Author Topic: Manual battery charger (Read 10050 times)

Preston Edwards · « **on:** September 03, 2006, 06:23:35 PM »

I finally got a manual battery charger for my elect bath set-up. Now I have a question does the needle stay on zero all the time while it is doing its thing in the tank. My other battery charger (automatic) would stay around 2. This one a sears comes on when I plug it in, I guess thats a fan running? Anyway I push the toggle swith to run on 40 amps and set back and wait for a miracle. My automatic would take a couple of days to work. How long does a manual battery charger take to clean a cast iron piece. I know it probably depends on how dirty the piece is.

Thanks, Preston

ysageev · « **Reply #1 on:** September 03, 2006, 07:24:41 PM »

Preston, Check to make sure that crud is steel wooled away from the one point where the iron hooks up to the charger. Check all connections. You should get noticeable results within 1/2 hour, although it can take up to 2 days to thouroughly clean an item, depending on extent of buildup. With electro, cleaning is very dependent on the direction that the iron faces. So if you hang a pot by the bail, it will clean the insides very, very slowly. If you hang it by the ear, it will clean much more quickly. Water temperature dramatically affects amperage.

Looking forward to seeing your results. ;)

Sandy Glenn · « **Reply #2 on:** September 03, 2006, 11:49:48 PM »

I don't understand, Preston. Is that your amp reading that's sitting on zero? Mine usually jumps to 10-15 amps when I first start it and increases as the item gets cleaner. You should be getting some kind of a read.

suziqz · « **Reply #3 on:** September 04, 2006, 09:44:33 AM »

Preston,

Did you buy a 'Smart Charger'? The new type 'Smart Charger' that I bought initially
would not recognize the filled container, (electrolysis set-up), as a battery.

I had to return it and replace it with the older type charger that wasn't a 'Smart Charger'.

Smiles, Suzie

Preston Edwards · « **Reply #4 on:** September 04, 2006, 11:13:14 AM »

Suzie:
Maybe thats what wrong with it. I will check it and see if its a smart charger. There is some juice going through as I am getting some bubbling action but probably not enough.

Thanks, Preston

Preston Edwards · « **Reply #5 on:** September 04, 2006, 11:17:05 AM »

Sandy:
It reads zero or almost 2 sometimes. It has good contact so I'm thinking thats not the cause. Maybe its what Suzie said about it being a smart charger.

Thanks , Preston

Preston Edwards · « **Reply #6 on:** September 04, 2006, 11:37:17 AM »

The Sears battery charger model number is 71230, a 2-40-200 amp. Is this the one that is a smart charger?

Preston

Sandy Glenn · « **Reply #7 on:** September 04, 2006, 12:12:10 PM »

Preston, This is Sear's web info on your charger:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Batteries+%26+Chargers&pid=02871230000&vertical=AUTO&subcat=Battery+Chargers+%26+Boosters&BV_SessionID=@@@@0094660930.1157384960@@@@&BV_EngineID=cckjaddikeigkiecefecemldffidfmm.0

From what little info is there I don't think it's a smart charger but a manual one. I had a similar problem when I first set up electro. The S-hooks etc. I connected on the negative lead weren't magnetic. I replaced them and it took off like a charm. Another thought might be your solution... might need to juice it up with some electrolyte dissolved in a gallon of warm water. Just throwing thoughts your way. You should be drawing more than 2 amps with a 40 amp charger. Sandy

C. Perry Rapier · « **Reply #8 on:** September 04, 2006, 12:33:27 PM »

Wow Sandy, you know your stuff on this electrolysis business. Between you and Suzie, it sounds like I know where to come for advice. ;)

All this talking about chargers is somewhat daunting to me. I am not an electrical or mechanical type. So I must have been just lucky I guess. When I first set my electro up, I used the only battery charger that I had. Its a Sears and I got it to jump vehicles with, it sits upright, has a pull along handle, and sits on two wheels so you can pull it and roll it where you need it, anyway, I put that to my electrolysis, and bam, it took off like a shot, no problems, did not shut off after awhile or anything. I have left it on for 24 hours running and no sweat. I have also noticed, like Sandy said, the cleaner your item gets the more current goes through it and thus higher the watts or volts, or whatever, the number gets bigger, which means to me more juice.

When they seen me comin they must have said, "well here's a dummy, he needs a dummy charger" so thats what I got and it works perfect. All this talk about chargers, now I don't know if I am smart enough to buy one or not. ;D

Sandy Glenn · « **Reply #9 on:** September 04, 2006, 12:47:47 PM »

Perry, I really don't know that much about it... I just know how to get it working. It's all been trial and error plus info I've picked up on the forum. I still think Preston should be pulling more than 2 amps with a 40 amp charger.

C. Perry Rapier · « **Reply #10 on:** September 04, 2006, 12:53:06 PM »

Quote

Perry, I really don't know that much about it... I just know how to get it working. It's all been trial and error plus info I've picked up on the forum. I still think Preston should be pulling more than 2 amps with a 40 amp charger.

