How Much Water Should A Battery Have

Watering Your Lead Acid Battery: The Basics

Simply like how you tin can't go without h2o, neither tin can your battery. Watering your pb acid bombardment is an essential maintenance step that can't be skipped. It keeps your battery safe for employ and in optimal condition. Not watering your lead acid battery at the correct time can pb to serious harm, merely knowing when is the right time to water your battery isn't ever like shooting fish in a barrel. Follow these steps on how to water your lead acid battery.

Why batteries demand to be watered

Lead acrid batteries consist of flat pb plates immersed in a pool of electrolyte. The electrolyte consists of water and sulfuric acid. The size of the battery plates and corporeality of electrolyte determines the amount of charge lead acid batteries can shop or how many hours of use. Water is key part of how a lead battery functions.

Additionally, during the recharging procedure as electricity flows through the water portion of the electrolyte, h2o is converted into its original elements, hydrogen and oxygen. These gasses are very flammable and the reason your RV or marine batteries must be vented outside. Gassing causes water loss, which is why lead acrid batteries need to have water added periodically. Low maintenance batteries like AGM batteries, are the exception because they have the ability to compensate for water loss.

Overwatering and under watering can both harm your battery. To keep your lead battery running at top levels, follow these watering guidelines.

Beginning – Start with Safe

To get started, make sure to wearable personal protection equipment such every bit protective eyewear and gloves when working on batteries. Also, it is very important to empathise that some batteries require regular watering service – while other batteries deliver maintenance-free operation.

Brand sure to look for information on the battery labeling that indicate whether the battery can be opened and serviced. Depending upon the bombardment type you are using, the alarm labels on your battery should direct you to "DO NOT OPEN" the battery, or "KEEP VENT CAPS TIGHT Post-obit WATERING SERVICE." Make sure to follow the warning label instructions.

How to water a battery

While a battery should merely be filled later on it is completely charged, you lot should besides cheque the h2o level before charging to brand certain in that location is just enough water to cover whatever exposed plates. After charging, add enough water to bring the level to the bottom of the vent, almost ¾ below the top of the cell.

It'due south important to annotation that battery owners should never add sulfuric acid to their battery. During normal operation batteries volition only consume water – and not sulfuric acid. When your battery's electrolyte is observed to be low, filling the battery with water will keep the bombardment healthy and safe for utilise.

Don't Over Water

While a battery is charging, the density of the electrolyte solution volition increase. If too much water was added before charging, the electrolyte levels will expand and crusade the battery to overflow and damage the battery. Additionally, excessive watering of a bombardment can upshot in additional dilution of the electrolyte, resulting in reduced battery performance.

When should y'all water a battery

How often you add h2o to your battery will depend on how often you employ it. A golf cart battery that is merely used on the weekends may only require once a month watering. A forklift used all day, every day, may need to accept its battery watered every week. When the weather is hot, this will increase the need for watering. Information technology'south important to cheque your bombardment'south fluid level regularly – and the best practice is to practice so later the bombardment is finished charging.

What type of water should be used

Avoid using tap water. When filling your bombardment, regular tap water isn't going to cut it. Tap h2o contains minerals that are harmful to batteries, even if added in pocket-sized amounts. This is especially true for h2o softened by water softeners which contain chlorides. To be safety, distilled h2o is your all-time bet and is a much smaller investment than a new battery.

Remember, that water will sit down on top of the acid solution in your battery until information technology is mixed by the bubbling produced past charging. If yous are taking hydrometer readings of the electrolyte, it's best to accept them after charging is consummate.

Don't let your battery get dehydrated. Continue information technology watered during hot months and all year long.