I'm pretty sure I read the word "gel" on at least one of them. They are back-up
batteries for cable TV systems. They live in a box up on a telephone pole for a
couple of years, and then are replaced.
I achieved a 12V surface charge on this iffy battery after trying the charger
for a short time, but the volt meter was enough to draw that back down towards
11.5 while I watched. So 11.8 is pretty much it, eh.... I guess that answers
my question! One dud out of twenty ain't bad. Specially when they were free.
I did get a charger for them also. It charges three of them at the time, in series.
There are indicator lights showing the current (sorry
) mode of charging.
And on one of the batteries I saw charging specs -- different voltages for... I'll
have to read up on it again.
Thanks! I wanted a second opinion before I recycle it.