AGM battery dropped in shipping - Is it still good?

[Shel]

I might need to find a battery support group, but thought I'd post this here 1st.

USPS just delivered an AGM Deka Power Sports ETX16L Battery that I'd ordered on Amazon sold by Baltimore Battery + Parts.  But they dropped it somewhere along the way.  The corner of the negative terminal was bashed in a bit, and I couldn't get a screw to start threading.

I called Amazon, and Baltimore Battery + Parts is going to call me tomorrow with instructions on how to have a replacement shipped and a USPS return label sent me.

In the meanwhile I took a blade to the lead battery terminal and carved out enough of what had been pushed into the top of the threads to get a screw to thread.  But I'm wondering if USPS's dropping this battery might have damaged it internally. 

I'd think plates in the old lead-acid batteries could be damaged in a fall like this.  But I don't know how AGM batteries are constructed, or how susceptible they might be to being damaged internally from a fall like this.

Is there anyone here in the forums familiar with AGM batteries who could tell me if they might actually be able to survive being dropped like this?  A Baltimore Battery + Parts rep will call me tomorrow, so I'll research this as much as I can today.

One last point.. This is my 1st AGM battery, and I understand their charge needs to be topped off before installing.  I don't want to weld my K75S's starter reply points again.  So I'm wondering if I might need to go out and buy a modern charger, or if my very old 60s 1 amp trickle charger might play nice with a modern AGM battery.

Thanks,
Shel
K75S
SoCal

[woodgeek]

Don’t have advice on the battery per se but if it were me, I’d ask for a new one. Regarding chargers, I came into the 21st century and use a Battery Minder 2012. It can charge up to four or five batteries in parallel, which is great because we have travel trailer batteries and wheel chair batteries that I leave on there when not in use.

It also has a desulfate feature that I used to rejuvenate a trailer battery and two wheel chair batteries that I deep discharged and didn’t want to spend the $$$ to replace.

BatteryMINDer 2012 Battery Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EKY1EM?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

[rbm]

You've contacted the merchant and Amazon; both have approved an RMA.  Why are you screwing around with the battery?  If they see physical damage on the terminal when they recieve it back, you'll lose your right to a no-cost replacement.  Why not just leave well enough alone, wait for the return shipping label, send the battery back and get a new one?

[K1300S]

Don’t have advice on the battery per se but if it were me, I’d ask for a new one. Regarding chargers, I came into the 21st century and use a Battery Minder 2012. It can charge up to four or five batteries in parallel, which is great because we have travel trailer batteries and wheel chair batteries that I leave on there when not in use.

It also has a desulfate feature that I used to rejuvenate a trailer battery and two wheel chair batteries that I deep discharged and didn’t want to spend the $$$ to replace.

BatteryMINDer 2012 Battery Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EKY1EM?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

except you do not want a 2012.  not rated for AGM batteries.  get the 2012-AGM
https://www.batterymart.com/p-2012-agm-batteryminder-12-volt-2-amp-charger.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxM-I7dmX2QIVUweGCh31DQGkEAEYASAAEgKzyfD_BwE

or 2012 128CEC
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D3SWXUA/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01D3SWXUA&pd_rd_wg=6EerW&pd_rd_r=X8K0RKZ2KNDMBDP1N7AC&pd_rd_w=yZn7I

and recommend batterymart "big crank" batteries.  think they are made in same factory as many other brands like deca.
https://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Crank-ETX16-Battery.html

[woodgeek]

Thanks for the correction Myrtle.[emoji106]

[Shel]

You've contacted the merchant and Amazon; both have approved an RMA.  Why are you screwing around with the battery?  If they see physical damage on the terminal when they recieve it back, you'll lose your right to a no-cost replacement.  Why not just leave well enough alone, wait for the return shipping label, send the battery back and get a new one?

You're right about that Robert.  I shouldn't have messed with it.  Curiosity and the cat thing that leads me astray.  But while packaging the battery up for return, I discovered one of the bottom corners is smashed in a bit too.  So it may have been dropped more than once.  I took some pictures of both areas of damage and sent them in an email to the dealer. 

except you do not want a 2012.  not rated for AGM batteries.  get the 2012-AGM
https://www.batterymart.com/p-2012-agm-batteryminder-12-volt-2-amp-charger.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxM-I7dmX2QIVUweGCh31DQGkEAEYASAAEgKzyfD_BwE

or 2012 128CEC
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D3SWXUA/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01D3SWXUA&pd_rd_wg=6EerW&pd_rd_r=X8K0RKZ2KNDMBDP1N7AC&pd_rd_w=yZn7I

and recommend batterymart "big crank" batteries.  think they are made in same factory as many other brands like deca.
https://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Crank-ETX16-Battery.html

Hi mlytle.  I looked at both the EXT16 and the EXT16L and they have essentially the same specs.  Only major difference is the positive and negative terminals are switched in position.  The terminals on the EXT16L match my bike.  I have an ebuddy who has the EXT16L in his  K75S who had recommended it.

Don’t have advice on the battery per se but if it were me, I’d ask for a new one. Regarding chargers, I came into the 21st century and use a Battery Minder 2012. It can charge up to four or five batteries in parallel, which is great because we have travel trailer batteries and wheel chair batteries that I leave on there when not in use.

It also has a desulfate feature that I used to rejuvenate a trailer battery and two wheel chair batteries that I deep discharged and didn’t want to spend the $$$ to replace.

