Battery ?

[ACarbone624]

I was checking stuff as usual on my boat so i decided to check the water in the battery. When I opened the caps, I couldn't see any water. So I filled it up to above the plates. I probably added a quart of water. I put it back on the charger. What would cause the water level to be so low? I notcied it had been taking a long time when charging. I'm gonna go check my voltages now and see what they are.

 

[phased]

Evaporation. The heat created when charging the battery causes evap. This is why water level should be checked after each charge. If you live in a place like I do where summer temps can be 100 sustained (and battery is kept outside) you will have evap happen just from the ambient temps. If you are losing water at a really fast rate when charging it could be that you have a shorted plate in the battery. In my experience I normally have to top off the batteries after every three to four chargings but this varies dependant upon how low I run them.

 

[ACarbone624]

I haven't checked it in a while.....It seems to be taking a better charge now. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it....and check it more often.

Doesn't the water dillute the acid everytime you add to it?

 

[Waterwings]

Doesn't the water dillute the acid everytime you add to it?
I haven't checked it in a while.....It seems to be taking a better charge now. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it....and check it more often.

Doesn't the water dillute the acid everytime you add to it?

I believe it does to an extent. Only use distilled water, and only add water to an already charged battery, unless the water levels are extremely low as you described above.

 

[SlimeTime]

If it was that low, that means you aren't checking the level often enough. Hopefully it hasn't warped & shorted the plates. Once a Lead acid battery had been activated by adding the electrolyte (acid) to the dry cells. ONLY distilled water should be added.

There are specific gravity reasons. 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 as it's much lighter than the acid, and during even the extreme boiling of a battery 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.

If your battery is continually requiring water, it's probably just a matter of time before it leaves you stranded, and you should put it in the "plan" to replace it.

ST