Adding Water To A Battery

[daman]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: daman

No never not once.


I suspect that if you did, you'd find that adding water does not dilute the acid over time.

Oh yea? really? want come look behind the shop here and see two very expensive batts outa my Kenworth that was frozen because the bosses kid added water to each cell.

 

[lewdwig]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
East Penn still makes the batteries without removable vent caps. Carquest sells them under the Carquest brand.


I've had good experiences with East Penn batteries (Deka and Carquest). Not so good with Delco (Delphi).

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: daman

Oh yea? really? want come look behind the shop here and see two very expensive batts outa my Kenworth that was frozen because the bosses kid added water to each cell.


If those batteries were fully charged, they would not have frozen..unless the bosses kid added water to the point where it was spilling over the top and kept on adding water after that.

If those batteries were discharged, the electrolyte is mostly water and will freeze at a higher temperature.

 

[brianl703]

The other possibility is that the batteries were very low on electrolyte (so that the plates were exposed) and adding water sufficiently raised the freezing point so that they froze. If that's the case, though, they were already bad before they froze.

Once part of a plate is exposed to air and dries out, that part of the plate is dead. Adding water to cover it again won't make it work. Best to add the water before the electrolyte level gets that low.

 

[daman]

All i know is the kid added water,i chewed him a new *&$% and so did the boss.

 

[HomerJ5w40]

Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: daman

No never not once.


I suspect that if you did, you'd find that adding water does not dilute the acid over time.

Oh yea? really? want come look behind the shop here and see two very expensive batts outa my Kenworth that was frozen because the bosses kid added water to each cell.


.. Thats not Funny id be Very Upset if i had a Kenworth and that happened but the way you expressed it i had to

Please tell me the Boss's Kids didnt turn up missing under the Tires of that Kenworth.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: daman
All i know is the kid added water,i chewed him a new *&$% and so did the boss.


So, for all you know, the battery was discharged and that's why it froze.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: daman
All i know is the kid added water,i chewed him a new *&$% and so did the boss.


So, for all you know, the battery was discharged and that's why it froze.


Well of course i know it's my truck and i maintain/service it, we have this Hydrometer in the shop when put up for the winter season they where around 1250,1260 close to the bottom if memory serves me right all good there so parked in the shed i 2 amp trickle charged them for a day as i was servicing my trailer then pulled off the cables when showed full charged,boss had the kid going around to all the equipment after i left for winter lay off and checking coolant and whatnot next thing i know boss calls me in the spring of this year chewing on me,that didn't fly let me tell ya.

Do what you want but we don't add water,very seldom.

 

[Thermo1223]

Under normal conditions you usually don't have too, but extreme heat, massive discharge, charge cycles & you will.

Batteries love the cold, they don't work at 100% when super cold but they will last a long time. Start adding heat and you will kill them fast.

For high power density apps like laptops, some Lion's have temp sensor and will kill the power on a discharge if it gets to hot or slow the charging to a trickle.

I've had the same factory battery in the Forester since 2005 and it has never needed water but I never drained it. Water level never changed either but again it isn't a severe environment for it.

Our equipment at work, well those need water every week shoving 150 DC Amps in on charge will do that.

 

[RacerE7773]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
I make sure it is topped up before you install it. Then check at 6 months and adjust your check interval from there. I think I would have opted for a maintenance free with this vehicle.

I check mine every 6 months also.

 

[RnR]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
The other possibility is that the batteries were very low on electrolyte (so that the plates were exposed) and adding water sufficiently raised the freezing point so that they froze. If that's the case, though, they were already bad before they froze.

Once part of a plate is exposed to air and dries out, that part of the plate is dead. Adding water to cover it again won't make it work. Best to add the water before the electrolyte level gets that low.


Interesting - My father boiled a trolling batt completely dry and measured 0.8v when I discovered it - adding water and some charging cycles, I got it to over 12v - but it has the capacity of a flashlight battery. Just what happens when a wet-cell plate dries out, that it cannot be recovered? I'm trying a desulphator but that is S-L-O-W going and with questionable effect.

 

[Eddie]

WOW this has gotten off the main question. Either get a "maintenance free" battery or top up a standard battery, install it and forget it. Gads

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: RnR
Just what happens when a wet-cell plate dries out, that it cannot be recovered?


Exposure to air oxidizes the plates, would be my educated guess.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: daman
Do what you want but we don't add water,very seldom.


I might need to add water to the battery in my car once every year or two. It depends on how hot the battery is getting, and you'll find that many cars come with a battery insulator (which often gets trashed the first time the battery is replaced) to keep the battery cooler.

 

[ffhdriver]

IMO any battery that has removal cell caps isn't maintenance free be cause at sometime the company that made it expects that water will have to be added.

 

[brianl703]

Maintenance free batteries without removable vent caps lose water too. The difference is, you can't do anything about it.

The maintenance free battery that came with my Saab 93 has an eye, the sole function of which is to tell you that the electrolyte level is low. It's not a hydrometer. Why do you suppose they put that on there?