qwerty2018
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Is this a Sealed or Standard Battery? (Varta Battery)
- Thread starter qwerty2018
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Is this a Sealed or Standard Battery? (Varta Battery)
I would say it was sealed, but check on manufacturers website. In the old days standard meant you could undo the caps and top up with distilled water, so in a garage workshop we would take the caps off when heavy charging batteries and you could see the water bubbling giving off gas, so when finished we would switch off and wait for the gas to disperse before disconnecting terminals to prevent explosions from the hydrogen gas?
Sealed batteries are best not fast charged.
It is well worth checking with manufacturer due to the variety of battery types these days.
You will need to record all the battery part numbers, label info, etc. etc. and work from there. It is only these details and not pictures (many look alike etc.) that will definitively define what your battery is. Tedious, Yes, but accurate absolutely.
I looked up Varta B35 Blue and yes it looks like a sealed battery. Most modern/new car batteries are sealed these days.
www.varta-automotive.com
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/b36/
Neither of these say sealed. With regards to charger the sealed setting is safer for any battery.
BLUE dynamic
www.varta-automotive.com
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/b36/
Neither of these say sealed. With regards to charger the sealed setting is safer for any battery.
@qwerty2018
You are asking all the right questions
A brief explanation:
Batteries give @2 volts per cell..
So your 12volt battrry has 6 cells
In years gone by it would have 6 x screw on caps..as you would need to ADD DistilledWater.. to replace the fluid 'boiled off' through charging
As car circuits got better the need to 'Top up' with 'Water' got less and less
The battery then had 6 Plugs you needed a screwdriver to undo ( still accessible to 'Service ' the battery.. but an annual operation..not monthly)
Roll on the year 2000'ish and batteries became Sealed.. it has 6 fixed plugs that can 'vent' a little as the battery charges.
But no access to top.up the water..as its basically no longer required
What CAN go wrong..
OVERCHARGING.. can 'boil' the battery fluid.. and like a pot on a stove.. will eventually run dry and be ruined
The car Alternator SHOULD regulate the charge.. and ease off as the battery is approaching 'Full'
If it keeps charging Hard.. it can ruin the battery
Same applies with an unregulated Battery Charger
Hope that helps a little.
Get that Warranty out for your battery
You are asking all the right questions
A brief explanation:
Batteries give @2 volts per cell..
So your 12volt battrry has 6 cells
In years gone by it would have 6 x screw on caps..as you would need to ADD DistilledWater.. to replace the fluid 'boiled off' through charging
As car circuits got better the need to 'Top up' with 'Water' got less and less
The battery then had 6 Plugs you needed a screwdriver to undo ( still accessible to 'Service ' the battery.. but an annual operation..not monthly)
Roll on the year 2000'ish and batteries became Sealed.. it has 6 fixed plugs that can 'vent' a little as the battery charges.
But no access to top.up the water..as its basically no longer required
What CAN go wrong..
OVERCHARGING.. can 'boil' the battery fluid.. and like a pot on a stove.. will eventually run dry and be ruined
The car Alternator SHOULD regulate the charge.. and ease off as the battery is approaching 'Full'
If it keeps charging Hard.. it can ruin the battery
Same applies with an unregulated Battery Charger
Hope that helps a little.
Get that Warranty out for your battery
Cornish Ian
Member
I did find info from one selling site saying it was sealed when replying to the OPs other thread and I thought I replied as such.I looked up Varta B35 Blue and yes it looks like a sealed battery. Most modern/new car batteries are sealed these days.
BLUE dynamic
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/b36/
Neither of these say sealed. With regards to charger the sealed setting is safer for any battery.
As you say sealed setting is safer but the charger looks to be switched to the wrong mode.
Just been reading PMM Professional Motor Mechanic magazine Nov.edition, pick up free at motor factors. Some interesting data re Stop/Start batteries and also about Fiat Panda starter burn outs, well worth a read!
I retired before Stop/Start became more popular so reading several threads saying replace batteries for other issues seemed hard for me to accept.
However having read this PMM it says as batteries age their capacity may drop to 70%, not generally a problem until cold morning or car that doesn't start straight away, it pulls the voltage down to a point where the ECU shuts off less important function to keep engine running, hence flashing speedo and error messages etc.
Apparently on high end cars with two batteries it can save functions to the second battery, but when you come to replace the batteries a tool has to be used to reprogram ECU to return to original functionality.
Also Punto and Panda 03-2015 have an issue which burns the starter out due to insufficient voltage at the ECU following a "cold start" and they advise the ECU be reprogrammed and updated with modified software to avoid future premature starter failure.
