Battery problem

So I apparently left my ignition switch in the on position on my mini ex maybe a month ago. The 1 year old battery now has 0 volts. A battery charger does not show any charging input. Tried to jump it with my tractor and got sparking when connecting to the negative terminal on the dead batt which I know should not happen. Is there a way to bring this back to life or am I going to the battery store? And yes the water level is correct, terminals are clean.

Sulfation is the classic term for killing a battery.

Try putting it on an old fashioned analog slow charger for a day or two.

Since it did not freeze it may come back some, but guaranteed the plates are damaged from going so low. Try to remember that saving $150 today to blow the starter tomorrow will only cause more aggravation. Starters do not like batteries that drop too much when under load, in other words they need batteries that can maintain high voltage to be able to spin the starter over quickly. If it does not come back to 12.4 volts minimum from charging, and maintain at least about 10.0 volts while cranking, head to the local quality battery store. Simon C

Leave it on a 10A or so transformer charger for a few days and recheck. No electronics, no polarity protection. Caution! You can charge it backwards. After you get it to show 10+ volts you may try one of the electronic pulser chargers. Some say they work, others say they are snake oil. YMMV

There is a place here that reconditions batteries that I had really good luck with. I think they replace the acid and then have a special charger that alternates different charging rates over 24 hours or more. I got a used 8D battery for $80 that lasted 10 years! The original owner of the business was much better and always seemed to have a good stock of reconditioned batteries. The new owner has been out of stock of a couple popular batteries the last times I needed one. I went to a place that sells batteries made in the Philippines that are much cheaper. I think $99 or $109 for group 31 batteries. I'll have to see how long they last. They sat all winter and started the grader started up instantly after sitting for over 4 month's so so far so good.

A battery that's been drawn down to zero for months rarely recovers and if it does it doesn't last long. Kind of like a person suffering heat stroke--never the same again.

thanks guys. I have it on the bench now and will try the charger again in the morning. should I use 2 amps or 10? If I can get some decent voltage into it I have a couple of Battery Minder de-sulfating trickle chargers that I've had pretty good luck with, but it does take some time.

A one year old battery should have warranty. Maybe pro rated (reduced) price, but still not full price for a new battery. I'd just be getting a new one and move on.

InsleyGuy said: thanks guys. I have it on the bench now and will try the charger again in the morning. should I use 2 amps or 10? If I can get some decent voltage into it I have a couple of Battery Minder de-sulfating trickle chargers that I've had pretty good luck with, but it does take some time. Click to expand... I have successfully brought batteries back to life starting on low amperage. Like Willie says, if it has a warranty, take advantage of that but if not, you have nothing to lose.

Especially if charger is solar powered. Franky was started with a bolt of lighting.

I'll play with it for a few days and see what happens, but I suspect there's a shiny new battery in my future.

A fully discharged sealed lead acid battery (SLAB) will be seriously degraded even if you can get it to charge to full voltage. The main problem is the sulfuric acid and lead plates turned into lead sulfate that either falls off the plate and fill the bottom of the battery box causing a short between the cells or stays on the plate as a hardened semi-crystal that doesn't break back down into elemental lead and sulfuric acid during recharge. You'll more than likely be able to get the voltage back up to 12-13v using a strong charger but I doubt the plates will be able to push a safe current during a start. You might fry your starter as stated above due to a weak battery. There was a battery thread a few months ago where we beat to death the option of using AGMs but it covered a lot of same issues you'll deal with on a SLAB. If it was me, I wouldn't risk it and just get a new batt. I think the final consensus was you could get a quality group 31 battery at most truck centers for around $100 give or take a few. https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/agm-batteries-in-equipment.122145/

LCA078 said: A fully discharged sealed lead acid battery (SLAB) will be seriously degraded even if you can get it to charge to full voltage. The main problem is the sulfuric acid and lead plates turned into lead sulfate that either falls off the plate and fill the bottom of the battery box causing a short between the cells or stays on the plate as a hardened semi-crystal that doesn't break back down into elemental lead and sulfuric acid during recharge. You'll more than likely be able to get the voltage back up to 12-13v using a strong charger but I doubt the plates will be able to push a safe current during a start. You might fry your starter as stated above due to a weak battery. There was a battery thread a few months ago where we beat to death the option of using AGMs but it covered a lot of same issues you'll deal with on a SLAB. If it was me, I wouldn't risk it and just get a new batt. I think the final consensus was you could get a quality group 31 battery at most truck centers for around $100 give or take a few. https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/agm-batteries-in-equipment.122145/ Click to expand... Correct. This is a common issue on electric industrial truck batteries because operators will discharge the batteries excessively before recharging. In a charged lead/acid battery the sulfuric acid is suspended in the electrolyte solution. As the battery discharges the sulfuric acid is absorbed back into the porous lead plates. If it remains that way too long it will sulfate the plates. That's why the bohunkin chargers for industrial trucks typically have a "sulfate cycle", which charges at a higher voltage than normal to cook the lead sulfate from the plates, but those batteries are designed for that, automotive batteries and plates really are not.

Truck Shop said: Sulfation is the classic term for killing a battery. Click to expand...

That was post #2, only to be repeated and beat to death again.

Truck Shop said: That was post #2, only to be repeated and beat to death again. Click to expand... Well, in all fairness, you just made a statement, which was fact, but you didn't explain the "how". Some topics only need a statement of fact, other times become a teachable moment, which expounds on the fact of the statement by explaining the "how it works".

People need to look up the how--otherwise it's all AI or youtube, self help is best with a manual or dictionary.

InsleyGuy said: So I apparently left my ignition switch in the on position on my mini ex maybe a month ago. The 1 year old battery now has 0 volts. A battery charger does not show any charging input. Tried to jump it with my tractor and got sparking when connecting to the negative terminal on the dead batt which I know should not happen. Is there a way to bring this back to life or am I going to the battery store? And yes the water level is correct, terminals are clean. Click to expand...

Thank you for the added info. I assume then that lead sulfate shorting the plates is the cause of the sparking when connecting the negative jumper cable. Had a friend tell me today that he's had some success with dumping the batt and refilling with fresh acid...any thoughts??