How to be Smarter than a Smart Automatic Car Battery Charger! An easy Trick to Charge a Dead Battery

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

If you found this video helpful & feel like giving something back to the channel, you can do that here.. www.buymeacoffee.com/theultimat9 All coffees are hugely appreciated and keeping me well caffeinated is likely to bring you many more helpful videos! ☕☕😊😊

[@WallyS-r2h]

Poor engineering causing an unnecessary inconvenience

[@mikecastleberry9671]

Looks fine but))butter

[@BitSmythe]

@@WallyS-r2h Requiring an existing voltage is how they make the product safer. It prevents sparking when the leads are shorted, applied or removed.

[@Errol.C-nz]

A tip to use a battery charger for electrolysis.. higher volts are better.. setup your bath filled with WATER & terminal on & switched on .. now add acid (or caustic soda.. it's just an electrolite) till amps rise to a sustainable or desired current (for overnight or like.. gentle jobs).. I use an STC 12/24v early 80s era trickle charger to 10amps g rust explodes off.. caustic doesn't attack base metal steel or galv plating/hot dip 👍

[@Thinker2-truth]

Thank you

[@RandyFrieze]

Absolute genius. No more frustration and my battery got charged. Thank you

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent, that's great to hear Randy! 😊👍

[@HenkBronkhorst-c8c]

Yoy are welcome but do you know how to build it?

[@stephenm5000]

If this is all KZbin ever gave me, it was worth it. Sir, you're a friggin' genius!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha, thanks Stephen! It wasn't my original idea, but I'm happy to have shared it with you 😊👍

[@dimik3855]

I learned of this trick some 10-15 years ago. Just remember to check the fluid levels before you begin charging, since it's a lead acid battery. This wake up technique also works with Ni-cads and Li-ion batteries as well.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks and good advice with the fluid levels 😊👍

[@Cleiter88]

Thank you so much. I was having trouble charging a battery for hours. As soon as I did this I had a full 12vDc within an hour. Genius.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent, I'm glad it helped 👍😃

[@coegj]

Oh my I wish I had seen this a month ago, my neighbor just went through this on her two year old 12 volt lawn tractor mower battery. I tried to charge her battery and nothing happened, so she bought a new battery, if only I had known about this, of course the dealer said nothing and just sold her a new battery. Great video and I will pass it around to people I know, thank you for showing this.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Many thanks! Yeah, some dealers just want sales without actually being helpful!!

[@Toro_Da_Corsa]

Just think of all the good batteries that have been thrown out thanks to these very questionably designed "smart" chargers

[@dienekes4364]

You can also add a diode to the 9v to allow power to the charger but not worry about not leaving it on too long.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes, great thought! 😊👍

[@erichfeit7779]

Thank you very much. I'm an old experienced handy man with no smart charger experience. You have taught me a lot! Very clever demonstration! Thank you again! Erich in New Zealand ☺️

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thank you Erich, glad my content has been helpful! 😊👍

[@PaulAdame]

I was at ends wit and I am so grateful I stumbled upon your video. This trick worked like a charm. Thank you very much for the thorough explanation because I have no experience with any electrical components!!! Paul from El Paso, Texas.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's excellent Paul, I'm glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@waltp3373]

Great idea. I have an old dumb charger with just a transformer and rectifier. That will work on a totally dead battery. It may pop the breaker a few times due to the surge but will eventually charge the battery. It brought my battery back from the grave and it's still working fine years later. Sometimes I hate new technology. They outsmart themselves and make life difficult.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks mate. Yeah technology is just too clever for itself sometimes! 🙄

[@robertmencl9169]

I cant find an old dumb charger, new or used! My new computer controlled charger is incredibly fast at charging a good battery, but will not charge a dead batyery, which is basically when I really need it!

[@evanstauffer4470]

I do the same thing with my dumb charger. The 9V battery trick will come in handy if one does not have a dumb charger or spare battery handy.

[@johnsomerset1510]

@@orionbetelgeuse1937 re 'overheating'. Most of the old chargers have a replaceble fuse to protect the charger.

