For this Deep Dive, we are going to dive into intricacies of managing/servicing totally dead batteries. This is a tricky service area, particularly because modern service equipment is so smart that it can sometimes get completely derailed when it encounters a totally dead or almost totally dead battery. We call this “The Dead Battery Dilemma” – I purchased a piece of equipment to help me deal with a problem battery, but now the equipment won’t power up because my battery is totally dead. Read on to learn more about this phenomenon and also why you won’t face this problem if you have Clore Automotive service equipment.
First, let’s discuss why a totally dead battery can often trip up battery service equipment. Today, most service equipment is driven by microprocessors and other circuitry that allows it to do a whole lot more than equipment did 20-25 years ago. This is great, because it allows the current generation of equipment to be more responsive to battery needs, create a safer experience for the user and provide an overall better interaction with a battery under service. The safety piece is the part that creates the hiccup when a modern piece of equipment encounters a totally dead battery. That’s because modern, microprocessor-equipped equipment typically wants to confirm a proper battery connection before it will engage its service routine. This is a good thing and improves user and equipment safety considerably. For the equipment to confirm a proper connection (confirm correct polarity), it typically requires the battery to have a voltage above a minimal level (typically 1-5V). So, when a modern piece of equipment encounters a battery below that threshold, it’s as if the equipment is connected to a rock – it simply won’t engage. Thus, “The Dead Battery Dilemma.”
Fifteen years ago, our market research saw this trend and the related complaints. As in, “Hey, don’t buy a smart charger / jump starter. If you do and try to service a totally dead battery, you have to get another battery or an old school charger to ‘activate’ the battery to get your equipment to turn on. So, these smart chargers / jump starters are junk!” To be honest, those posters/commenters from 2008-2010 were right. This was a real dilemma back then and continues to be for some equipment even now. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. At Clore Automotive, virtually every charging or staring product we produce eliminates this issue, making it a complete non-factor.
Battery Chargers and Maintainers
PRO-LOGIX and CHARGE IT! Battery chargers and maintainers specifically address this problem in a way that makes encountering a totally dead battery a 5 second inconvenience rather than a major catastrophe. With these products, if you connect to a battery and the charger or maintainer will not engage with the battery, simply confirm that you have made a proper battery connection (charger positive lead to battery positive post, negative charger lead to a good engine or chassis ground) and that there isn’t battery corrosion or another problem causing a poor connection. By doing so, you are confirming that the issue is a severely depleted or totally dead battery. Then, hold down the GO/START/CHARGE button for more than 4 and less than 7 seconds and the charger or maintainer will engage with the battery. At first, it will behave like a traditional manual charger and then, once the threshold is exceeded, it will revert to automatic smart charging mode. Problem solved.
Jump Starters
This category of equipment is similar to battery chargers, but has a few unique aspects worth noting. First, when we talk about Booster PAC and Jump-N-Carry traditional AGM-equipped, lead acid jump starters, they have always been very capable of overcoming totally dead batteries. In fact, they are even capable of starting vehicles with no battery whatsoever, a task they perform daily in body shops around the world. Of course, care must be taken always to connect these units properly and to use them in a manner consistent with their duty cycle, etc. Our Booster PAC and Jump-N-Carry lithium jump starters behave very similarly to our PRO-LOGIX battery chargers. If you encounter a severely depleted or totally dead battery, confirm a proper connection as noted above. Once you confirm a proper connection, hold the override button down for more than 4 and less than 7 seconds and the jump starter will engage, sending power to the output leads, usually signaling engagement through the control panel. Then, proceed to your start attempt.
With Clore Automotive, dealing with totally dead batteries is quick, easy and safe. With a little knowhow, attention to your connection methodology and the best battery service equipment on the planet, overcoming a dead battery is a snap and you’ll never fall into “The Dead Battery Dilemma” trap.
