for last two times longer than neglected ones.

Don’ts

1. Do not equalize and/or overcharge your batteries.

2. Do not store your batteries in hot places or under direct sun exposure.

3. Do not use solid or liquid additives in your batteries.

4. Do not neglect to water and only use distilled water. Any other water contains minerals that are bad for your battery.

5. Do not neglect to charge regularly.

6. Do not expose directly your batteries to very low temperatures to prevent any risk of cracking.

Do’s

1. Regularly charge your batteries. Let them to get fully charged before disconnecting the charger.

2. Use a good electronic desulfator that will help to eliminate hard sulfates from the plates.

3. Store cars and batteries in cool places or at least away from direct sun exposure.

4. Water batteries regularly if they are the unsealed type using distilled water.

5. Protect batteries from being directly exposed to extreme cold weather.

These simple rules will help you to get the most out of your batteries.

A simple desulfator device called a Batter Life Saver can help increase the life of your batteries dramatically.  For less than the cost of 1 replacement battery, the BLS can protect your battery investment and give your batteries a whole new useful life. Order today at: http://buybls.com

Reviving Dead Golf Cart Batteries

The Battery Life Saver electronic device can be used to revive a dead battery that has accumulated too much sulfate build up or has been allowed to sit unused for a long period of time.
 However, it will not work on a battery that has a shorted or open cell. 
This procedure works for a car-auto, deep cycle, marine and all other lead acid battery applications.

1. A dead battery is one that will not hold a charge, and in some cases, they are unable to take a charge.
2. It can take several days to a couple weeks to revive a dead battery, depending on how far south it is and how often you cycle(charge and discharge) the battery with BLS attached.
   
3. For a 12 volt battery, you will need the BLS-12/24-B and a good automotive battery charger, preferably with a rating of 6 to 10 amps. For batteries that cannot take a charge, it is best to use an old fashioned battery charger, not one of the newer high tech Smart Battery Chargers . The newer smart battery chargers will not turn on if the voltage of the battery is too low. This does not mean that the battery is completely dead, just that the charger will not turn on. If you do not have a manual charger available, you can jump start the bad battery(just like jumpstarting your car battery) to get the battery voltage high enough for the smart charger to turn on (contact us for more information on this procedure).
   
4. The key to this procedure is to cycle (charge and discharge) the battery with the BLS attached. The BLS gradually dissolves the sulfate crystals with every cycle. The Battery Life Saver works from the power of the battery. You can either let the BLS discharge your battery or add some type of load(i.e. a light) to help discharge the battery.
5. Step 1: Connect both the BLS and the charger to the battery, paying attention to the polarity.
6. Step 2: Charge the battery with the BLS attached until the voltage is at least 12 volts or completely charged.
   
7. Step 3: Leave the Battery Life Saver connected to the battery without the battery charger for a period of time(if it is a single 12 volt battery, 20 hours should be enough time to discharge with the BLS). DO NOT LET THE VOLTAGE GO BELOW 9.5 VOLTS.
   
8. Step 4: When the battery voltage is between 9.5 and 10 repeat step 2 and 3.
   
9. Work back and forth between 2 and 3 until the battery comes back up to operational condition. If you cycle(charge and discharge) the battery every day with the BLS connected, the battery should come back sometime between 3 days and 2 weeks.

To Order your BLS (Battery Life Saver) please visit our website at: http://buybls.com

Can Golf Carts Help with the Energy Crisis?

There is a new trend; people are looking back to alternative modes of transportation.  Gas prices are constantly fluctuating but in general keep going up. People are starting to see that transportation that depends on oil is not going to solve our problems. Sales of bicycles, golf cars and scooters are going up. Sales of big gas guzzling cars are down.

Let’s take a closer look. Will golf carts help with the energy crisis or are they a fad that will go away?

Today golf cars are more popular than ever. Since their introduction in 1951 many changes have occurred. Golf carts can come with all sorts of accessories, sometimes sporting the brands and looks of big luxury cars, their cost range from $1500 to $5000 and up to $30.000 and more for the luxury models but in general their pricing is accessible for the average household.

