Shorted battery consequences

Short-term battery short circuit - consequences?

Well, all-knowing All, enlighten me about the consequences of the following - I dropped the mount that holds the battery onto the positive terminal. Dropped it while the engine was running. There was a short circuit between the car body and the battery, a decent spark shot out, it seemed like I should have immediately removed the mount from the terminal. The car stalled - I started it right away, it started up fine. Everything seems to be working - there is light, the stove is working, the instruments are showing, I got to work normally. In the evening, if I have time, I’ll stop by an electrician to measure the battery characteristics.

The question is - what could be the consequences of such a short circuit for the battery itself? Could the can/cans have fallen off?

Wind 02/02/2012 10:03 writes:
Well, all-knowing All, enlighten me about the consequences of the following - I dropped the mount that holds the battery onto the positive terminal. Dropped it while the engine was running. There was a short circuit between the car body and the battery, a decent spark shot out, it seemed like I should have immediately removed the mount from the terminal. The car stalled - I started it right away, it started up fine. Everything seems to be working - there is light, the stove is working, the instruments are showing, I got to work normally. In the evening, if I have time, I’ll stop by an electrician to measure the battery characteristics.

The question is - what could be the consequences of such a short circuit for the battery itself? Could the can/cans have fallen off?

You didn't hold much. It should have lasted longer. They say then the acid boils, the battery explodes, boiling sulfuric acid, plastic fragments, etc. fly in all directions. That's the problem. And for you, there’s almost certainly nothing wrong.

Battery short circuit: prevent and resurrect

12/05/2016 4844 Views 0 Articles,

A short circuit (SC) in the battery is like a coma in a person. There is a theoretical possibility of returning to normal activity, but most likely, a shorted battery will no longer work. A short circuit occurs due to the connection of two points in an electrical circuit with different potentials. In a battery, this can occur due to the short circuit of the positive and negative current leads with a metal object. However, most often the causes of a short circuit are inside the battery, and they are not so easy to see.

Why does the battery short circuit?

There are only a few main reasons for a short circuit. Firstly, a battery can short out if a layer of sludge has formed at the bottom - crumbled active mass from the plates. Almost all modern batteries are equipped with separators - covers, like tea bags made of porous plastic, that protect the active mass from shedding. This means that the second reason for short circuit is the destruction of separators. But even entire separators cannot prevent the formation of “bridges” of porous lead between the positive and negative plates. Negative ones can become overgrown with impressive growths of lead, which are enough to, in an unfortunate combination of circumstances, “bang” the jar.

How to determine that the battery has “shorted”?

A short circuit most often occurs in one of the battery cans. But this leads to the death of the entire battery. This death is slow; if we further draw sad parallels with human health, it is similar to the decline of a patient from a serious illness. It is not difficult to calculate a “sick” short-circuit battery: the voltage on the affected bank will be zero. When charging, the density in a “closed” bank will not increase, and such a battery discharges very quickly. Charging a short-circuited battery may take much longer than a normal one, and gas formation in the electrolyte of the battery being charged will not be heard.

How to resurrect a battery after a short circuit?

We have already said that getting a battery to work in a short-circuit state is no easier than bringing a seriously wounded person out of a coma. And with modern batteries - as closed as possible, without visible contacts of the cans on the lid, and, sometimes even, without plugs - a short circuit becomes a death sentence.

But still, there are two ways to try to resurrect the battery. One is quite simple, the other is extreme.

• The first is to rinse the insides of the battery with distilled water. It may be possible to disconnect porous bridges between the plates or pieces of grease that have shorted the battery.
• The second method is only possible if the battery has access to the contacts of the cans, and you have access to a DC inverter welding machine. The minus of the device is to the minus of the can, the plus is to the plus, at the same time, we do not connect the device to the network. We set the current to 250 A. We tightly wrap the battery plugs so that at the moment the current is supplied, the gas produced by the battery does not explode. We put a partition between ourselves and the battery, put on special clothing and safety glasses, and move the welding machine as far away as possible. And briefly turn on the device. The battery will either fail completely, even to the point of exploding, or the lead build-up that short-circuits the plates will be burned out by a strong current.

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The battery bank is shorted - what to do?

A car battery is a storehouse of electrical energy, the renewable supply of which occurs due to an electrochemical reaction in several cells. Each bank provides equal amounts of energy. The elements are connected in series, the voltage in the battery is equal to the sum of the resulting potential differences of all banks. If one element fails, the battery becomes unusable. How to find out the cause of the malfunction - is the bank shorted in the battery or is there an open circuit?

