Epson Salts

Information and questions about driving in Andalucia, buying or importing cars and motorbikes plus legal issues surrounding taxes and licenses.
john the baptist
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Epson Salts

Postby john the baptist » Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:38 am

Hi Im watching on you tube how to revive dead motorbike batteries and all the video are american and talk of Epson Salts. Ive never heard of this and never seen it in mercadona or lidl.

Does anyone know what its called in spanish. Would it be easier to go to an auto shop and get battery acid?? Im having major issues with my bike and its stuck outside my house.

cheers
John

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Epson Salts

Postby TorreDelAguila » Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:47 am

Will they revive an ink-jet printer, too?
Not a racing certainty.
Chris

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Enrique
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Re: Epson Salts

Postby Enrique » Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:50 am

Hi,
Don't waste your time if a battery will not charge buy a new one.
A Battery will have a life span once its reached no snake oil is going to revive it.

I treat batteries as a Service item and change out at 5 years regardless .
All my best learning experiences start with a problem I need to solve.

john the baptist
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Re: Epson Salts

Postby john the baptist » Tue Dec 11, 2018 10:05 am

5 years i wish mine never last 12 months, we live in land and it can go from 0 to 28 in the winter and up to 42 degrees in the summer. the bike lives outside and the battery being a maxi scooter is used a lot. I bought this last one before summer. Ive had the regulator replaced but its the batteries that may be on the shelved for months or years before they are sold. so are never really new!!!

The car one last years the scooters inparticulary my 250 and 500cc have very short lives. they keep increasing by 5€ so its up to €60 a piece now and as i need 2 i thought id give it a go. PS they dont have kick starts and obviously no gears so there is literally no other way to get them started.
We also have alot of humidity as we are no on the costa which affects everything here.

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costakid
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Re: Epson Salts

Postby costakid » Tue Dec 11, 2018 11:19 am

Never heard of epsom salts being put in a battery although we used to put eggs in the radiator to stop leaks in the 80s.

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Epson Salts

Postby TorreDelAguila » Tue Dec 11, 2018 12:23 pm

If your bikes/car get only irregular use, and are anywhere near a power point, these work extraordinarily well...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-MXS-3-8-A ... ds=mxs+3.8
Also on Amazon.es.
Will look after both bike and car batteries.
No need for a more powerful one.

If your batteries are failing within 12 months, they will still be under warranty.
Our batteries here (usually buy Yuasa) last 5 years+, in temperatures not far from yours.
Chris

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Re: Epson Salts

Postby 1bassleft » Wed Dec 12, 2018 6:53 am

Epsom salts is chemically magnesium sulphate (sulfato de magnesio), but I'm not particularly convinced it's your solution (gosh, there's a terrible pun in there). It doesn't quickly make your battery useable - can take days to effect - and its prolonging or rejuvenating of a dud batt is only measured by a few months. I've not been on two wheels for decades, now, and perhaps wrongly thought yours would be sealed, maintenance-free units now - like car batts. This trick takes me back to teenage years of keeping distilled water handy etc and those little cell caps that could be levered off.

I was going to make a suggestion similar to TdA, one that I've been using successfully with my UK Focus and trans-Europe Combo that have lengthy layoffs:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-5W-12V-Vol ... 0505.m3226

doing the trick in a UK autumn makes it a dead-cert for down here and doesn't require mains, seeing as the bikes are kept outside. However, you do say the scooters are in constant use so I don't think either of our trickle chargers would be the answer. However, starter motors take a fair bit of juice - could the problem be that you're starting the engine, doing a short run and switching off each time? The run wouldn't be enough to recharge the loss from starting and, over time, the battery will deplete. If you do some daily short hops but also leave them unused in daylight for several hours, the solar (or mains) tricklers may have a chance to get the charge back up.

Otherwise I'm wondering if you have a drain going on somewhere, or often leave them lying on their side (not a good idea with conventional lead-acids). If all that's ruled out, consider taking a trip (or some form of courier delivery) for a lithium-iron phosphate battery or sealed gel type for better all-climate (nothing too extreme in your conditions though) and resistance to heavy vibrational shock (that might be an issue). "Bateria de litio" should be understood by any moto battery seller. Not typically more than what you're already paying.


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