When a battery is overcharged it will heat up and its electrolyte will start to evaporate; which in turn, will cause the plates in the battery to break down, this means that the battery will never be able to hold the charge it once did, if at all.
You can overcharge a battery by using an old manual type charger (or in the case of vehicle batteries, there could be a fault on the vehicle’s regulator).
If you have an old manual charger, consider replacing it with a modern automatic charger, these are capable of having the battery attached for long periods as they will turn off the charge once the battery has reached capacity.
Never leave a battery stored in a discharged state.
The reason is that once a battery’s voltage falls below 12.4 volts sulphation begins. When a battery is fully charged this cannot happen.
Sulphation causes sulfur crystals to form on the lead plates, increasing their electrical resistance – in other words causing them to hold less and less charge.
Keep any stored battery topped up at all times – a fully charged battery can be stored for 2-3 months.
Every time you charge and discharge your battery, its ability to hold charge deteriorates a little. As you know, eventually all rechargeable batteries need to be replaced, it is because of this cycle that you need to replace the battery – most batteries will state how many charge/discharge cycles they are expected to last.
You can increase the lifespan of the battery by not fully discharging the battery – recharge it when it is around 50% of its charge, whenever possible.
Every time you charge and discharge your battery, its ability to hold charge deteriorates a little. As you know, eventually all rechargeable batteries need to be replaced, it is because of this cycle that you need to replace the battery – most batteries will state how many charge/discharge cycles they are expected to last.
You can increase the lifespan of the battery by not fully discharging the battery – recharge it when it is around 50% of its charge, whenever possible.