To Order your BLS (Battery Life Saver) please visit our website at: http://buybls.com 

To begin we are going to correct the misnomer of “cart”, per standard z130.1 of American National Standards Institute (ANSI), "carts" are not self-propelled. The official name will then be “golf car” or “buggy”. 

Most of golf cars operate with a lead–acid battery system that range from 36 to 72 volts. Their average speed is around 23 mph. A golf car is generally used by golfers for the 18 holes run (6500-7000 yards) but they can run up to 40 miles per charge. 

There are many communities around the country where golf cars are used to go to the supermarket, drugstore, church and to do errands. Golf cars are compact and easy to drive and park. The Villages in Central Florida is a great example of a golf car community. It is a dynamic retirement community designed with golf cars in mind. You can see golf cars on every corner and every household has at least one. The cost to fully charge a golf car goes from about $0.40 to a less than a dollar per day depending on the system’s voltage and the condition of the batteries.

So far so good, golf cars are environment and user friendly, relatively inexpensive and energy efficient.

What is the downside? 

Very few towns are golf car friendly, making golf car travel more difficult. Most towns have minimum speed limits that are above golf car speed and require turn signals, tail and head lights.

For many friends of speed, well, golf cars do not give them that rush. You can only use golf cars inside your community.

There is a real problem. On talking to some golf car owners we run one by one onto the same problem. After a couple of years the golf car slows down. All the sudden you find yourself “pushing” your car to make it back home.

Behind this terrible problem is usually battery failure. Although made to last 5-10 years, batteries tend to die prematurely because of sulfate buildup. Sulfate is a normal byproduct of the chemical reaction that happens inside lead-acid batteries. Every time the battery is charged and discharged more of those crystals are deposited on the plates. Like layers of fine snow on a garden they accumulate until you can not longer see the garden.

These crystals interfere with the flow of electricity in and out the battery. Batteries will take longer to charge and the charge will last less time. 

A good performance for a set of batteries in conditions like Florida, Texas, Nevada, California or Arizona last about 3 years. Then the owners have to experience slow downs until it is unbearable. At that point golf car owners have to go through the “painful” experience of replacing batteries, a $600-$800 expense.

The solution

Towns are going to have to embrace change and learn to accommodate the new street users. Modification of golf cars to comply with current requirements is not very expensive. In any case, residential areas should not have vehicles moving above 25 mph. There are going to be more and more people using bikes, golf cars, scooters and small electric cars. This trend is not going away any time soon.

Now, regarding the huge problem with battery life, here are simple things you can do to maintain and extend the life of your batteries:

1) Regularly charge your car. As much as possible keep your golf cars fully charged. Make sure your charger is a smart charger that will recognize when batteries are fully charged, it protects them from overcharging. Overcharging is deadly to your batteries.

It is an effective way to kill batteries prematurely.

2) Try as much as you can to park your golf car in a shaded area as heat tends to exacerbate the sulfate accumulation.

3) Regularly check the water level on your batteries. Use only distilled water to replenish them.

4) Use a desulfator to control the accumulation of lead sulfate. The Battery Life Saver™ electronic device is the most effective desulfator in the market. It targets the sulfate crystals, breaking them down and rejuvenating the battery. Using this device will extend the life of batteries two to three times, making golf cars a good business for all. To Order your BLS (Battery Life Save) please visit our website at: http://buybls.com

There is a bright future for golf cars. They can help us to save lots of money and help break the dependency on oil.

To Order your BLS (Battery Life Saver) please visit our website at: http://buybls.com  

How Long Will My Golf Cart Batteries Last?

Battery operated golf carts are clean, quiet and fun to drive. But the cost of battery replacement can be painful.



Just like a car, golf cart batteries need to be properly cared for to get maximum battery life.