[@StephenWomack-m3h]

Fantastic video. I had same issue with my generator battery. I hooked up my BATTERY TENDER & it wouldn’t charge. Checked voltage, only had 3.2 volts. Put the 9 volt inline & instantly recognized it and started charging!! Showing 12.5 now within 1 minute. Glad I found your video. Thanks

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's awesome Stephen! Well done. Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@aurumbeach]

Great idea. Way easier than finding another good car battery to kick it off to charge. Thanks

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks for watching! 😊👍

[@davidhenderson3400]

Makes you wonder how many perfectly good battery chargers go in the trash each day because people simply do not know. This is when reading the instructions that come with the battery charger come in handy

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes, it seems many have been thrown out! Since most don't read instructions, maybe there needs to be a large sticker on the charger to explain that it's different to the old style!

[@davidhenderson3400]

@@TheUltimateRecycler And why would they read that?

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

@@davidhenderson3400 Because the sticker would start with "Free beer.." 😂😂

[@emptynest2061]

03:36 smart charger new information @ 03:26 in the video "connect in a household 9 volt battery" to let the smart charger know that there is a dead battery ready to be charged great stuff Thank You ❤

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks for watch EN 👍😊

[@MrHellfinger]

Had this happen a lot and I just grabbed a spare 12v battery to get the charge cycle started. The 9v battery is a brilliant idea. A cool mod to the charger would be to put a battery inside with a momentary switch labelled 'dead battery kick start' (or something better lol).

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep, it wouldn't be hard to do that mod. I believe many smart chargers have an override switch now.

[@michaelkulman7095]

​@@TheUltimateRecycler Even when a bypass method exists the manufacturer often essentially hides it. If one has the manual, fine. If the manual is easily found online, fine. It's all rather irksome. To bypass, a series of buttons or switches must be pressed in a certain order or simultaneously in a way that isn't spelled out on the unit. It's not like there's an obvious switch or setting staring up at you. And, most just don't have a bypass nowadays.

[@km-gi4lw]

That's a Big Trick simplified by your explanation over the top of the presentation. Many people have done this type before yet never convinced me as you have . This will be great for the squillion power tool batteries in the world . Thank you , much appreciated .

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks for watching and your excellent comment KM!

[@Fred-q1x]

I have got the same charger as that one but 2.7 amp. Could not get it to charge a 100% dead car battery, but as soon as I did this the charger kicked into life. Another clip suggested hooking up a fully charged CAR battery to achieve this. If I had a spare fully charged car battery sitting round I wouldn't be stranded!! You just saved my life!!! Thank you!!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Fred! Yes, and it's much easier to carry a small 9v battery than a spare car battery!

[@kelvinfunkner]

This was amazing...only wish I'd seen it before I threw out my old Genius smart charger and bought a new one.. (it was behaving the same way) Thanks for sharing this information!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Kelvin. I wonder how many perfectly fine chargers went into the bin?

[@tonycodolo]

Mate, you SAVED me about €90 I had 2 batteries that would not charge. Was about to toss them, then saw this, tried it, worked like a charm. Thanx.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Fantastic Tony, that's what I like to hear! 😀👍

[@colinsmith911]

Wish I'd seen this before giving up on my smart charger and buying a "proper" charger. Great little video

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Colin! 😊

[@giuseppeformisano7448]

Hello, I just tried this right and it worked! Thanks for the knowledge, I truly appreciate human intelligence!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Hello Giuseppe! I'm glad it worked for you. Thanks for watching😊👍

[@ronchappel4812]

Thanks! I partly knew these things but you filled in the important details😀

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Great! Thanks for watching Ron! 😊👍

[@robertboyd3863]

@@TheUltimateRecycler I knew to boast them with another battery , but never thought of using a simple little 9 volt

[@sactko6]

Just bought a Centech charger today & it wouldn’t charge my dead battery from my mower. The 9 volt battery trick worked. Thanks so much.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's excellent! Thanks for watching Sherry 😊👍

[@jamesdie-castdilemma7837]

Thank you for this awesome trick, i used a 12v drill battery for mine and it did the job great. I will be keeping this one in the books!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent James, glad you found the video useful! 👍😊

[@ec9156]

Did this with my battery tender 4amp "smart" Dual regular & Lithium charger & your regular 9 volt battery hack by just tapping 5x's the connection for one second each tap, Battery Tender recognized the dead "Lithium" 12 volt motorcycle battery and within 5 seconds was charging. Brilliant, & Cheers, Eric from NC-USA.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's excellent Eric! Thanks for watching and sharing your success 😊👍

