Why Battery Companies Do Not Like Desulfators

I enjoy reading stories about how battery desulfators have saved users hundreds of dollars in replacement costs. It is worth spending the time reading blogs and other articles to keep up on what works and what is marketing hype. Every now and then I come across a person that has had a bad experience. It catches my interest, since I know desulfators work and have written extensively about it over the years. I am always curious as to what device they were using and the circumstances around what made the battery defective.

This past weekend I came across a guy going by the handle “johnk” that posted his thoughts on riceball.com back on January 28^th 2015. He purchased a WizBang Plus unit from eBay and after messing around with it for a while determined it did not work. He felted duped. So comically, he lists it on eBay to continue the circle of un-trust. It ended up being re-purchased by a gentleman claiming to be an electrician by trade who also felt he got scammed and reiterated it didn’t work since it didn’t make any noise. (Although I wasn’t aware that the level of sound an item produced was a criterion for if it worked. So hopefully there was a little more analysis then just sound. Personally I would prefer quite or silent over an annoying hum or buzz. I digress...back to the topic at hand!)

I have never actually tested one of these WizBang Plus units and cannot say definitively whether or not they DO or DO NOT work. I know the PulseTech desulfators like the XC100-P work. But that is not where I want to focus today. And I certainly don’t want to get sidetracked talking about how loud something should be.

The Internal Battery Desulfator Hypothesis

Johnk made a statement that jumped out at me. On the surface his logic sounds reasonable and the argument sounds compelling. However, I believe his conclusion is wrong. Here is what he said:

His conclusion is that battery companies would be adding desulfators to their batteries to save on warranties and thus lower costs. Again it sounds logical, until we dig deeper into the realm of batteries.

Aspect #1

First let me start with this fact: lead acid batteries must maintain a standardized group sizing, for example group 27. This designation keeps things uniform the world over and allows users to compare apples to apples and ensures your battery will physically fit.

There really is not room inside the battery to include circuitry. The space is maxed out to include as much lead as possible to provide the best possible power metrics. If you reduce lead content you will lower output.

If you could fit a desulfator circuit into the battery you would then need to find a way to seal it off from the interior of the battery where you have corrosive gasses and acid. If this can be accomplished the manufacturer would also need to find a way to properly ventilate the heat generated from desulfating.

Assuming all this could be accomplished, the manufacturer would need to spend millions of dollars to retool their factories and create new battery molds. This expenditure would not be feasible. Then there is the issue of electronics inside the battery. Electronics have a tendency to fail more so than simple battery physics. A failure in electronics could render a perfectly healthy battery useless.

Aspect #2

Aspect #2 is probably the driving force why battery companies do not promote desulfators. They will lose money. The selling and manufacturing of aftermarket batteries is highly profitable.

The average user does not properly take care of his or her battery. When the slightest hint of failure is in the wind many will go out and buy a new battery. Or they will take the battery to a technician who will feed on their fear and indicate they require a new battery. A small fraction will pursue a warranty. Upon which over 50% are misdiagnosed and very well could have been salvaged.

Do you remember the core charge many of you paid when you purchased your first battery? Aside from that being another way to make money, those cores are valuable. The lead in old batteries is cheaper to process and place in a smelter than to dig deep into the earth and mine for the raw material. If you reduce the amount of material going to the smelter because your battery is lasting longer you in turn increase the demand for lead. Simple supply and demand dictates that lead prices will go up; battery costs will go up; consumers will find ways to make their battery last longer. It will create a self-fulling prophecy of higher prices.

What incentive is there for the battery company to promote or install desulfators? There isn’t one! The time and money spent on R&D to come up with a concept design, is high. The cost to build or retool a factory and generate the new molds is high. The risk of overpricing the new high-tech battery may scare customers to purchase less expensive alternatives. The extended use and thus cannibalization of the raw material to produce the product drives your material costs through the roof. The loss of sales due to batteries not being purchased as frequently will severely dampen profits. Factories not running at full capacity means overhead skyrockets and people may get laid off.

Sulfation Is Real. You Need to Decide How to Respond

Having learned this dirty secret, what should you do? The incentive is for the newly educated to take action and take advantage of this rigged system. Use the ignorance of the masses and those content to follow the system blindly to aid your success.

We have written numerous education pieces, real world testimonials and FAQs on the topic of sulfation and best desulfators in the market. Read them, educate yourself. Ask us questions. Share your results. That is how we as a community grow and learn and save each other time and money.

To purchase a desulfator product visit our dedicated sulfation page in the Impact Battery store.

To learn more visit our FAQs or read some of our sulfation related blog posts including our PulseTalk series by following the links herein.