CH> GMTA!  ;-)
Huh?

 RJT> hydrometer will also reveal any shorted cells so you won't have to
 RJT> bother with trying to charge those.
 CH> How so?
Well,  the one I have here has different colors on the float,  red,  white,  
and green for rundown,  ok,  and really charged...
In a battery that's only moderately run down,  you may see all of the cells 
in the middle of the red.  If that's the case with five of them and one is at 
the extreme end of the red,  yer probably looking at a shorted cell.  In 
fact,  if hydrometer readings vary all over the place the odds are pretty 
good that the battery is scrap,  anyhow.
 RJT> Anyone who's giving any serious consideration to messing around with
 RJT> large quantities of automotive-type batteries also needs to 
 RJT> consider the potential hazards involved with the fact that 
 RJT> you're generating hydrogen gas during the charging process,  
 RJT> which is more explosive than gasoline,
 CH> Than ANYTHING! They make fusion bombs with Hydrogen. The most 
 CH> powerfull bombs on the planet.
That's not the same thing as what I'm talking about here,  which is a simple 
straightforward chemical reaction.  Fusion bombs typically require a fission 
bomb to set 'em off!
 RJT> All in all,  this sort of endeavor isn't really something that I'd
 RJT> recommend for people to get into on a casual basis.  There aren't that
 RJT> many batteries out there to be had,  anyway,  as lead is considered
 RJT> "hazardous waste" these days and almost everywhere you go to buy one
 RJT> needs to get one in return as a "trade-in" or "core" or they 
 RJT> charge you extra.
 CH> Not in Ohio! You can't GIVE an old battery away! You have to 
 CH> pay them to take them, because they are "hazardous waste". 
Hmm.  Sounds like some dealers in those parts are into screwing people when 
they get the chance.  I always took all the junk batteries that people wanted 
to come up with...
 CH> But many places will still charge you extra for no trade in. 
 CH> They get you coming and going around here! 
 CH> I knew people that'd find people who were going to buy 
 CH> batteries without trad-ins, and would get them ones from junk 
 CH> yards and make money from both ends! The yards would pay to get 
 CH> rid of haz-mat, and battery buyer would pay for a trade-in, and 
 CH> save more than they paid. If finding those who were buying 
 CH> without trade-ins were easier, they'd have been rich!
Heh...   
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