How to Recondition a Battery - Save Money, Save the Planet
Battery reconditioning is big business these days and it is only going to get bigger. Batteries are an environmental hazard containing many dangerous chemicals and many people not disposing of them properly.
While our society becomes more and more dependent of battery power year after year millions of old batteries are thrown away. However you do not have to throw them away, in fact you can recondition them and bring the life back into any battery and reuse it over and over again.
First although many people have a misconception that recharging and reconditioning a battery is the same thing. They are not, when you recharge a battery you simply are adding a charge to the battery for a period of time, the more you do this the less they work to their full capacity and need to be charged more often.
When you recondition a battery you are restoring the battery back to its full capacities. There are many methods around that can help recondition batteries depending on the type of battery you have.
There are companies out there that offer a reconditioning service or you can learn to do it yourself. To do it yourself is not difficult with the right tools and equipment however you should have a good understanding of the different types of batteries and how they should be handled before trying any reconditioning.
One method to help recondition batteries that some people suggest is to put them in a freezer for 24 hours and then recharge them again. If you have a lead-acid battery these often will go a crystalline form if old or left to discharge for a long time, in this case you can get a specialized battery charger that shots a high current despite the battery causing the crystalline to turn back into lead and sulfuric acid and bringing the life back into the battery.
Some people have even created a home business out of reconditioning old batteries that they get for free and sell for a profit.