Frozen Battery

Does anyone have any suggestions on thawing a frozen battery and bringing it back to a useable full charge? Thanks

Let it thaw out to "room temp" on its own BEFORE load testing or (re)charging. Since it is frozen already, the battery solution may already be "too weak/diluted" to recharge successfully. Be sure to remove vent caps when charging and watch for cigarettes or any other spark/source for ignition.

Good luck..Rick

The REST of the story is that often a battery that has been frozen will not be much good after being thawed out and charged.

I'm GUESSING the plates or separators or the "walls" between the cells get torn up/cracked/damaged.

I have one in a tractor that was frozen solid and I let it go till summer and I put a asprin in each cell and put it on a trickle charge for a week and it has held charge for two more years. I do not use the tractor in the winter but about every six weeks I put the charger on it for a few hours. Bob

1 out of 100 might come back.
You are best to find a replacement. Try swapping "cores" or buying a "no-name/used" with a shop/store that is willing to do so. There are a few stores out there that sell their good cores or out dated batteries. Granted, you won't have a warranty on a core or out dated one, but your current battery's warranty was voided as soon as the electrolyte crystalized and solidified.

karl f

My battery on my M froze. It's not even 6 months old. Won't take a charge now. I hate winter with a passion, and EVERYTHING about it.

We had a customer bring in 2 interstate batterys, service dept tested them and said they were no good and wanted them replaced. I checked them later and we found out they were frozen. We thawed and did a low trickle charge and they both now tested good. Slow trickle charge overnight does more than a quick high charge.
caseman-d

WARNING!!!!!!
Karl said that you might recover 1 out of 100. I can tell you that you will blow up 70 of that 100. When a battery freezes, the fluid freezes solid. This crushes the dielectric separator plates and the lead plates short through it. This causes an immediate dead short but with the fluid frozen the battery discharges and fluid being frozen puts off no hydrogen gas. Now you warm that up where the fluid is now active and the hydrogen gas level goes. crazy, stupid high. Your plates are SHORTED and you connect electricity to them. Spark, high concentration of hydrogen gas = BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!! What's the prudent thing to do? Set the old battery out by it's self, bite the bullet and buy a new battery. I would hate to see any of my fellow tractor nuts get hurt over a few dollars for a new battery. Hell, If you cant afford a battery right now, jump it off and run it without. But for Gods sake don't risk your life and limbs over a Damn battery. Please be careful. That acid can blind you, burn you, seriously injure you. And if its in the barn it can catch fire and then what have you lost? Please don't do it. Most sincerely, LarryT

after you buy a new battery, consider picking up a battery maintainer as well (float charger). I keep one on my 340 all winter long in a non-heated barn. keeps the battery charged up on a trickle charge and shuts itself off once the battery is all the way up. never have a frozen battery again and know you have all the amps the battery cover says when you hit the starter.

It doesn't have to be an expensive Battery Tender brand, either.

Walmart sells a 1.5A charger/maintainer that works on 6V and 12V batteries for $24.99.

Harbor Freight sells a 12V battery maintainer similar to the Battery Tender for $12.99 regular price. It's often on sale for $9.99, $8.99, or $7.99. You can also find coupons for as low as $4.99. Say what you will about Harbor Freight, but these units work. I have over a dozen of them and not a single failure of battery or battery maintainer.

Thanks for the Quick replies. All your info was very helpful. I will let it thaw out on its own
and carefully put a trickle charge on it. I think a new battery is needed. Thanks Again
Orange

If it is an old battery that self-discharged, just get a new one. But if the lights or ign were left on to discharge a good battery, do as others say & thaw it out & charge it slow. It may be ok if the plates didn't get damaged.

battery plates are fragile.They take a lead, antimony grid and press lead oxide paste into the grid.I took a battery apart years ago because I wanted the case for electroplating.One cell was destroyed,all the lead paste was in the bottom of the case.Aspirin tablets or chemicals wont fix it.