What causes battery self-discharge?

Batteries generate electricity due to a chemical reaction inside the cell. However, the reaction could also happen at a smaller scale, when the battery’s electrodes are not connected. That means that the battery’s charge gradually reduces over time. This phenomenon is called self-discharge.

Do lead acid batteries self-discharge?

All batteries, regardless of their chemistry, will self-discharge. The rate of self-discharge for lead acid batteries depends on the storage or operating temperature. At a temperature of 80 degrees F. a lead acid battery will self-discharge at a rate of approximately 4\% a week.

What does it mean if a battery is discharging?

Discharging, or draining, describes the process of your battery loosing voltage, or energy. It is important to understand that a battery is always discharging anytime it is not being directly charged. Discharging your battery can be both an active or an inactive process.

What happens if you over discharge a lead acid battery?

Overcharging a lead acid battery can be just as harmful as undercharging it. If workers leave the battery in a continuously charging state for long periods of time, corrosion of the positive battery plates can occur. Lead acid batteries can also get very hot while charging.

What happens when a lead battery is fully discharged?

At discharge, the lead is converted into lead sulphate (a white powder in the open air) while the sulphuric acid content decreases in the acid solution (i.e., the density drops to 1.0 = only water).

Is drained batteries harmful?

Some batteries contain toxic chemicals and when they are carelessly thrown away, these chemicals can leak into groundwater or harm ecosystems. Another reason you should always recycle batteries is for safety. If not disposed of properly, batteries can overheat and start a fire.

How do you prevent a lead acid battery from overcharging?

Pro tip: a good rule of thumb to help avoid the trap of overcharging is to make sure you charge your battery after each discharge of 50\% of its total capacity. If the battery will be stored for a month or more you should charge to full capacity before storing and then charge throughout the storage time.