[@dfabeagle718]

Good info! I've put a "wall wart" 12v power supply on a car battery for a couple of hours before to put enough into it for the new charger to turn on. Technically, I guess if you have a few days to wait, that same wall wart would charge the battery at a steaming 500mA - 1A. If I cared enough or had enough time, hunting down a floating charge circuit would probably make it a useful thing to keep hooked up. The battery maintainer chargers are like that, but I'm too lazy to hook one of those up. Lead acid batteries are pretty much a rental item here in the States. They build them to last almost exactly what the warranty is, and if it ever froze discharged, it seems like pretty much game over for that battery no matter what you try.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

We don't have issues with freezing here, but I've wondered how that effects a lead-acid battery! 🤔 Yes, manufacturers of all kinds have pretty much mastered the skill of making something that just makes end of warranty period 🙄

[@Ridethebomb777]

Excellent tip. I have had the same problem, and to solve it I hooked up my booster pack 3 times for 20 seconds .... pushes a very low level of charge into the battery, but enough that my "smart" charger can recognize and start its cycle.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's another way to kick start things, yep. Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@dienekes4364]

I have a Dodge Journey that has 2 12v Aux ports, one that should only turn on when the car is on and one that is always on. The switched port stopped working, so I plugged my cell signal booster and dashcam into the always-on port. Unfortunately, I didn't drive the car for a few days and it drained the battery. I have one of these "smart chargers" and it refused to charge the battery, with a msg "battery fault". Once I jump-started the car with my truck, the battery charged right up. Gotta love how they "make things better" by completely screwing them up.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha, yep and they call it "progress"!! 🤣🤣

[@daveblevins3322]

"Smart chargers" were a stupid invention. Some things should just be left alone.

[@f15eagleger]

This is great! I will use this technique next time. I ended up using my other vehicle with jumpers to bring the voltage up on the dead battery and then used my smart charger to do the rest.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent, I'm glad you found this useful! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@Scooter30FTW]

This will come in handy some day. Wish I had one of those old heavy battery chargers.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

I have a few floating around - I usually sell then in the shop for $20 - $30

[@vtecbobby]

Brilliant mate. This saved me the ballache of pulling the battery out my van in the rain

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent, I'm glad to have helped! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@rjcote45]

Excellent! Thank you very much for a quick-ish (could be more terse), effective and informative demonstration. I've wondered of late exactly about using a battery "jumper" and if needs to stay on for the entire charging duration or just long enough to momentarily satisfy the "smart-charger's" test threshold. People always want to call that "fooling the system" . Uggh! Anyway, there are so many bad videos that are verbose, circular, unfocused, rambling, incorrect technically and/or "muddy", overly long and rather boring and/or stupid. Your video shines like a beacon in the galaxy ... to paraphrase Forbidden Planet! Seriously, I cannot thank you enough!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Man, that comment rates well into the top ten of the best & most complimentary I've received! Many thanks from one beacon to another! 😍👍

[@waltp3373]

Forbidden Planet was my favorite old time SciFi movie. What has that got to do with battery chargers? Absolutely nothing.

[@robertmencl9169]

I am doing a hybrid battery right now...your question of leave the jumping battery on through the charge is important. when I use another car battery to bring them up to where the "smart" charger charger will latch on, I just flash it for a few seconds. I have a voltmeter clipped on the dead cell, and can immediately see when the charger kicks in and starts climbing, thats when you can disconnect the good battery.

[@oscarsalinas5431]

P

[@quirkygenius]

Great idea! Tried it and it works. It's "insane" why they do this, the shock from a 12v isn't that high. . and HOW would you charge a "dead" battery. I made a set of alligator clips and 9v to throw in my CenTech Harbor Freight charger.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks mate. Who knows why they do half the stuff they do! Thanks for watching 😊

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

The HF Cen-tech charge needs to see 7V before it will charge. There is a hack where you solder a switch inside to 2 solder joints to bypass the anti-short safety feature and get it started. This is only "old style charger" I have found that is still on the market. Too bad it has the 7V safety feature.

