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Posted By Discussion Topic: Best Practices: Classic Battery Charger     Mr Rogers 03-16-2020 @ 9:54 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 106 Joined: Jul 2019 My past experiences whether 6 or 12 volt and it does not hold a charge ....... it has a dead cell. Remove and take it to an automotive for test. Or the car has a drain somewhere. If the latter install a cut out switch. 37RAGTOPMAN 03-15-2020 @ 1:55 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1969 Joined: Oct 2009 hi Battery problems. you could also take the battery to AUTO ZONE, and let them see if they can charge and test for you, its worth a try, maybe there is someone with a little knowledge to perform this for you? hope this helps 1937RAGTOPMAN a AUTOMOTIVE TEST LIGHT, can be bought in just about any AUTO SUPPLY STORE, works on 6 and 12 volts, SNAP ON sells a excellent one,I have used these for years with out any battery issues its more of a problem if you are attaching charging leads, to the battery, not to create any SPARKS with near the battery, best way is to disconnect the battery so there is no draw of voltage, juergen 03-13-2020 @ 2:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 259 Joined: Jan 2010 Tom, here is what the Battery University says of the dangers of lead acid batteries. "Lead acid produces some hydrogen gas, but the amount is minimal when charged correctly. Hydrogen becomes explosive at a concentration of 4 percent. This would only be achieved if large batteries were charged in a sealed room...... Overcharging a lead acid battery can produce hydrogen sulfide. This gas is colorless, very poisonous. flammable and has the odor of rotten eggs." So I would think the danger is not there unless you smell rotten eggs which means you should clear the air and stop charging. Since the questions are basic, perhaps a definition of a test lamp is in order. The easiest explanation is to take a tail lamp and place alligator clips on the pigtails with one end connected to the battery terminal and the other connected to the terminal lead. I don't expect an explosion during connection if the safe conditions above are maintained. TomO 03-13-2020 @ 9:29 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7264 Joined: Oct 2009 You should never check for a spark at a battery connection. When a battery is being charged, it gives off hydrogen gas a very explosive gas. I had a friend who was blinded at the age of 17 from a battery explosion. Use the test light to determine if you have a continuous drain. Wait a few hours before connecting a battery that has been recently charged. You should set your classic battery charger switches in the following manner: set the voltage switch to 6 volts LO, the charge rate to LO. Connect the charger to the battery, plug the charger in and set the timer to 80 minutes. Observe the meter, it should read less than 20 amps and most likely around 6 amps. If it is higher than 12 amps, I would disconnect the power to the charger and change the switch to 3 amps. Then reconnect the power to the charger. When the 80 minutes are up, let the battery rest for a couple of hours and then check its state of charge with a hydrometer or connect you modern charger to it. Tom 37RAGTOPMAN 03-13-2020 @ 9:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1969 Joined: Oct 2009 I think you should leave the battery DISCONNECTED till you find the BATTERY DRAIN PROBLEM , SEEMS to me you have a ELECTRICAL SHORT SOMEPLACE, WHAT you need to find is the source of the battery Drain,! it should NOT go dead in a few days, is it completely dead, using a volt meter what does it read ? ALSO you can use a hydrometer to test the each cells for being good or bad, you can use a test light to check for drains, hook the one of the light to the battery terminal, and about 2 -3 foot away hook the end with the light hook to a ground, this way you should avoid all sparks, hook it up between the pos battery terminal and the ground,make sure it is a clean surface, if it lights up you have a drain, you have to disconnect one thing at a time, once the light goes out you found the drain, Does anything you touch feel warm, GEN, CUTOUT,STARTER ETC disconnect the generator, disconnect the brake light switch, are the brake lights lite up when you hook up the battery ? disconnect the cable going to the starter, it might also be a starter switch, it happened to me on a Model A This just a few of the things you have to check HOW OLD IS THE WIRING ???? charging the battery at 2 to 3 amps should take a few days, at least, you have to put back in 100's of amps, let us know how you make out, THE MORE YOU EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM , IT WILL OR MAYBE POSSIBLE EASIER to FIND the PROBLEM MY 2 cents 1937 RAGTOPMAN This message was edited by 37RAGTOPMAN on 3-14-20 @ 9:00 AM juergen 03-13-2020 @ 8:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 259 Joined: Jan 2010 It is always best to charge at a low current rate. A high rate results in more heat and too high a rate can warp your plates and shorten battery life. Of course stuck in a parking lot with a dead battery, you want to get going and so a high rate for a short time will limit the amount of heat generated. So in your garage I recommend low rate (2-3 amps) and low 6 volts. But, you have a problem with a short if the the battery drains after a day or two. Disconnect the battery cable and then touch it on the terminal. I would guess you will see a spark indicating a large battery drain. I know it is tedious, but follow the wiring and disconnect/reconnect at the wiring connections until you stop seeing the drain. As a shotgun approach, disconnect the lines to the generator cutout to see if the cutout is not shutting off. Garrison202 03-12-2020 @ 10:06 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 36 Joined: Apr 2019 After a day or two sitting in the garage, I routinely find the 6V battery of my '36 Ford completely dead. I own several modern chargers, but found that a safety feature prevents them from charging a completely dead battery. I have trickle chargers which I plan on using whenever the car is idle. Still, just in case, I want a charger that will service a completely dead battery. I located my grandfather's classic Allied battery charger and had a local electrician refurbish it. He says it works like a champ again, but I've yet to put it into use. First, I'd like to know more about it and about best charging practices in general. Picture #1 is of my battery. It is completely dead. Picture #2 are the specs of this dead battery. Picture #3 are the settings of my classic battery charger. Could someone who knows look at these pictures and walk me through the charging process? First - what should these dials be set at? 2 amps? 3 amps? Hi? Lo? Etc... How long should I leave it charging? Can I leaved it hooked up over night? Or do I need to disconnect once it's charged? Your help is MUCH appreciated. I have a LOT to learn but, by your expertise and assistance, I just might get there!

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