Battery banks are shorted - symptoms

Here is a classic lead acid battery consisting of 6 cans. Each of them is composed of pairs of oppositely polar plates. Their contacts are collected into a common collector, connected in series and connected to the cover with two terminals. Modern cans have a different design, but the layout of the cans and cells is the same.

With a series connection, the cell voltages are summed up, and the capacity is determined by the most clogged bank. To charge the battery, voltage is applied to the terminals and current flows through the storage areas. Why do banks short circuit in a lead-acid battery? If for some reason the plates in the jar get closer together, the walls swell, a jumper is created, and the cell is closed. It happens that a contact bridge is created by a piece of crumbled putty or scale.

How can you check if the battery is short-circuited? When measuring the voltage at the terminals, a dip will be detected. For example, a 12 V battery consists of 6 cans with a total voltage of 2.1 * 6 = 12.6 V. The voltage drops to 10.5-11.0 V - look for a closed can.

One of the plates inside the jar is lead, and the other has a layer of active substance applied to it. If the electrolyte level is violated or overcharged, the mass may crumble and short-circuit the plates.

Mechanical damage from the outside can lead to deformation. It is possible that the battery case is swollen, and then internal short circuits of the plates in the banks are possible. This can happen when the electrolyte freezes and from overcharging a maintenance-free battery.

Symptoms of a shorted battery bank are loss of voltage, heating of the battery case. The battery does not charge to 12 volts, is unable to crank the starter, and requires replacement. Sometimes when charging you can hear the smell of rotten eggs - hydrogen sulfide gas is released.

Signs of a shorted battery bank

Since charge is being redistributed inside, the battery case heats up, which is one of the signs of an internal short circuit. If the battery is serviceable, you can determine the shorted bank during charging. At the moment the voltage rises, the plugs on the cans are open, hydrogen is released from them, and the cans boil. If one does not show signs of life, it is closed. You can check and find the cause of undercharging of the battery in a ventilated area or outside.

If a voltage drop occurs in a maintenance-free battery, the device does not charge to operating voltage, as you can determine if the bank is shorted, or for another reason. Experts advise closing the contacts for 1-3 seconds. A copious discharge will begin from the non-working jar.

Even a maintenance-free battery allows you to see the electrolyte level in the jars through the translucent walls. Signs of a closed jar will be a reduced level of electrolyte - it boils away, sometimes a noticeable change in color to black.

How to identify a closed cell in a battery

Technically, you can determine a closed bank by measuring the voltage on each bank separately with a voltmeter. To measure the voltage on each bank you need to use a load fork. Under load, the voltage of the can below 1.7 V indicates its defect.

The most reliable testing method is carried out on a completely discharged battery. The battery should produce a voltage of 12 V. The indicator is less by a number that is a multiple of 2 and will determine how many cans have become unusable. In the future, you will need to determine why the bank closed. If the battery is expensive and new, less than 3 years old, it can be revived. But for this you need to have plumbing skills, tools and follow safety precautions.

Reasons for the short circuit of cans in the battery

The main problem is failure to follow the operating instructions for the car battery. Closely spaced plates, active putty on the gratings, are precisely designed to work under the flood, with voltage within the permissible limits. The crumbled mass, sulfation, and a sharp blow to the body are a prerequisite for the contact of the plates with opposite charges. If one bank is overloaded, it will discharge faster, become sulfated, and the first one will fail.

What should I do to prevent the battery from shorting out and to keep it working for a long time? Keep the battery clean, avoiding unnecessary self-discharge currents. Do not leave a discharged battery for a long time without recharging. In the cold, a discharged battery will freeze because it contains a weak electrolyte. Often, just because of 1 cell of battery, you have to recycle the entire battery. There are several reasons why it can close:

• Factory defects are a warranty case.
• Strong blow to the body.
• Chronic undercharging and overdischarging is the most common cause of malfunction.

Recovering a shorted battery bank

Once it has been possible to understand that the car battery banks are shorted, it is necessary to evaluate the work to restore the cell and compare it with the purchase of a new device. If more than one can is shorted, there is no point in wasting time and effort on repairs. How do you know if there are still jumpers in other elements? They can appear if the layout of the case is disturbed or the connections are loosened.

Step-by-step instructions on how to restore a shorted battery bank.

1. Identify a non-working jar based on the listed characteristics.
2. Extract the electrolyte using special means, working in glasses and rubber gloves.
3. Cut the plastic around the top of the cell.
4. Disconnect the jumpers with adjacent elements and carefully remove the package of plates, rinse them from acid.
5. Determine the location of the short circuit - a piece of metal, a bent plate, remove sediment at the bottom.
6. Place the structure in place as it was, fill in the electrolyte, and secure the lid with glue.
7. Fully charge the battery.