[@CGT80]

part of it is the reverse polarity protection. The horrible freight roll around charger that my grandfather had was not working. I tore it apart as there wasn't power to the leads but at different points inside it had power. There is a relay that is activated by the power from the battery you are charging. If you hook it up with the correct polarity, then the relay allows a connection to the charger circuit. Hook it up backwards or have a flat battery and the relay will not make a connection. I have a small "smart" charger as well and have had it tell me a battery was bad, then had an old charger bring it back to life. It wasn't until I tore apart the HF charger that I figured out how unsmart the new chargers are. This is a great and easy trick that I will keep in mind.

[@atburke6258]

Sir. Thank you for your video, it seems to have helped quite a few folks. An older battery, especially one that gotten as dead as it was, might mot have the ability to take and hold a full spec charge. Your charger is 4.3 amps. 1.5 hours would give an output of about 6.5 amps. the battery would only absorb part of that, say 4.5 to 5 amps. The new capacity of that small 9 plate battery should be around 37.5 amps. At 1.5 hours the battery cannot be very full from the charge rate. It would probably take 10-12 hours to give that battery the best charge it could take considering its condition. My information is free and worth every penny.... A T Burke

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes, that sounds about right AT. Actually, I don't think the battery was any good in the end - but that wasn't the point of the video. Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@dermick]

Great tip - just helped me get a charger going. I knew that it needed some voltage to get going, but I didn't have another battery or any wires where I am now - your 9v battery idea plus a couple of coat hangers got it going - thanks mate!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Great improvisation with the coat hangers! Nice work 👍😊

[@Nas_Atlas]

Oh that's so nice. Much simpler than the other ways to deal with that problem.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks NA 👍

[@6panel300]

I've had exactly the same problem with my smart charger. I thought about doing but got lent a normal charger in the meantime so I haven't got around to trying it yet. Nice video, well explained.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Many thanks for watching mate 👍😃

[@jjames5475]

Wow Sir ..!! Very Smart . Ingenious. Thank You for this Video 🙏

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks heaps for watching 👍😀

[@lithgowlights859]

Some chargers have a boost or low voltage button that pretty much does this, but the 9V battery is ideal as its something that many people will have. Give it a good charge and then a run on a good reconditioning charger to help desulfate it and it will be a good spare

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes I believe that some have an override button which is a good idea. Reconditioning chargers are great for getting the best life from a battery. The one I used had a crook cell though - but it was a good example for the video. It ended up going to the scrapyard!

[@danburch9989]

Brilliant! I may have tossed a smart charger years ago because I didn't know this. I don't understand why the 27 thumbs down (as of my viewing).

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Who knows Dan! I guess some people have nothing better to do! Thanks for watching mate 😊👍

[@grominwithrob1339]

I used this trick a few weeks back to get my "smart" trickle charger to start charging on one of my seldom used motorcycles. Worked great and now my smart charger is keeping a maintenance charge on the battery.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent! Thanks for watching Rob 👍

[@mrc4912]

Kudos to this suggestion. It's a lot easier than running jumper cables to another car to obtain the same result. And what if you don't have another car or set of jumper cables? It's easy to just break out a 9v battery and give the thing a 'kick' enough to start charging.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Mr C. Yep, it's an easy hack 👍😊

[@RobbiRocks]

Seems straight forward, no fake bullshit etc.. Great info, Thanks for having no annoying back ground music aswell,

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Robbi! Yeah, background music in videos bugs me too! 🙄👍

[@Wranorn]

Nice Video 4:30 for those who know about "smart" chargers and that they need voltage on the charging leads to actually activate. Problem is that some of the "smart" chargers are smarter. They check the voltage regularly so you will likely here the relay solenoid kick on and off. You would need to leave the donor battery connected.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Somehow technology just seems to over-complicate everything these days! 🙄🙄 If a donor battery needed to stay connected, then another rechargeable battery would be required. The little 9 volt one would fry!

