Golf Cart Batteries - Reconditioning Batteries

Feb. 3, 2010 - PRLog -- Most people know the obvious use of golf cart batteries, but did you also know they could be used anywhere else that a deep cycle battery is used, in your boat, your car or even in a renewable energy system to store power from a wind generator or solar panels?
That's right, they have many uses, and the best part is that you can find them practically for free and learn how to recondition batteries yourself. Just think, free batteries for any use, wouldn't that solve a lot of money problems.
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Let's start with the obvious uses, and where you can find these batteries. We were fortunate enough to have our oldest son work at a local golf course when he was a teenager, and he put us onto this source of batteries one day. He said, “Did you know they are throwing out about 15 old golf cart batteries at the course, do you want to have a look?”
After thinking it over we thought we would have a look. We had recently discovered a process of reviving old batteries called reconditioning and we were anxious to get started. They let us have the batteries for free, and we were told that the owner actually has to pay someone to come in and take away the batteries, so we were welcome to all we wanted.
After carting them home we put them in the garage and set to work to build a battery reconditioner from some plans that we had found, and it worked great.
All but one of the batteries we were able to bring back to 90% of their original charge, and they stayed charged. The other battery we took to the recycler on our next visit to town, there is a special depot and they paid us $6 for turning it in.
The battery reconditioner to revive golf cart batteries is really quite simple. Over time older batteries develop a coating of sulfates on the inside of the plates deep within the batteries. The reconditioner, or desulfator as it is known to some simply sends a strong pulse of electricity through the plates and eventully shakes off the sulfates (desulfates) and then they renew themselves with the original contents and become powerful again.
Of course this is an oversimplification, but it really is quite simple to build and maintain a bunch of these in no time at all. We only revive one at a time, and usually have one going all the time since we live off the grid with renewable energy and need about 20 batteries to run our home efficiently.
It was quite a find for us, and has saved us thousands of dollars, as these batteries run to $300 new. Multiply that by 20 and you see what I mean, thousands saved, all because we learned a simple process and built a reconditioner.
How can you get started?
Find a source of golf cart batteries
have a friend or family member help you
get those simple plans for the reconditioner
It is really as fast as that, you can do it.
If you need any help, or want more information we would be glad to help, sign up for our free EarthPower Newsletter and learn all about other uses for Golf Cart Batteries. It is at this link
http://www.reconditioning-batteries.com

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One way or another I will find a way to Build It Myself. In most cases there is no need for a storebought solution to problems.
We started off learning how to build our own house and now our latest project is build a wind generator, and in the process we have learned how to recondition batteries too.