Sandy, I think my charger is a 50 amp. And I think it runs around 15 to 18, does that sound right. Actually, I don't pay much attention to what its running at. I can see if its working good by looking at it. Also, maybe Preston has a very small donor piece that he is using. The bigger donor piece you got the more juice you pull.

suziqz · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2006, 01:13:07 PM »

Ok.. I'm on my way downstairs to see which Sears DieHard I have
and what amp it's pulling. Hang in there Preston.. we're gonna save
you.. HAHA!!

I'm the Newbie here.. Sandy & Perry are the electrolysis specialists~!!!
No matter what they say!

It's worth whatever effort you have to make in the beginning because
once it's set up and running, it REALLY is User friendly from that point on!

[smiley=bath.gif] Hang In There! [smiley=bath.gif]

suziqz · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2006, 01:42:56 PM »

Well now.. I have the very same battery charger as you Preston!

And guess what, it's on right now and that needle isn't registering much
at all to tell me what amps it's charging at. Is it possible Sandy & Perry,
that the needle isn't registering much on this particular charger because it
isn't actually charging anything? In other words, it is charging the solution
but not an actual battery that would normally be collecting the charge.

Even though this model isn't a 'Smart Charger' it's being a newer model than
the older ones, it might only register what a battery would receive.

Also Preston, my solution isn't whirling around with allot of bubbles, and my
needle is on at best 2 amps. BUT.. my sacrificial metal stays covered in crud
that I clean off at least once a week! Mine works! How long it takes will depend
on which cast iron piece I have in the electrolysis set up and what shape it is in
when I begin.

On average however I let mine cook overnight, about 12hrs. My pieces are really
dirty though from sitting in a barn for years. When I pull it out the next morning
and rinse/wipe it off.. wah-lah, no more rust & crud!

Smiles, Suzie

C. Perry Rapier · « **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2006, 01:46:13 PM »

Also Preston, the closer the piece to be cleaned is to the donor piece, the greater the amps also. ;)

suziqz · « **Reply #14 on:** September 04, 2006, 02:04:08 PM »

Quote

Also Preston, the closer the piece to be cleaned is to the donor piece, the greater the amps also. ;)

My sacrificial piece is about 6 to 8"s from the flop griddle I'm cleaning right now. In a little while I will go out and reposition the piece to make sure I'm electrocuting all areas!

Jerry Cermack · « **Reply #15 on:** September 04, 2006, 02:33:19 PM »

A lot of these new "Smart Chargers" are designed to only charge batteries and will not come on unless it detects a need for current. A charger that will produce a current when its turned on, regardless of what its attached to, is whats needed.

Preston Edwards · « **Reply #16 on:** September 04, 2006, 05:52:37 PM »

I am doing the same things I was doing with the automatic charger. Sometimes it would take 2-3 days but the CI piece would come clean. I have a 3/8 inch stainless rod welded to a bottom grill with plastic covering. This is my + side. I then attach the - side to the piece to be cleaned and it sets on top of the plastic covering. Sometimes I suspend the CI piece. I have heard several good ideas here. Maybe you folks should start up a course in elect cleaning for dumb dumbs like me, or at least write an article on how to get started in elect cleaning.

Thanks for everyones help, Preston

C. Perry Rapier · « **Reply #17 on:** September 04, 2006, 08:30:31 PM »

Preston, I can clearly see, based upon what you have said, what the problem is.

Think of it this way. The donor piece is a broom. The bigger the broom the more you can sweep. With that 3/8 stainless steel rod you are using, your broom has got about 4 straws in it. It will do the job, but it takes a loooooooooooooooooot longer.

All that you need to do is increase the size of your donor piece. For instance, if you had two 3/8 rods, your system would clean twice as fast. Here's what you need to do, throw the stainless steel rods away, and go get you a piece of flat stainless steel from a junk yard, recycling center or whatever, trust me, they got stainless steel in a sheet there. In can just be an old stainless steel sink, as long as it will fit in your tank. Or for that matter, it don't have to be stainless steel. The only reason people use stainless steel is because it resists rust and lasts a lot longer than just a piece of ordinary steel. Big donor piece clean big, little donor piece clean little, thats all their is to it.

The stainless steel barrels members here speak of, the whole barrel itself is the donor piece, so you got that piece being clean every which way but loose, in all directions and at all angles. Thats why it does such a good job, but, you don't need the barrel to clean. Do as I suggest and you will do almost as good as the barrel. You can even get creative with flat pieces of stainless steel and use two pieces by jumping with a wire or whatever, and put your piece to be cleaned hanging down between the two pieces of stainlless steel.

Roger Barfield · « **Reply #18 on:** September 04, 2006, 09:39:03 PM »

Preston, I used to use a stainless restaurant serving pan before I got a barrel. I took the plastic grate off of a $10 box fan from Walmart and used it to keep the cast iron from touching the positive plate. I used that for a year without any problems. Remember, it's the surface area surounding the cast iron that counts, not the thickness of the piece of stainless. Good luck and keep us posted.

Preston Edwards · « **Reply #19 on:** September 04, 2006, 10:11:41 PM »

Thanks everybody for all the information. I'm off to the junk yard tomorrow. I would like to clean a CI piece in a few hours, now that you all have put me on the right path expect great things to happen.

Thank, Preston

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Author Topic: Manual battery charger (Read 10050 times)

ysageev

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