adding battery acid not water?

[Geek]

I went to pick up new batteries for my car exide 3600 golf cart type and the guy there told me to put battery acid in them instead of distilled water.

I think he is nuts but I was just wondering what others may think.

[whatsnext]

If the battery is new and empty then yes put in battery acid. That's what makes it a battery and not just a plastic box with lead in it. However, once it is a battery because you've put the correct amount of acid in, don't put any more in. Just add water after the initial acid fill.

[MountainMan]

What you say makes sense on the surface, but think about what comes out of a battery when it outgasses or boils over.  It surely isn't just water vapor.  The stuff that runs out when it boils over is battery acid.  Replace enough of that with distilled water, and what have you got?  A plastic box full of well watered lead.

Probably distilled water is safe and better than nothing.  Probably straight battery acid would most of the time actually lower the pH beyond the original acid rating, since some of what comes out is just water vapor.

Probably the perfect answer lies in between somewhere, and could only be determined with a very precise measurement of the current pH of the battery juice.

Probably not worth worrying about either way.  Besides, where you gonna get some battery acid?

jp

[kitno455]

"Besides, where you gonna get some battery acid?"

NAPA

[whatsnext]

And the obvious answer would be to charge your battery at a rate low enough such that it does not 'boil over'. Then your acid would stay where it belongs. If your battery 'boils over' your charger or the load on your battery is too big. Or perhaps just overfilled.

[Bruce S]

Mtnman;

   Close but...

Here in lies what I learned from a great number of years ago.

Once a Lead acid battery had been activated by adding the electrolyte to the dry cells; ONLY and ONLY distilled water should be added. Of course tap water is better than a dry Lead acid battery.:-)

There are specific gravity reasons. The reasons are varied depending on whom you are learning from or which book you are reading.

Adding electrolyte to an already activated battery will do it little to no  good, and may actually do it harm, and while ph levels could help it will not make that much difference in a battery. It's the specific gravity that makes all the difference for lead acid batteries.

What comes out of a battery that is boiling over is actually several things. One of course being water, it is much lighter than the acid, and during even the extreme boiling of a battery such as a stuck in charge mode alternator the acid is 85% of the time left in the battery, so adding acid will change this chemistry of the liquid and the battery as a whole for the worse all the time it needs water. More importantly coming out of the battery is the hydrogen gas. This stuff is highly explosive, used we to touch this off on purpose as a plasma ball. Cool to watch and  see, but really dangerous stuff and can at the very least leave you without eye brows for a short period of time.

Battery acid is actually fairly easy to purchase from a battery dealer, but they usually ask questions, such as if you have bad battery or if you just purchased a new battery. If you tell them you have a battery low they too will caution you against adding battery acid.

Not wanting to rain on your advice but water is needed, not acid.

Cheers!!

Bruce S

[pyrocasto]

Over filled because mine are flowing over and I'm using a 2 amp charger on 250ah batteries... ;-)

[Gordy]

I agree with Bruce, Why??? becuse 8 or 10 years ago I pulled a BIG BUBA thinking if it ain't broke don't fix it, with my truck battery. All of a sudden the weather turned cold and the truck would barley start. Well LONG story short I added 4-12oz glasses of water to the battery and left my 40 amp automatic charger on over night. Both to charge the battery and to keep it from freezing in 10 degree weather.

I lucked out and got 4 more years out of that battery. Then junked the truck.

Army mechanic school told us that adding fresh electrolite to an in service battery can make them go boom.

Gordy

[Clifford]

You can purchase battery acid (somewhat dilute sulferic acid) at any auto parts store....

[Clifford]

Oh...

I thought I'd mention...  common "houshold" acids and bases for your projects (batteries, electrolysis, etc).

ACIDS

-----

H2SO4 - Sulferic Acid - Battery Acid - Auto Parts Store

HCL - HydroChloric Acid - Muratic Acid - Hardware Store

Acetic Acid - Vinegar - Grocery Store

Bases

-----

NaOH - Sodium Hydroxide - Drain Cleaner - Hardware Store

KOH - Potassium Hydroxide - Drain Cleaner - Hardware Store

NaHCO3 - Sodium Bicarbonate - Baking Soda - Grocery Store

CaCO3 - Calcium Carbonate - TUMS & Ca++ Suppliments - Grocery Stores.  Also, I believe that it is LIME...  which can be gotten in larger quantities from Nurseries.

NH4 - Ammonia - Grocery Store

Note,

Most "consumer" forms of these are relatively dilute, and the actual dilution factors may not be listed on the products.