Hello Jim –
I took interest in your response to the post by Steven J S “Letter Re: Some Real Life Battery Data” and the concept of storing “dry batteries”. From my long and intensive research on this, you are absolutely correct. Finding a true dry battery (one that was not flooded and then emptied) is nearly impossible. Perhaps some other SurvivalBlog readers can provide some help on this topic, but I have found that in order to truly get a dry battery – one that has never been flooded with acid – one would almost have to work at the manufacturing factory or component supply level – i.e. be an insider in the industry. My interest in this topic, as I am sure most of your readers’, is in the area of deep cycle and commercial batteries. I do have a small solar generation system, and would love to be able to buy shelf-stable batteries to put up for the future. I find that I get about seven years out of my Trojan L-16s [before they sulfate to the point that they will not hold a charge.] It frustrates me that I can’t store extra batteries for future use. Really, most all the companies (Including Trojan) that I have talked to tell me that they can not (or will not) sell true dry batteries to the general public.
So here is the question I have for the chemists out there in your readership base. Would it be possible to buy some freshly manufactured batteries, and then remove the acid yourself and store separately? How difficult is it to evacuate a battery? Can the plates then be neutralized by adding an alkaline solution to stop the small amount of sulfation that has/would take place if the batteries plates were not neutralized? Should the battery then be flushed with fresh water? There has to some way to accomplish this and produce a shelf stable storage strategy for what will become very precious assets in the future. Any help your readers could offer would be much appreciated, and of course, all the safety precautions you mentioned in your first must be strictly adhered to when doing this type of work. Thank You, – Fullclip