Well worth a read although I am sure some of you are already conversant unlike this old wrinkly
I retired before Stop/Start became more popular so reading several threads saying replace batteries for other issues seemed hard for me to accept.
However having read this PMM it says as batteries age their capacity may drop to 70%, not generally a problem until cold morning or car that doesn't start straight away, it pulls the voltage down to a point where the ECU shuts off less important function to keep engine running, hence flashing speedo and error messages etc.
Apparently on high end cars with two batteries it can save functions to the second battery, but when you come to replace the batteries a tool has to be used to reprogram ECU to return to original functionality.
Also Punto and Panda 03-2015 have an issue which burns the starter out due to insufficient voltage at the ECU following a "cold start" and they advise the ECU be reprogrammed and updated with modified software to avoid future premature starter failure.
Well worth a read although I am sure some of you are already conversant unlike this old wrinkly
qwerty2018
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Massive thank you to you all for your kind help here.
Checked with the Battery Company Vartar and they told me the following (I asked them if the battery was Sealed or Standard):
"Your battery is a Blue Dynamic 544 401 042. It is a flooded lead-acid battery and it has a sealed construction, so that it is spillproof"
www.varta-automotive.com
www.varta-automotive.com
I will admit one thing here - Bought the battery new and fitted it in December 2021 and first time it failed on me was early November 2022 so took it out and charged it as Standard and not Sealed even though I now know it is a Sealed battery and the battery only took 2 hours to charge.
Checked with the Battery Company Vartar and they told me the following (I asked them if the battery was Sealed or Standard):
"Your battery is a Blue Dynamic 544 401 042. It is a flooded lead-acid battery and it has a sealed construction, so that it is spillproof"
544 401 042 | Varta Automotive
VARTA® Blue Dynamic – reliable performance for medium power needs.
Flooded battery technology by VARTA® - completely maintenance-free. See here all the advantages
VARTA® offers a full portfolio of sealed, maintenance-free flooded lead-acid batteries that cover an extensive range of vehicles.
I will admit one thing here - Bought the battery new and fitted it in December 2021 and first time it failed on me was early November 2022 so took it out and charged it as Standard and not Sealed even though I now know it is a Sealed battery and the battery only took 2 hours to charge.
It’s been answered in another thread
Unless there is a way to add electrolyte it’s classed as sealed
With a resting voltage of 11.79V
It’s probably already beyond reviving
Dead batteries due to low use was so much of problem with TVR’s they use to ship new cars with a trickle charger. If you search on their forums the brand should be there. Not all trickle chargers are good.
Lead acid Batteries especially SLA ones only like being fully charged
Unless there is a way to add electrolyte it’s classed as sealed
With a resting voltage of 11.79V
It’s probably already beyond reviving
Dead batteries due to low use was so much of problem with TVR’s they use to ship new cars with a trickle charger. If you search on their forums the brand should be there. Not all trickle chargers are good.
Lead acid Batteries especially SLA ones only like being fully charged
The bottom line here seems to be:
You have an elderly punto that is getting 'fussy' with old age
It may be a dozen small items of deterioration ( so tricky / impossible..to overcome them all)
But what you have found is an A1.. or at least 90% good battery makes the difference.
That in itself makes options pretty simple
MAINTAIN BATTERY VOLTAGE
You need
1.A good battery
2.A good alternator
Your garage tested Both and recommended a replacement battery
Your Alternator is probably 'tired' it has components that wear..
Brushes.. its essentially an OldSkool electric motor.. brushes cost about £6 to buy
BUT.. get that battery Exchanged under warranty 1st
You driving 'an extra' 30 miles a week for the sake of the battery will soon cost
@£7 a trip...10 of those gets you a new battery from Tayna
One side comment here.. @qwerty2018
80% of people on here with battery / charging issues longterm
mention PowerSteering problems
Youve not said Anything about heavy steering.. or the RED STEERING WHEEL warning light.
Another indication that your Alternator is 'O.K'
Get that battery swapped
Charlie
You have an elderly punto that is getting 'fussy' with old age
It may be a dozen small items of deterioration ( so tricky / impossible..to overcome them all)
But what you have found is an A1.. or at least 90% good battery makes the difference.
That in itself makes options pretty simple
MAINTAIN BATTERY VOLTAGE
You need
1.A good battery
2.A good alternator
Your garage tested Both and recommended a replacement battery
Your Alternator is probably 'tired' it has components that wear..