This is how lead batteries of older models and those produced in Europe are restored. Maintenance-free batteries must be protected from deep discharge. It is difficult to repair them yourself.

It’s better to see once how specialists eliminate the consequences of shorted cans. How to restore a shorted battery bank, watch the video.

Checking the battery for a short circuit: the main signs of a short circuit between the plates

“How to determine a short circuit between the plates in a car battery? What are the signs of a short circuit? What are the consequences of operating a battery with a short circuit? Is it possible to repair a closed can?”

Short circuits between the negative and positive plates can occur as a result of damage to the separator, which is designed specifically to prevent contact between electrodes of different polarities. Also, unwanted contact occurs when sediment accumulates on the bottom or above the tops of lead separator build-ups (dendrites), which can cause the negative plates to bond to the positive ones. Also, a “short circuit” is usually called a breakage of an electrode plate or a breakage of the plates from the jumper holder.

Signs of a short circuit inside the batteries:

a) a decrease in electrolyte density, despite the fact that the battery receives a normal charge;
b) rapid loss of capacity after a full charge, high self-discharge;
c) low voltage in an open circuit 10.4-10.8 Volts during a short circuit or 11.4-11.8 Volts in case of a break.

Tests after which a battery short circuit is diagnosed:

1) a sharp drop in voltage below 9-10 Volts, sometimes down to 0 Volts when tested with a load plug.
What is important is the fact that the battery “does not hold” voltage, i.e. the voltage “drops”; 2) boiling of the electrolyte in a closed jar during testing with a load fork.
If the battery is without plugs and boiling cannot be seen, then it can be heard (gurgling) by putting your ear to the case; 3) boiling of the electrolyte in a closed jar, or “boiling” in all jars except the closed one, while applying a charging voltage of 14.4 V

If the battery is severely discharged due to current leakage through the short-circuit bridge, then it must be pre-charged before testing. Sometimes the short circuit bridge (usually at the initial stage of its formation) has a sufficiently high resistance and therefore the battery does not quickly discharge. Then the above tests will not “show” the presence of a short circuit. In this case, a sign of a short circuit will be that the battery will lose its capacity within 1-3 days after being fully charged. Charged - left for a day - measured the voltage, if the voltage is below 11.8 Volts, it means a short circuit or a broken plate!

If a short circuit between the plates or a plate in the battery bank is torn off is confirmed, it must be replaced. And although the Internet is replete with “magic” advice that you need, for example, to drop the battery on the floor from a small height (with the hope that the jumper will fall off) or apply a powerful current for a short time from a source of 50-200 Volts, practice has shown that a closed bank can be repaired and still cannot be restored, since the SEPARATOR is TORN, and even if the short-circuit bridge is destroyed, a new one will grow, because the hole in the separator has not gone away.

You can check the battery for a short circuit yourself, having a load plug at hand, or you can use the services of a service and diagnostic center, which are provided by Oil-Ok technical specialists.

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Can a battery charger burn out if it is shorted?

It will not affect :) Most likely, the tester accidentally tried to measure the starting current of the battery, which is usually above 500 Amperes - this is 50 times higher than what can be measured by the tester.

Hello, when checking the battery, the auto electrician did not set the parameters on the tester correctly and the tester shorted and the wires got hot, will this affect the condition of the battery in the future? Although the car started up and we drove home under our own power.

A short circuit in one of the battery cans is not a short circuit in the generator load. It is unlikely that the relay-regulator will burn out.

Question . Could the voltage regulator relay on the generator burn out due to a short circuit in the battery?

Shorted battery bank

Modern batteries can last up to 10 years before needing to be replaced. Unfortunately, even such elements cannot be completely protected from premature failure, especially as a result of sulfation of plates or shorting of cans. The last problem is especially relevant if the battery was operated in difficult conditions.

What could cause the battery bank to short circuit?

If the battery in use has already served the period recommended by the manufacturer, then shorting the bank is simply one of the reasons for the “death” of the battery. In a new battery, such a problem most often occurs due to defects. If you have a receipt for the product and a valid warranty period, you can contact the store where the battery was purchased.

The bank can also be shorted as a result of improper use of the battery. For example, if it was not securely fastened in its original place, but the car was driven at high speed off-road, then from constant impacts and shaking the active mass of the plates may crumble, and a short circuit will occur.

If the battery is dropped while being carried, then the internal elements may be damaged, which will also short out one or more sections. Side impacts are no less dangerous, so extreme caution should be exercised, because in addition to failure, acid may leak when the housing is depressurized.