[@NarcissistAU]

Absolute legend! It worked for me, thank you very, very much. Saved me from screwing around with jumpers or tearing the garage apart looking for my 'dumb' charger from the 90's. I guess the smart/trickle/float chargers aren't great if you forget to plug them in before the battery goes flat, consider me schooled! Rock on sir! Details for the curious: Car battery (960 CCA, Calcium SMF) - Century Charger CC2160 - stuck flashing 'eco', no charging, no force start instructions. 1) Disconnected car battery; 2) Touched 9v battery positive terminal to car battery positive terminal for 10 seconds - I wanted to try disconnected from charger first for safety because I'm a wimp; 3) Connected charger to battery and switched on mains supply; 4) Smile! It's running the charging programme from 'initial charging', the dead battery slow pre-charge step. If it fails to progress through the rest of the programme all the way to float I'll report back, otherwise huzzah!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha, excellent! Thanks for watching and your very detailed comment! 😊👍

[@GavinM47]

Thank you Sir, I've been sat scratching my head wondering why my new 'smart charger' isn't working!!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep, I initially had the same itch! Thanks for watching Gavin 😊😊

[@rolydato5326]

Best video on smart chargers and flat batteries

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thank you Roly! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@justinjamesuk7657]

Thanks alot mate.. That was a great tip and well presented vid. Really helpful. I hate chucking stuff away.. And insist on trying everything to rescue it 1st. God bless that handy 9v battery. Cheers.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Justin and good on you for trying to save stuff too! 😀👍

[@neilfoster814]

Wow, how useful! I have a so called "smart charger", and same as this one, 0 volts as a power supply, a flat battery also gives 0v. Definitely going to try this hack. Thanks for the information.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks for watching Neil! It should work fine 👍😊

[@morebetter7901]

thanks for sharing, life saver tip. I knew the the charger was working, but battery was just too flat. I knew it needed to be triggered somehow, but I thought I needed another car battery: I used my drill battery instead!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent! Yes, a drill battery will work fine! 👍😊

[@mikepike7063]

Brilliant TUC ! This helped me no end with my mobility scooter ! (2 x 12v x 75ah batteries!). The charger , after a year or so of non-use, charged the scooter overnight - but next day not all the lights were lit which was odd! The scooter was useless - no power at all uphill. Would move on the flat or downhill. I was going to remove the cells and treat them like this video does the flat battery - BUT the charger knew there was a battery or two connected so I aborted that idea!!! I wondered if the charger assumed full charge because the voltage from the scooter exceeded 12v? I propped up the drive wheels and ran the motor with no load at HIGH and LOW and Hare and Tortoise speeds and the wheels kept turning! (Toilet roll tube on the handle bars and over one paddle is a good way to run the battery into the ground). I ran it down to near zero on HIGH. Then switched to LOW where it ran on 3 reds until it dropped to 2. Turned off the display showed in the amber zone so I could have discharge for longer for sure. Recharged the scooter and it charged up with an hour and the power was as good as new! Drove up the ramp into the Berlingo - no problems. I just need to use it nw and the charging cycle will improve imho. I was almost ready to order Lithium batteries which would be £600 to over a grand for 75ah - so Ulimate Recycler is a hero in my house! Thank you for the tip!!!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha, thanks Mike! 😃👍

[@jgrenwod]

Works on tool battery chargers too. That tool battery that won’t charge is often just too flat to be recognized by the charger. A AA cell connected to the battery for just a second will give enough surface charge for the charger to recognize it.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes, a few have mentioned this! Thanks mate! 😀👍

[@Frank-Thoresen]

But tool batteries are often more than 12v. Most smart chargers just charge 12v.

[@jgrenwod]

@@Frank-Thoresen Tool battery chargers are smart chargers too.

[@Frank-Thoresen]

So you are saying that using this method with a small battery on a tool battery charger might work on a battery that is under the threshold voltage

[@jgrenwod]

@@Frank-Thoresen yes. The smart chargers just needs to see some voltage. Try it.

[@keithtanner2806]

Fascinating, I had exactly that yesterday when my daughter left an interior light on in her car flattening the battery. I was about to return the nearly new smart charger!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Timing is everything Keith! Glad I was able to help 😊👍

[@TaxationWithoutRepresentation]

Yeah, this worked for me. I used speaker wire lol. Thanks for the SOLID tip!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent! Great work 👍😊

[@mattwaters6987]

Glad i came across your video. Excellent information. Thank you!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Matt! 😊👍

[@marvinkatz5624]

I hope you see this your idea worked great trigger the 9-volt battery on my big car charger now i can use the charger on my electrolysis tank works so good thanks again

