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Thanks a Million: A 'Scooter Story'

I want to take this time to thank those who responded to my inquiry concerning the placement of batteries in a parallel circuit; the situation concerns my scooter, which I desperately need in order to navigate my little world. Some of you may recall my name, as I dealt with a different issue concerning this scooter some time ago. In spite of not being helped by the 'brick and mortar' place I bought the scooter, the problem was eventually found; a friend of mine found that the wiring to the fuse was all corroded. Go figure!

In any event, a friend of mine came by today to hook up the two other batteries; everything is fine. I certainly couldn't do it. I can't even lift one of the batteries without experiencing pain.

Now -- the question turns to recharging. I am assuming, because the 'unit' is still being considered a 12-volt system, that my charger, which is an excellent one from UPS (charges 12 volt systems such as mine in about 4 hours), that the charger will recognize it as such. Am I correct? Am I also correct to assume that it will probably take a little longer (perhaps almost as twice the time) to recharge, given a situation when the batteries are in need of a full charge?

I did read one respondent's concerns -- about the risk of the batteries' demise, should they 'blow up.' I don't doubt that this can happen, although I have yet to see a battery meet its death in this way. So, I am assuming that 'all systems go.' The scooter works fine; the 'idiot light,' when I first had the other batteries hooked up, registered about 3/4, which is about right, considering the state of all of the batteries when it was done. Thanks again -- Mark

Reply to
mea305
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Most chargers have circuits that prevent their self-destruction so you should have no problem using your existing charger with the new configuration. Yes, it will take longer to charge now.

What happens if you connect two automobile lead-acid batteries plus to minus and minus to plus is the production of enormous short-circuit currents that generate intense heat. The heat produces gas (hydrogen, etc.) under great pressure that can cause either or both batteries to explode. Caution should always be the order of the day.

So, I am assuming that 'all systems go.' The scooter works fine;

Good luck.

Chuck

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Reply to
chuck

Thanks, Chuck.

I have two more sets of batteries -- and my friend hooked up one more set. The only reason I have so many batteries is due to my own ignorance and the inept customer service at the place I bought the scooter; they had me convinced that the batteries were equipped with a "chip" that memorizes the "half-life" (as they called it) of the batteries, and if I were to recharge too early, they would no longer work. All of this went on while a small wire was corroded on the bottom of the scooter -- over-looked by the same people, three times!

Oh, well....things are fine now..have scooter, will travel.

Mark

chuck wrote:

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Reply to
mea305

Just a quick note: batteries can blow up, if they are lead/acid and are not maintained properly (fluid levels checked and maintained.) I have had one do this in my car, when I didn't check and maintain the fluid levels in the cells. The bottom line is, when you charge a lead/acid battery, hydrogen is produced and fills any empty space in the cells. If you them connect a charger and it sparks when the connectionis made, a "small" explosion can result, rupturing the battery walls. Fix: connect the positive charger cable/wire to the positive terminal of the battery first, then connect the negative cable/wire to a chassis ground point away from the battery. Or at least this is how it would work for a car... You may have a plug-in connection for your charger, and that should be okay. Just try to avoid sparks in the vicinity of a discharged battery, and keep the fluid levels maintained.

Sorry if this is confusing, or irrelevant. I just know that lead/acid batteries can blow up as I have had one do that to me.

Good luck,

Dave

Reply to
Dave

Hi Dave:

My batteries are lead, acid-free batteries; they are relatively small and weigh about 3.5-4 pounds, at the most. There is virtually no maintenance required, other than, perhaps, ensuring that they don't leak; but I have been told by some that the acid is somewhat very difficult to "get to."

I share your concerns about the explosion of batteries and I don't doubt your integrity. I want to thank you for bringing this to my attention -- because it is certainly something to keep in my mind.

For others who are interested, I had one more set of batteries -- and how I got them was formerly explained. I had my friend take those two other batteries and hook them up in the same parallel configuration. Because of the reduced weight of the batteries, this does not cause a problem, and the increased amount of time between charges certainly 'out-weighs' any problems due to weight.

The 'only concern' I have at this point is the same question I presented in the past: I am assuming that my charger, when hooked up, will 'act' as if it were charging any other 12-volt unit; am I correct in that assumption? I rationalized this by realizing that, at any given time, the output from the system is no more than 12 volts because it is configured in a parallel system. It would certainly, however, take longer to charge, correct? But, the effort has paid off, tremendously, in that the scooter seems to have more 'torque,' without giving the motor anymore than 12 volts.

Thanks,

Mark Dave wrote:

Reply to
mea305

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