Brushes.. its essentially an OldSkool electric motor.. brushes cost about £6 to buy
BUT.. get that battery Exchanged under warranty 1st
You driving 'an extra' 30 miles a week for the sake of the battery will soon cost
@£7 a trip...10 of those gets you a new battery from Tayna
One side comment here.. @qwerty2018
80% of people on here with battery / charging issues longterm
mention PowerSteering problems
Youve not said Anything about heavy steering.. or the RED STEERING WHEEL warning light.
Another indication that your Alternator is 'O.K'
Get that battery swapped
Charlie
qwerty2018
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Many thanks here for all your kind help and apologies for length of delay resonding back to you all as one does not have a regular internet connection. As for my car battery well on Friday 16th December 2022 the battery failed and took it out and charged it again on a sealed charge instead of the standard that I did the last time and it took between 3.5 to 4 hours to charge and put the battery back in Monday 19th December 2022. A friend came to mine on Tuesday 3rd January 2023 and took a multimeter reading before the car was started (a resting voltage is the correct name is one is correct) and in the photo is the reading so took the battery out and under my warrenty got a new battery (same make/model) and put back into the car. My biggest worry is even though a new battery is how long this one will last as the previous one was 11 months old when problems started. Massive thanks to you all here for your kind help.
Attachments
Does that say 11.6?
( I am struggling to read it)
Good to hear you can see an obvious improvement with the replacement
( I am struggling to read it)
Good to hear you can see an obvious improvement with the replacement
Cornish Ian
Member
Remember to keep your battery at least 50% charged. When it’s so discharged that it won’t start your car the damage has been done. Perhaps you should consider buying a cheap multimeter and keep an eye on your battery voltage in periods of low usage. Batteries will vary a bit but I would certainly try to keep it above 12.2 volts.
depending on where you got it from, sometimes "brand new batteries" can have been sitting about on a shelf for years somewhere before they are eventually sold. The sort of places that sell them tend to have a lot of dust and dirt in the air so we think nothing of cleaning off the dust. But if they have sat around or worse been knocking around for a long time they can deteriorate badly.
11.6v suggests one of the cells shorted internally.
qwerty2018
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Hello
I have this car battery since Jan this year and brand new and fitted it same month. It is a Varta B36 12V 44Ah 420A or Blue Dynamic 544 401 042 Flooded Lead Acid Battery and has sealed construction so that is is spillproof:
www.varta-automotive.com
I need to know if this is the correct car battery charger for it from Halfords:
www.halfords.com
Many thanks here and please excuse my lack of knowledge on cars.
I have this car battery since Jan this year and brand new and fitted it same month. It is a Varta B36 12V 44Ah 420A or Blue Dynamic 544 401 042 Flooded Lead Acid Battery and has sealed construction so that is is spillproof:
544 401 042 | Varta Automotive
VARTA® Blue Dynamic – reliable performance for medium power needs.
I need to know if this is the correct car battery charger for it from Halfords:
Halfords Automatic Battery Charger - Up to 2.0L | Halfords UK
Shop the latest Halfords Fully Automatic Battery Charger for 12V automotive lead acid deep cycle leisure batteries at Halfords UK
www.halfords.com
Many thanks here and please excuse my lack of knowledge on cars.
Yes there is a switch on the front for sealedHello
I have this car battery since Jan this year and brand new and fitted it same month. It is a Varta B36 12V 44Ah 420A or Blue Dynamic 544 401 042 Flooded Lead Acid Battery and has sealed construction so that is is spillproof:
544 401 042 | Varta Automotive
VARTA® Blue Dynamic – reliable performance for medium power needs.
I need to know if this is the correct car battery charger for it from Halfords:
Halfords Automatic Battery Charger - Up to 2.0L | Halfords UK
Shop the latest Halfords Fully Automatic Battery Charger for 12V automotive lead acid deep cycle leisure batteries at Halfords UK
Many thanks here and please excuse my lack of knowledge on cars.
Personly if I was spending on a new charger I would choose a smart charger that suitable for cars with start stop technology, there's a good chance you next car will have SS might as well future proof it
It's hard for me to recommend one as mine was bought years ago, I prefer to recommend what I know work
Maybe this?
Halfords Smart Battery Charger 4A | Halfords UK
Shop the latest Halfords Smart Battery Charger 4A at Halfords UK
www.halfords.com
Maybe other can suggest better or cheaper or both
The only problem with mine is if the voltage is too low it will not start to charge, i have to jump start it first
Last edited:
We used to get that problem in the old days and had to put a known good battery in parallel using jump leads until the flat battery started to charge then we could remove the good battery.
"Smart" charger highly recommended. I have a number of chargers which I've accumulated over the years but it's the smart charger which sees most use.