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent Marvin! I think it depends on the charger whether you can use them for electrolysis once triggered to start up. Some cheaper ones will keep shutting down. Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@gregoryboyk2612]

Thanks!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Many thanks Greg, that's awesome!! 😀😀

[@monstasonix]

You’re doing Gods work with this video mate. Thanks 🙏

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha, thanks Josh! He was busy, so I had to help out! 😉🤣

[@hikerJohn]

OK, this is a new method for me, Ive always just connected two battery chargers to the battery but this is good as well. I always have a 9v battery in my truck and house.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

.. and 9v batteries are much lighter to carry around! Thanks for watching John 👍😊

[@ronostrenski8359]

Thanks. It made me laugh. I actually did pull the charger apart looking for the fuse and to fix it. Great video. I hope it prevents them from being binned.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks mate! I'm sure we aren't the only two on the planet that went looking for a fuse! 🤣

[@spawn1086]

Good video, the only thing forgotten is always remove caps so pressure doesn't build up, fluid level helps too.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep, good point! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@geoffg659]

I never thought about using a 9 volt battery to trick the charger. thank you

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks for watching Geoff 👍😊

[@roadwarrior8560]

I had a smart charger but it wouldn't start working on any battery even one I knew was charged, So I threw away the charger and bought a Ring RSC808. Subbed.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Well, it sounds like your charger did indeed have a fault! Thanks for hoping on board! 😊👍

[@molinkie]

Very clever! I just had a similar experience with a smart charger I own and a vehicle sitting unused for a few months. Fortunately, I have a second charger with a "jump charge" function that got the vehicle battery past the smart charger's "start volt" threshold. I knew what you would do as soon as I noticed the 9V battery and clip leads in the background. I'll remember that!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yeah I believe some chargers now have an override switch which is sensible! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@tucoselby]

You can also buy smart chargers that will charge a dead flat battery. Manual mode (force mode) allows you to charge a dead battery down to zero volts.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep, they all should really have this feature! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@Abitibidoug]

Interesting video. I have 2 old school dumb battery chargers, but no smart ones. If I ever find myself trying to use a smart charger but have no luck I'll know what to do to get it to work. Another strategy would be to take it apart and put in a bypass switch or button for a completely dead battery, or to use it as a DC power supply.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

I believe some have an override switch which is sensible! Thanks for watching Doug 👍😊

[@GK-sh7ck]

Needed to be "excited" to begin charging. Reminds me of the days when generators were installed in everything.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Ah, those were the days! Thanks for watching Grampa Garry! 👍😀

[@joshmanning]

Man, this is freaking genius! I totally discharged my motorcycle mattery a year ago. It cost me $600 in transport and repair time (British bike so nobody services it). I just discharged it again, but this time it's going to cost $5 - the cost of some new alligator clips. Thanks, mate!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's awesome Josh! Thanks for watching and I'm glad it was helpful! 😁👍

[@royblackburn1163]

Here on this side of the pond we use crocodile clips maybe that's a problem haha

[@meditatingfish]

I wouldn't ever have tried that. Recharging a standard battery can be dangerous, as you'll know. But it only needs to be connected for a fraction of a second. I have an apparently dead 110 Amp hour battery that "trick" may help. Thanks for posting this.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Heff. Yes, just a momentary touch is quite safe 👍😊

[@teardowndan5364]

Many jumper packs have a safety override to get around the dead-flat battery issue. Smart chargers need one too. You can probably add one by wiring a 100 ohms resistor in series with a momentary switch across whatever isolates the output.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

I believe many smart chargers now have an override, which is sensible! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@ianstewart5297]

I used to use a trickle charger first then put it onto the smart charger and that worked ok. But good vid.👍

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Ian. Yep - that would work too 👍😊

[@philstreeter9703]

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing. I've hooked another battery to the dead battery and left it for a day.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Phil! 😊👍

[@KB-hy4di]

Great video! So helpful and I think this is exactly what’s happening to me right now, so thanks!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Great, I'm glad it was helpful KB 😀

[@martinnorbeck4657]

I salvaged a 24v charger from an order picker and it was just the same procedure. I almost threw it out thinking it was no good. I jumped a twelve volt battery across like you did and it charged up a 24v forkift battery. Each cell had two volts thus six cells. 1990s lift.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent! Nice work Martin 👍🙌

