recovered a SLA battery

Oh no!

I suddenly remembered the battery!

I had used the big heavy marine Sealed Lead Acid battery on Saturday night to power the dew heater for the 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope.

I had used the deep-cycle SLA it to ensure I had enough amps to full power the Kendrick dew heating systems.

Ended up using it for a few hours. 

In extreme cold, -16 or -17. On the ground. Exposed. Not in a blanket. Not warmed...

Of course it was back inside now, back at room temperature, but I had broken one of The Golden Rules of lead acid batteries.

Thou shalt not let thy battery remain in a discharged state after use.

Oh no.

I checked the volts with the integrated meter. It was around 11 volts!

I had broken another Commandment!

Thou shalt not let thy battery voltage fall below twelve.

Crikey!

Oh no. I had killed it. I had destroyed the battery

I have four of these beasts but I was sad at the thought of losing one. By, essentially, mistreatment on my part.

Hooked it up to the Canadian Tire and Telescope Smart Charger and it immediately detected a problem. It started a reconditioning process. Would it work? After a while, it started a recharge programme at very low amps and slowly built up. I closely monitored the battery. When it got pretty warm, I halted the process. Next day, I started again...

Next day, I started again.

Next day, I started again.

Then the next day, I started again...

To make a long story short, I recovered the battery! 

Whew.

Lots of nursing and coddling and gentle recharging. Lucky.

§

Battery "C."