BatteryMINDer 2012 Battery Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EKY1EM?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Well both of those chargers are more than I'm ready to pop for just now.  I had a small ~$10 - $12 trickle charger from Harbor Freight recommended that may be all I'll need.  Or I'd think I'd be able to jump the battery to my car and let it run for 15 -20 minutes.  No?

[woodgeek]

The battery minder chargers are expensive. I bought one because I had three batteries it could desulfate and bring back from the dead, thereby saving me money.

How are the reviews on the harbor freight chargers? Cheap chargers can ruin a good battery. A read a lot of reviews before settling on a charger I trusted to leave hooked up to my batteries for months at a time.

[Shel]

The battery minder chargers are expensive. I bought one because I had three batteries it could desulfate and bring back from the dead, thereby saving me money.

How are the reviews on the harbor freight chargers? Cheap chargers can ruin a good battery. A read a lot of reviews before settling on a charger I trusted to leave hooked up to my batteries for months at a time.

This may be the one a guy on the IBMWRc list was referring to. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html

I'd think at such small currents it couldn't do too much damage.  But I'll hold on to see if anyone can recommend something reliable that's a bit more affordable.

[woodgeek]

This may be the one a guy on the IBMWRc list was referring to. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html

I'd think at such small currents it couldn't do too much damage.  But I'll hold on to see if anyone can recommend something reliable that's a bit more affordable.

Food for thought: http://www.pwctoday.com/showthread.php?t=368344&page=2
“The cheap Harbor Freight chargers are OK for flooded batteries. DO NOT use them for the more expensive AGM type batteries.........it will actually tell you not to in the instructions if you bother to read them. They will fry an AGM battery. You need a peak detection charger like the Battery Tender brand for AGM batteries.”

[woodgeek]

Apparently I can use my BatteryMinder 2012 with my PC680 AGM battery, it just isn’t optimized for AGM batteries.

But my BMW K100 charging system doesn’t know I have an AGM battery. Do we need to hook our AGM batteries up to special chargers every night night to keep said batteries in top condition?

[Shel]

Well this looks like it'd do the job:

BLACK+DECKER BM3B 6V and 12V Automatic Battery Charger / Maintainer
4.0 out of 5 stars 2,925 customer reviews
List Price:     $25.99
Price:     $17.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-BM3B-Automatic-Maintainer/dp/B0051D3MP6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1518151057&sr=8-6&keywords=agm+charger

The darned battery is brand new.  I'd think this would be enough to top it off before I bolt it into my K75S and try firing it up.  I should have done more homework before I bought an AGM battery.  I had no idea I'd have to invest about the same money as the battery just to get i full charged and ready to fire up the bike.

[Laitch]

Do we need to hook our AGM batteries up to special chargers every night night to keep said batteries in top condition?

I don't ride my bike five or six months per year because of winter weather and road conditions. The rest of the year I ride it every day. I disconnect the battery ground cable from the transmission when it is idle in the winter. I reconnect it when I want to start the bike for maintenance reasons or when I return to riding it daily in spring. It starts the bike. The bike is stored where temperatures can reach down to -20ºF. I don't own a trickle charger. The battery is at least five years old. It's an AGM.

I use a Schumacher SC-600A for recharging batteries that have been inadvertently discharged. My bike battery hasn't needed it.

[Shel]

I don't ride my bike five or six months per year because of winter weather and road conditions. The rest of the year I ride it every day. I disconnect the battery ground cable from the transmission when it is idle in the winter. I reconnect it when I want to start the bike for maintenance reasons or when I return to riding it daily in spring. It starts the bike. The bike is stored where temperatures can reach down to -20ºF. I don't own a trickle charger. The battery is at least five years old. It's an AGM.

Wow... you just disconnect the ground cable for the winter and your AGM battery holds its charge all the way through frigid temperatures.  That's impressive!

I use a Schumacher SC-600A for recharging batteries that have been inadvertently discharged. My bike battery hasn't needed it.

I see the Schumacher SC-600A going for $40.60.  That's more affordable for me.  But I'd like to know if that $25.99 / $17.99 BLACK+DECKER BM3B 6V and 12V Automatic Battery Charger from Amazon is all I need at the moment.

[Laitch]

Wow... you just disconnect the ground cable for the winter and your AGM battery holds its charge all the way through frigid temperatures.  That's impressive!

There's really no place else for the charge to go. The battery is in good condition and the garage door is closed. :giggles.

[Shel]

There's really no place else for the charge to go. The battery is in good condition and the garage door is closed. :giggles .

 :hehehe :hehehe

[rbm]

Wow... you just disconnect the ground cable for the winter and your AGM battery holds its charge all the way through frigid temperatures.  That's impressive!

The self-discharge rate on a battery is proportional to the temperature ...  lower when the temps are colder.  So long as you break the circuit, the self-discharge rate will drop to next to nothing in frigid temperatures and the battery terminal voltage will remain high for a long time.

[Laitch]

So long as you break the circuit, the self-discharge rate will drop to next to nothing . . .

Just for clairity, break the circuit in my case means disconnecting the battery ground cable from the transmission. It doesn't matter whether the bike is in St. Albans, VT or St. Augustine, Fl. If the ground cable is disconnected from a well-conditioned battery before sentencing, the bike will start when it's reconnected after your release from six or eight months in lockup.

No te preocupas.