Does anyone have a cure for battery terminal corrosion?

Yes, AGM batteries. Overcharging is a common cause.

The answer to your question is baking soda. Mix a tablespoon into a cup of water and use a throw away paint brush to paint it on to the corroded terminals. Rinse with fresh water and wipe dry. It is also a good idea to pull the ring terminals off of the post and use a little sandpaper (wet or dry), to eliminate any remaining corrosion. AGM's are amazing batteries but for the vast majority of RV'ers, as in those not full timing, they are simply not cost effective. Wet cells, I like Trojan's, will give you far more amps per buck and the maintenance is minimal. KISS. :C

I use agm's in all my vehicles and have not had any corrosion on the posts. Clean the post and connector as desert captain said. Be careful not get any of the baking soda into the battery through the caps. You can buy a small can of battery terminal protection spray at walmart or just about any auto supply. If you spray the connector and any exposed wire thoroughly it works very well. Or, you could coat it with dielectric grease. That would attract dust and dirt, but at least it would not corrode.

2oldman wrote:Yes, AGM batteries. Overcharging is a common cause.AGM Batteries .They do not corrode your battery tray .AGM recharge slightly faster .AGM are more forgiving if you draw them down further than conventional.I bought 2 exide Edge AGM batteries for $ 140 each at BiMart recently .made in the USA .Four year 100 % replacement guarantee .

Golly, battery post corrosion used to be a big problem when I was younger. But, todays alternators on vehicles are so much better at not over charging the battery that corrosion is almost a thing of the past. Unless your battery is getting weak and that is why the alternator keeps charging it so much. If you have big corrosion problems you probably have a another problem somewhere that is causing it. Either with the battery or in the charging circuit somewhere.

Battery corrosion | Good Sam Community

D___M
Explorer
Jan 12, 2014
larry barnhart wrote:
where does the mineral go?

chevman

Go to either one of those links and all will be revealed.
larry_barnhart
Explorer
Jan 12, 2014
where does the mineral go?

chevman
JR45
Explorer
Jan 12, 2014
F450 wrote:
Does anyone have a cure for battery terminal corrosion?

Yes Mineral Oil, I just got 5 bottles at Walmart $1.48 each, it worked for Edison.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/mineral-oil-177333.html
and
http://www.fieldlines.com/index.php/topic,136159.0.html
JR
full_mosey
Explorer
Jan 12, 2014
4+ and 5+ yr old AGMs with no corrosion! No vaseline, no felt rings. I gave my battery terminal brush to someone with flooded batteries.

OK, I did pull them last year and hose them off in the driveway while switching banks between the van and TT. They were a little dusty.

HTH
John
2oldman
Explorer II
Jan 09, 2014
wa8yxm wrote:
Corrosion and tarnish (Corrosions little brother) is a problem for ALL types of batteries, anyone who says "Switch to ____ batteries is blowing smoke, double smoke if they say AGM (AGM is no better in this area than any other Maintenance free type).
No, I wouldn't say they are better than any sealed battery, but they are better than an overcharged LA battery.
Matt_Colie
Explorer II
Jan 09, 2014
In recent years, I have taken to using the CRC battery cleaner and battery protector to some advantage. YMMV

Matt
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jan 09, 2014
Corrosion and tarnish (Corrosions little brother) is a problem for ALL types of batteries, anyone who says "Switch to ____ batteries is blowing smoke, double smoke if they say AGM (AGM is no better in this area than any other Maintenance free type).

HOWEVER: that said, with AGM/Maintenance free, you need to clean them,, Well perhaps every few years. V/s 2-4 times minimum on wet cells.

There are chemical treated washers you can slip over the terminal before you attach the cables, Anti-Corrosion sprays and such, and many of them do help.

But the only thing that really solves it is frequent inspection and clean as needed.
Lowsuv
Explorer
Jan 09, 2014
mielock wrote:
My truck battery is corroding on the same terminal over and over, and despite my best effort of thorough cleaning, the corrosion returns. It turns out that the battery itself is leaking though the terminal, so unless I replace the battery, I will always have this problem.

That was my experience also .
Each procedure I tried was a temporary fix until I replaced the batteries .
I had previously used an AGM battery by Optima in my porsche .
Now I can get the exide EDGE AGM batteries for $ 140 so I went that way .
beemerphile1
Explorer
Jan 09, 2014
Battery terminal corrosion is usually the result of a broken seal around the post.

Use grease or the treated washers around the post.

In the old days we used to carry batteries by using a strap that grabbed both posts creating a handle. I'm sure we damaged many batteries not knowing any better.
gatorcq
Explorer
Jan 09, 2014
I would bet, that it is only happening to 1 terminal. Battery Balancing has been under discussion for many years, Which uses equal cables and layout so no one battery get hit harder then the other.