Most often, the short circuit of the cans occurs due to the fact that they do not have time to fill the electrolyte in time. After all, if it falls too low, the plates will be exposed and crumble. Accidentally connected positive contacts to ground can also manifest themselves in the form of destruction and shedding of plates, which sooner or later will lead to a short circuit.

In winter, this problem can arise when storing a discharged battery in an unheated room or outdoors. The frozen electrolyte will compress the grids with great force, which, unable to withstand the load, will completely collapse. Shelled or dislodged metal will cause a short circuit.

Signs of a shorted battery

If a fully charged battery does not start the engine, while the wires are properly connected to the terminals and there are no electrical problems, then this “behavior” is almost always associated with a short circuit in the bank.

Excessive heating of the battery may also indicate damage of this type, because if one compartment fails, entire cells will be subject to increased load.

Symptoms such as reduced starting current power and high battery temperature often leave no doubt that one of the batteries is inoperative, but to confirm the “diagnosis” it is advisable to conduct a series of experiments, including using measuring instruments.

How to check for a short circuit

The easiest way to check for a short is a serviced or low-maintenance battery. To do this, just unscrew all the covers and put the battery on charge. At some point, good jars will begin to boil, while nothing will happen in a closed one. By the way, under load, on the contrary, it is the closed can that will boil.

If you then measure the density of the electrolyte in each jar, it will turn out that the normal ones will have a normal value (

1.27), and when dead the float will float to the very minimum value (slightly more than one). In addition, when starting the engine, there will be a voltage drop of up to 9 volts.

Note! Indirect evidence will be a white coating that can be observed in the jars through the holes; this is sulfation.

In maintenance-free batteries there is no open access to the banks, so determining a short will be a little more difficult. The easiest way to determine this is by the voltage drop to 9 volts when the engine starts. This will not be enough to start and the engine simply will not start. When charging, the battery voltage will not rise above 10.7 Volts.

Is it worth trying to repair the battery?

If the battery is under warranty, then it should be returned to the store where it was purchased, as this may be a manufacturing defect. They will have to conduct an examination and if it is determined that the battery failed through no fault of the car owner, it will be replaced with a new one.

In old batteries this is an “age-related disease”. In this case, the most correct decision would be to scrap the battery and purchase a new one. In the event that the malfunction is caused by crumbling active substance, the battery can be restored.

If the body is made of light plastic, then it is easy to notice an accumulation of dark mass in the lower part of the closed jar, which should be removed. Efforts to restore the battery by flushing the jar from debris are justified only if the remaining battery cells are in fully working order.

Important! If the bank is shorted, then it is better not to restore the battery and purchase a new one, since it will still not be possible to return the former capacity, starting current and voltage.

How to restore a shorted battery

Before attempting to repair the battery yourself, you must take the necessary precautions. It is advisable to carry out all work in a well-ventilated area, and to protect against sulfuric acid use a rubberized apron, gloves and goggles.

The product can be repaired in the following sequence:

• Remove the battery from the car.
• Understand which section is not showing signs of life.
• Mark the boundaries of the can on the battery lid with a marker.
• If the battery is serviceable, then use a rubber bulb or hydrometer to remove the maximum amount of electrolyte from the jar.
• Using a hacksaw blade, cut down the previously marked section of the lid; after cutting, access to the plates will open. If a maintenance-free product is disassembled, then at this stage the liquid should also be removed from the opened compartment.
• To remove a damaged battery, you need to saw off the jumpers connecting it to other banks. For this purpose, you will need to lightly saw the plastic covering these elements, and then carefully separate the lead elements using a hacksaw blade.

• Carefully, using small wire hooks, the block of plates and separators is pryed up and removed from the battery case.
• Then you will need to prepare a plastic container with distilled water, into which the removed part is dipped several times.
• The jar should also be thoroughly washed with distilled water.
• If the plates are not badly damaged, then they can be installed back, otherwise it is necessary to select a similar element from another battery of the same capacity.
• When installing a “native” or borrowed can, the polarity must be observed. Only in this case can you hope for normal battery operation after repair.
• Lead parts are soldered with a powerful soldering iron. This tool can also be used to install a previously cut piece of plastic cover. If the battery is maintenance-free, then before reliably closing access to the jar, a sufficient amount of electrolyte is poured into it. In serviceable batteries, this procedure can be performed after the soldering work has been completed.

The repaired battery should be charged. Then the operation of the product is checked under load. If a fully charged battery copes with starting the engine, then, with high-quality metal soldering, such a battery can work for several more years without any complaints.

Note! If you manage to restore the battery, it is not recommended to install it on the car; it is better to use it somewhere on the farm as a backup power source.