 To Order your BLS (Battery Life Saver) please visit our website at: http://buybls.com



Here are a few tips to get the most out of your batteries.

1. Charge after every use: Golf cart batteries are not like cell phones, they need to be charged after every use, even short drives.
2. Water Regularly: Use only distilled water. Be careful not to overfill, battery acid is very harmful and corrosive. The water level should be about 1/4 of an inch above the plates.
3. Keep terminals and connections clean: A wire brush or terminal cleaner will do the trick. If the batteries are covered with acid, sprinkle baking soda over the top and wash away with water.
4. Use a desulfator to prevent sulfation: Desulfators handle the problem of lead sulfate build-up that causes 80% of batteries to fail prematurely. They will also maintain short charge times and long drive times.
5. Store properly: Storage of batteries is crucial. In cool climates, improper storage can cause batteries to crack, making them unusable. In warm climates, sulfation can drastically shorten the life. Here are some basic tips on storage depending on your climate.

• Winter Storage: The best option is to fully charge and store in warm space. If stored outside, it’s important to fully charge and disconnect any accessories. Good Practice: Charge the batteries once every month.
• Summer Storage: It is best to store in a cool space. Check the water levels periodically. Good Practice: Charge the batteries once every month.

How will golf cart batteries last?
There are many factors when estimating how long golf cart batteries last. The quality of the battery, climate, usage, and maintenance all play a huge factor in battery life. The use of a good battery desulfator will greatly improve battery life as well. Here is a chart with the average life expectancy of golf cart batteries:

Climate	Premium Quality	Premium Battery with Desulfator	Low Quality	Low Quality with Desulfator
Warm Climate	3 to 4 years	5 to 8 years	1 to 2 years	2 to 4 years
Cool Climate	4 to 5 years	6 to 10 years	2 to 3 years	3 to 6 years

To Order your BLS (Battery Life Saver) please visit our website at: http://buybls.com

Types of Batteries and the Battery Life Saver

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is: Will the BLS work on my battery?

Our answer is good news. The Battery Life Saver electronic device is suited to work on all types of lead-acid batteries. Simple or complex, they follow the same basic principles. Whatever industry you are involved with, there is a BLS market in your area for other applications, a myriad of other potential customers.



We do not endorse any particular type of batteries. The statements in this article are intended only to give a general briefing about types of lead-acid batteries and possible applications where the BLS can be used.

Types of Lead-Acid Batteries

There are two types of lead-acid batteries. There are starter (or cranking) batteries that can generate a high amount of energy in a short period of time. These batteries are commonly used in vehicles to start the engine.

There are also deep cycle batteries. A deep cycle battery can generate a smaller amount of energy for a longer period of time. Deep cycle batteries are constructed with thicker plates and can withstand a deeper discharge, making them more prone to sulfate build-up. These batteries are commonly used in golf carts, forklifts, RV’s (for the house batteries), off grid solar systems, Uninterrupted Power Source (UPS) and electric chairs.

Besides the 2 types of lead-acid batteries, there are also different versions where the lead is mixed with other metals or it is used in a purer form. This alters a bit how the charge or discharge of the battery happens. There are also hybrid batteries that have properties of starter and deep batteries. Despite all complexities that can be found to increase or modify performance, a lead-acid battery is a lead-acid battery.

Common Battery Technologies
No matter if batteries are starter or deep cycle, the two most common technologies are Flooded and VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid), most commonly called Sealed lead-acid batteries, The VRLA is divided further into Gel and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM).

Wet cells or flooded batteries are the most popular. They are used on cars, boats, golf cars, solar and wind banks. The marine type is not sealed so users can refill any water that was lost while charging. Special care should be taken while operating any non sealed batteries; first to prevent getting burned with the acid solution inside the battery (follow the safety instructions and use safety gear) and second to prevent the battery from getting contaminated with external agents (sea water, rain water, soil etc). Non-sealed batteries are not the strongest, mechanically speaking. They crack easier than others. Make sure to fully charge them before a long winter. Even better, charge them at least once a month during the winter months, as you run the risk of battery cracking due to freezing. We will cover winter battery maintenance in the next issue.

VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid) You can not refill these batteries. They are designed against spills.

Gel Cells: The electrolyte is mixed up with a jellifying non-reactive agent like fumed silica that immobilizes the electrolyte. If for any reason the battery cracks, the cell will continue operating. You cannot use just any charger to charge gel cell batteries as you can ruin them easily by overcharging. These kinds of batteries require lower charging voltages compared to flooded batteries. Read the instructions on charging to get the most of these batteries.


Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM): This kind of battery uses a glass mat to contain the electrolyte. They are basically spill-proof compared to the flooded type. Mechanically speaking, AGMs are the strongest batteries on the market. Although very similar to the charging voltages of the flooded batteries, you still need to be careful while charging, as overcharging can shorten their useful life dramatically. The AGM offers a long list of advantages like shorter charging time, resistance to vibration, continuous operation even if the container cracks or breaks, lower self discharge than other types (around 3% per month vs. 1% per day on flooded cells), low energy conversion into heat (around 4% vs. 15 to 20% on flooded or 10 to 16% of the Gel cells) and minimal fume production. On the other hand, they are 2 to 4 times more expensive than the flooded batteries.

VRLAs are favored by owners of boats, electric scooters, golf car and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV). AGMs are particularly favored with off grid solar and wind systems as well by RVs, aviation and jet skis. There is one more emerging market to be aware of; truckers are starting to use deep batteries to power their small refrigerators, AC/heat units or ovens, due to the recent anti-idling legislation.

In summary, you can use The Battery Life Saver electronic device with all applications mentioned.

Contact our customer service agent for more information. 1-800-993-7886  http://buybls.com

Money Saver: Extend the Life of Your Golf Cart Batteries

$1600 in six years. That’s what you could spend if you don’t learn how to extend the life of your golf cart batteries.



The average life expectancy of a golf cart battery is three years, in cooler climates they average 4-5 years. Good quality golf cart batteries can cost between $120.00 and $200.00 a piece. Do the math: a cart with 6 batteries at $140 a piece = $840. Some carts have 8 batteries. In six years, you’ll spend that twice. Ouch!

Order a BLS today at www.buybls.com or call toll free 1-800-993-7886

But what makes batteries be so short lived? Answer: the buildup of lead sulfate on the battery plates. If batteries sit in disuse, as they often do, the problem escalates. During the hot summer weather, while many users are up north, crystal buildup can make batteries unserviceable in a matter of months.

Battery operated golf carts, as well, slow down over time. They don’t go as far; they don’t hold as much charge. Lead sulfate builds up on the battery plates.

In today’s energy saving communities, golf carts are to adults what bicycles are to kids. They are used for errand running, shopping, visiting or simply getting around town. Just as golfers want their carts to last more than18 holes, moms, babysitters and shoppers want their carts to last 18 blocks and back. Dead or weak batteries are no fun.

There is a simple, easy to use solution to extend battery life. It is called Battery Life Saver electronic device, BLS for short, that uses a square wave (a powerful, variable wave) that excites the lead sulfate crystals that form on the battery plates and causes them to dissolve. You attach it to the battery or battery bank and forget it; it keeps lead sulfate from forming, thus extending the life of your batteries, and keeping them at top efficiency. It also can be used to restore “dead,” sulfate-ridden batteries to a like new condition.

The Ben Franklin maxim: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” means dollars and cents today. When he recited the famous vigil, he noticed how after a fire was seen and cried out, Philadelphia was full of men of different ages, professions and titles who applied themselves to the hard work of putting the fire out.

So in 1736, he organized Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company, the first in the city. In 1752, Franklin helped to found the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance Against Loss by Fire, because victims of fires had been wiped out financially.

We can all make history today by thinking and acting ahead and preventing battery failure. Find out more information about the BLS at www.buybls.com or call toll free 1-800-993-7886 for more info.