[@davidrobins7753]

Thanks for the very useful information.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks David 😊👍

[@johnhhinton5473]

Thanks Mate. Worked like a charm. You the man. 😉😊

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's awesome John! 👍😊

[@hmmhmm4967]

Waw, its like 'jump starting the battery charger with a 9 volt battery'; brilliant hack, thanks 🙏

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Exactly! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@madsighntist14]

THANK YOU! I do home hobiest electronics, and just bout a "smart charger", for my 2 Deep Cell "Marine Batteries" (for powering an electric trowling motor) . . . I also had a "DEAD" AGM battery, tested @ under 1 Volt, I will try this trick, and see what happens!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks for watching mate! Hope the trick worked for you! 😊👍

[@jonwikan3986]

Awesome trick! I was going to find a good car battery and hook up leads to trick mine. I thought about using a 9v but thought it would fail, Thanks for the tip.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

No worries Jon, glad you found the video useful! 👍😊

[@jerryc7016]

Awesome information. I tossed out a few SLA batteries that my smart charger would not charge. Will try this fix next time. 👍

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Jerry! No sense throwing out things we don't have to! 😊

[@limosine]

I loved the Curiosity Show and wondered where you got to!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Haha, I used to watch that too! My inspiration maybe? (for science and the moustache!) 🤣

[@countryboy4542]

2003 - 2008 I worked at a national tool store, dozens of times, the cashiers called me to the desk with the customers complaints the charger wouldn't work, as they couldn't get a spark from the clamps, no lights came on. I'd take even a flashlight battery & touch the terminals, it worked. They hadn't even tried to charge the battery because they didn't get a spark. If the battery was completely dead, I told them the same trick you showed.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Good work Country Boy! 😊👍

[@dandaniels851]

The 9v battery is a great tip. But you still need a battery load tester to see if the battery is of any use. The faithful multimeter just doesn't cut it.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep true. This battery ended up going to the scrapyard as it had a crook cell!

[@dandaniels851]

@TheUltimateRecycler I gutted the last dead car battery because It had a good flip up handle I lined with rubber exercise mat ,hinged and latched the lid and made a six beer can cooler out of it and everyone loved it and wanted one 👍🏻🤠

[@thomasrice9676]

Brilliant! So, from here how can I hook up a rusted artifact to do the electrolysis? From the battery terminals to the artifact while everything else (charger to the battery) remains hooked up? Thanks

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That could work I guess - I've never tried it. I just use a standard old school 'dumb' charger for electrolysis. Thanks for watching Thomas 😊👍

[@victoryfirst2878]

My friend gets batteries from someone who has access all the time. He claims that one in five batteries is actually BAD. He cleans the bottom of the unit with solution and refills the acid from the original battery. The charger goes to town and revives the 12 volt battery. He sells every one of them for fifty bucks. Nice to meet you to Sir. Shame you are on the other side of the pond. Have yourself a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Peace vf

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks VF! Merry Christmas to you too! Have a good one 😊👍

[@andywright2606]

Good video mate, excellent work convincing the "smart" charger there is actually a battery connected. Cheers 👍

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Andy, appreciate you watching and the comment 👍😀

[@dporrasxtremeLS3]

Outstanding! I have a few of these and won't give them away! 2 thumbs UP!!!

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Many thanks Davil! 👍👍😊

[@misterniceguy64]

Worked perfectly. Using a Schumcher automatic charger (1304), charging a battery that showed 0.2 V on meter as I write this.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent Thomas, thanks for the feedback! 😊👍

[@FFLFFS]

Thanks .. those were some good points. Ie The trickle charge part. • Keep your tester on the post with a solid connection, and if the battery loses voltage at a steady rate, then you can tell if the battery is shorted out by the sulphite crystals. • a welder hooked up at 35 A. (I’m guessing 48 V) does supposedl boil the corrosion off those plates. Be careful do it for no longer than five minutes at a time in a the well ventilated area. don’t be smoking cigarettes or something.lol..

