Add battery acid or distilled water?

[Bonnewagon]

Lots of opinions on this. What do you add to a battery that is low on acid/water? Last year I bought a brand new deep cycle battery from Sears and it must have been sitting on the shelf for a LONG time. Each cell was down several inches. Not knowing if it just evaporated or was not filled properly I added battery acid to the cells. The battery charged up and worked great all season in my Whaler. After sitting down my basement all winter it needed some more but of course now I knew the water had evaporated for sure. Still, it was not much so I again used the battery acid to top it off. I just checked it after sitting out on the water all summer and it was way down again. Now normally I just add distilled water but after doing that it takes a long time to charge up the battery. Worse, after doing that for years the battery will not take a charge properly. I am assuming that the acid is also leaving along with the water vapor and eventually you are diluting the acid too much by adding just water. So this time I made a mix of 25% acid and 75% water. I added that to the cells and charged it. It was charged 100% right away. That seems to be the ticket. I am curious because my cars sit for a long time and also lose water. This would seem to be better in the long run. Any chemists out there know what is best?

 

[Bonnewagon]

EDIT: Anyone know the acid concentration of a lead/acid battery? And how can you test that?

 

[Neill]

Lots of opinions on this. What do you add to a battery that is low on acid/water? Last year I bought a brand new deep cycle battery from Sears and it must have been sitting on the shelf for a LONG time. Each cell was down several inches. Not knowing if it just evaporated or was not filled properly I added battery acid to the cells. The battery charged up and worked great all season in my Whaler. After sitting down my basement all winter it needed some more but of course now I knew the water had evaporated for sure. Still, it was not much so I again used the battery acid to top it off. I just checked it after sitting out on the water all summer and it was way down again. Now normally I just add distilled water but after doing that it takes a long time to charge up the battery. Worse, after doing that for years the battery will not take a charge properly. I am assuming that the acid is also leaving along with the water vapor and eventually you are diluting the acid too much by adding just water. So this time I made a mix of 25% acid and 75% water. I added that to the cells and charged it. It was charged 100% right away. That seems to be the ticket. I am curious because my cars sit for a long time and also lose water. This would seem to be better in the long run. Any chemists out there know what is best?

I'm not a chemist, but have spent time trying to revive neglected batteries. I try to break down the sulphation on their plates ,after topping off with water, with an old type ,non-smart charger ,on a slow charge for days until the cells are bubbling well. If they all bubble, I take hydrometer readings of each cell. If any cells fail to bubble in unison with the rest, I discard the battery. I would use distilled water but cannot ever find any around, no matter how much I buy. You can break down the sulfation on the portion of the plates that were still covered with water. I guess your acid tune ups helped expose more plate material, but speeded up it's demise at the same time. The plates can short out at the bottom of the battery from accumulation of deposit. When a manufacturer wants a 'premium' battery to last longer, all they have to do is raise the level of the plates ,higher up from the bottom of the case , which forestalls this eventuality. Some do this, but don't brag about it, for industry wide considerations, i.m.o.

 

[pontiacgp]

I don't know but this might help,,,I'm surprised there was no bad results adding the acid to the battery, I was always told you can only add water to the acid, not the other way around

Battery Acid & Water

Visit the post for more.

batteryworld.co.ke

 

[fleming442]

How to Use a Battery Hydrometer - Deep Cycle Battery Store

Test deep cycle batteries accurately with a battery hydrometer $10 ea. This is performed by measuring the density of the electrolyte. (619) 448-5323

deepcyclebatterystore.com

.
BUT....

BLUETOP® D34M

The BLUETOP® D34M is a high performance AGM battery. It's proven to deliver high-power and be resistant to common causes of battery failure. Learn more about the BLUETOP.

www.optimabatteries.com

 

[69hurstolds]

How to Use a Battery Hydrometer - Deep Cycle Battery Store

Test deep cycle batteries accurately with a battery hydrometer $10 ea. This is performed by measuring the density of the electrolyte. (619) 448-5323

deepcyclebatterystore.com

.
BUT....

BLUETOP® D34M

The BLUETOP® D34M is a high performance AGM battery. It's proven to deliver high-power and be resistant to common causes of battery failure. Learn more about the BLUETOP.

www.optimabatteries.com

Have they fixed those pieces of crap? (the Optimas)

 

[fleming442]

Never had a problem with the yellow or blue, just red.

 

[pontiacgp]

Never had a problem with the yellow or blue, just red.

I will probably really regret saying this but my Red top that is working great has a date sticker of 2015....

 

[1 RARE T]

Adding acid to the battery screws up the proper mixture of water content.

Especially since you've added it twice.

You seem to have a lot of water evaporating. However you're charging the battery, might be boiling the water outta it.

 

[fleming442]

However you're charging the battery, might be boiling the water outta it.

Agreed. Check the voltage of the outboard while running.