My "newest" charger, bought some years ago now, is a CTEC multi XS 7000:
Which seems now to have been superseded by this: https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/application/leisure-sport/caravan/mxs-7-0-uk. I think it's the same machine - seems to do all the same "stuff". It's not particularly cheap but it's a good charger with many useful features and a usefully high output if needed so it can charge a battery in a reasonable time. I can confidently recommend it to anyone. You can read more on it here: https://www.ctek.com/storage/683076...b200dd84a1ccb1c1/MXS_7.0-manual-low-UK-EN.pdf
Had to do that with the Punto once when it's old battery was only showing about 4 volts. Although this got him going for a few days a new battery was the only effective cure. The CTEC seems to get round that with it's initial "desulphation/soft start" mode. I've charged batteries with it which other chargers wouldn't look at. The dedicated "recond" setting has worked on a couple of batteries too, most notably Becky's old battery which it has "woken up" well enough for me to use as a slave or to jump start smaller engines.
By the way, although it doesn't say so on it's front face, it's suitable for stop/start (EFB) AGM etc.
If you're looking for cheaper options there seem to be many. Ring is a name you see in the Factors which seem to make lots of electrical "stuff" - I bought some spare bulbs for the cars the other day and they were Ring Brand. I would think their chargers would be of reasonable quality? https://shop.ringautomotive.com/battery-care/smart-chargers.html In fact, a couple of years ago, Lidl had a smart charger for such "silly" money that I couldn't resist it. I think this is the current version of it: Amazon product ASIN B08N57KZ2Z I've used mine from time to time when the CTEC has been connected to something I didn't want to interrupt and the Lidl machine seems to work fine but takes much longer due to a lower output amperage.
By the way. It's often recommended not to connect battery chargers to a vehicle when the main battery cables are still connected. This is certainly true of the older transformer type chargers. The worry with them is that they do not have a stabilized output so if there is a "spike" on the mains side this might result in a "spike" on the output side which would exceed the voltage - and consequently amperage - which electronic components in the vehicle electronics can tolerate. "Fried" electronics can really cost! However, disconnecting battery leads can have annoying consequences due to memory loss in ECUs. so being able to charge without disconnecting the battery terminal connections would be very useful. Ok, I know you can connect in a slave and/or do other "clever" stuff, but being able to connect directly to a still connected battery is just so much simpler. Smart chargers though are able to control their output much more accurately so I rang CTEC and asked if it was OK to connect to vehicles without first isolating the battery. "But of course" came back the answer. "In fact we sell a loom which can be permanently connected into the car (it actually came as part of the kit with mine) so you can simply plug your charger in with one plug". I've now charged many vehicles, from the Pandas, my boy's Punto, Daughter in law's Jazz and many others including my friend's Nearly new Jaguar, by connecting the CTEC directly without disconnecting the batteries and had absolutely no problems. I've also done this with the Lidl cheapie on a couple of the Family Fleet vehicles and again had no problems. I suspect that any "smart" charger should be regulated accurately enough to avoid any problems but wouldn't "bet the farm" on any but the CTEC. In fact the CTEC actually has a dedicated "supply" setting which you can use as a power source to replace the battery entirely - maybe when working on the vehicle if a battery was absent?
Oh, and one final little factor to consider. If your car has "Stop/Start" it almost certainly has a battery condition monitor on it's negative battery terminal. These monitors like to be included in anything that's going on with the state of charge of the battery so, if you don't want to get problems with it then connect the charger negative clip to a vehicle earth point (could be the engine block or maybe an earthing point on the body, anywhere really rather than the battery terminal itself - my Ibiza has a very convenient and big bolt on the inner wing where the battery negative lead is earthed to the body)
Aye Mike, those older batteries seemed to tolerate more abuse than these modern sealed batteries. You could quite often wake one up by just giving it a good high charge. I think the bubbling action cleaned, to a certain extent, the sulphation from the plate surfaces? - just keep nipping in every ten minutes or so to feel the sides of the battery in case it's getting too hot? and don't, for goodness sake, touch a terminal in case you get a spark! I seem to remember reading somewhere - quite a number of years ago now - that the electrolyte in sealed batteries includes something which reduces gassing? Now a days you daren't let a battery get too discharged or it'll go into the "dreaded" deeply discharged state where it won't accept a charge without some very sophisticated charging gear. Probably cheaper just to replace it with a new one.
If you can be bothered, here's an interesting read about lead acid batteries: https://louwrentius.com/a-practical-understanding-of-lead-acid-batteries.html