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

I'm not sure I'd be game to try the welder trick Henri! 😲😱

[@FFLFFS]

@@TheUltimateRecycler I know eh ! I have 2 expensive batteries that have a dead cells. And other than throwing them away I think I might set up some sort of steel cage lol. The guy I watched on utube was braver idk. I did some math with a 135 amp alternator. with a 12-48v converter dialed into 48v I’d get 33.75 amps. (For the boats 36v tolling motor) I might use that. I don’t like shorting out the welder for that long , those mother boards are expensive.

[@brendanpells912]

I used to design battery chargers. The electronics was powered up by the battery you connect it to, so you won't get any output until a battery is connected to it. This is called 'sparkless' connection. The control circuit requires a minimum voltage to operate to avoid trying to charge into a battery in deep discharge or a shorted cell. The chargers we made would fold back to the correct float voltage after a certain time. A common problem is users not leaving the charger on long enough to get the full charge into battery. If it's a powered golf trolley they might plug it in at 10pm, then unplug it at 7:30 the next day for another day on the golf course. Not allowing the charger to run the full cycle leads to a loss of capacity, and nothing infuriates a golfer more than his trolley running out after 16 holes.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thanks Brendan, that's interesting. Is that what they refer to as a battery's "memory". If it is not fully charged regularly, the battery then remembers the incomplete charge level as "full" and you have less capacity as a result? Trees were my main infuriation when I was a golfer! There were too many of them! 🤣

[@brendanpells912]

@@TheUltimateRecycler It applies to lead-acid batteries. Holding the battery at the 'absorption' voltage for hours gets the last 15% of charge into the battery and it's essential to do it periodically or the battery will suffer. All the battery makers have their preferred charging regime. For example, if the charger current drops below 5% of rated current, an internal timer then starts which holds it at the absorption voltage for maybe 8, or 12 hours, then it drops the volts down to a safe indefinite float voltage. If it holds the absorption voltage for too long the electrolyte can start to boil off and with a sealed battery there's no way of topping it up.

[@aivkara]

Excellent info, Brendan, thank you!

[@jimdeavenport9952]

Im glad I came across your video. It just so happens I have a "Smart" charger that has no output voltage. I will try and re-train it like you did. Will let all kmow how it works out.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Perfect! Hope it works for you Jim! 👍😊

[@mstover2809]

I just had a similar experience with a battery charger a friend just picked up from Harbor Freight. Car battery was to discharged to activate charger, so I used jumper cables from another battery to trick the charger into charging!

[@timk5867]

Me to

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yep, easy to do when you know the trick! Well done 👍

[@jdwisdom9433]

Hoss, ya just saved my bacon!! I have a large and small battery charger that won't do diddily squat to to the many so called "dead" batteries I have, but now I know what to do!! Thanks a Bundle!! JD

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Pleased to have helped JD! Bring those dead babies back to life! 👍😁

[@jraymond3218]

Thank you for the video. Much more informative than other videos I,ve seen.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks 👍😊

[@johncarter7284]

I have an older Craftsman smart charger that has a switch to manually charge a totally dead battery, after a few minutes on manual it can be switched to auto. I like the auto mode because if you forget to take it off it won't overcharge the battery and simply maintains the full charge.

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's a sensible idea John - they probably all should have a smart-bypass switch! 👍😊

[@s1dew1nd3r4]

what model is it called please? id love to get something like that - i have a couple of the aldi smart chargers and they work fine but if the voltage is below a certain level wont detect and its a pain in the arse!

[@JacknVictor]

Cheers mate. I will be able to get ny "legs" back in operational order with this trick! Thank you

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

That's great mate! 👍😊

[@mikerequa820]

Great video young man!! I bought a new battery charger it would charger a dead battery either I will try this. Thanks for sharing be safe have fun

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Thank you Mike! Appreciate you watching! 😊👍

[@captlarry-3525]

4.3 amp is not anything but a low rate on a battery this big. Grateful for the voltage sensing trick !

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Yes true - but at least it's charging! 😊👍

[@captlarry-3525]

I am grateful for the voltage sensing trick. what ticks me off is my "30 Amp" De Walt smart charger.. which will not charge above 5.9 amps no matter how low the battery is..and simply will not charge at all is the battery is quite low. Then I have to use the stupid charger !

[@thm3525]

I just had this issue yesterday. Good information to know now. Thanks

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

Excellent! Thanks for watching 😊👍

[@tonyrobertson8408]

Great video, but is it time to fix the grandfather clock?