It’s always a good idea to ‘run in’ a new electric power tool, or set of auto tires gently. That way we prepare them for successful, trouble-free service, and possibly a longer useful life too. When we prime a new battery we also hope to achieve something similar. Therefore, this is worth considering whether or not the manufacturer specifically recommends it.
Priming versus Formatting a New Battery
Some batteries may not deliver their full capacity according to their labels when new. Lithium battery makers claim this does not apply to their chemistry, although Battery University questions this. They cite user reports saying they actually do improve, if they were in warehouses for a while after they left the factory.
The confusion may be down to differences between priming and formatting, both of which involve cycling a battery:
- When we prime a new battery after long storage, we put it through a discharge-recharge cycle.This improves its output so it performs more as we expected.
- However, when we format a battery we do something subtly different. In this instance we ‘complete’ the manufacturing process.
How to Prime a New Lead Acid Battery
Lead battery manufacturers format their products by charging them, discharging them, and then fully recharging them again. However, it is still a good idea to ‘run them in’ by not over-discharging them at first, and ‘training them’ like an athlete after a winter break.
This may not always be possible with a starter battery though, if the driver makes recent short trips like a city courier. However, it should be possible in the case of lead batteries we supply for home, garden, and sports. As a general rule of thumb:
- New basic lead batteries may only optimize performance after fifty or more recycles.
- Deep cycle batteries are often at eighty-five percent capacity when they leave the factory.
- But this should increase to nearly one-hundred percent when using them completes their formatting.
Be careful when purchasing any lead-acid battery from a store if the supplier asks to recharge it first. Old stock like that self-discharges, and may never recover its full capacity.
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