Batteries serviced

theoldwizard1 wrote:
I am cheap. A large gob of Vaseline does the same. Looks ugly, but effective ! Corrosion is a chemical reaction with oxygen (air). Block the air and no corrosion !

Excessive corrosion around a battery post is often a sign that the gases in the battery are leaking past the seal between the post and the case. Typical on older batteries.

^Correct.
And to add, an ad hoc fix for leaky battery around the posts is clean them up and run a bead of rtv around the bottom of the posts, sealing up the gap.

StirCrazy wrote:


ya thats what mine looked like after almost 16 years, the slots up the sides of the tubes are to prevent what you are talking about, I was taught to always fill it to the very bottom of the tube but to never go higher or cover the slots. this could be wrong but it gave you a consistant way to judge your level and I have been doing it for 40 years now.. well aside from in my camper it is LFP now haha, but the 5th is still CG2

No right or wrong way with water level with the exception of making sure there is always electrolyte ABOVE the plates.

Anything between that and the bottom of the filler tube is fair game.

Extra electrolyte above the plates doesn't add Ahr capacity, it is simply nothing more than a spare "reservoir" of electrolyte. That reservoir of electrolyte also allows for longer periods of time between needing to water the battery. So filling to the bottom of rings maximizes the time between filling.

But a bit less electrolyte than at the bottom of the rings allows extra air space also allows for more expansion/contraction of the electrolyte and can reduce some of the acid/water loss through the caps.

As long as you have a decent multistage converter, you really do not need to fuss over them, I don't, I check levels once per yr and has worked very well for me.

rhagfo wrote:
Well I have seen and used this system and looking at it for Link our two 12 volt batteries. We used on golf carts, and like 30 seconds to fill four 12 cart batteries!

If you have a big bank of batteries, particularly if they are difficult to reach, a watering system is a great idea...if it's hard, there's a good chance you don't do it.

As far as fill levels, I've always hear to the bottom of the tube (but keep the slots clear. I looked up a few links and they all agree with that.

https://www.crownbattery.com/news/watering-your-lead-acid-battery-the-basics

PS: I agree with the others 2+ gallons implies either way low on water or you overfilled.

When the batteries are fully charged the liquid expands significantly. Do not over fill.

Gdetrailer wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
Two and a quarter gallons of water for topping off six batteries?

Or way overfilled them..

I only need to add 18 oz for my pair of 6V GC2s (about 3 oz per cell) once per yr which gets the water level to just below (IE not touching) the plastic fill rings..

If you are filling until the water touches or is higher than the bottom of the fill rings you are way over filling.

Basically you only want to have enough water to cover the plates, but not touch the fill rings.

Anything higher up the fill rings results in electrolyte being boiled out at a higher rate which then coats the tops of the battery with acid fumes which attacks your connections.

My first set of GC2 gave me 9 yrs of service, never had to clean or grease the terminals. As those batteries aged, they did use a bit more water, maybe 4 oz per cell at yr 9.

weird, I was always told to fill them to the bottom of the tube but not to block off the slots. mine lasted 15 years doing that, but I topped them off 4 times a year and they did use more water towards the end.

It's called "headroom".

Gives more open space for any electrolyte that may be bubbling or boiling to not find it's way up into the tube and ultimately to the cap.

If you fill it until it is touching the bottom of the tube, the splashes or even bubbles that happen within the tube will break inside the tube. Resulting in fine mist of electrolyte (acid) within the tube and ultimately on the underside of the cap. Any slight pressure build up inside the cell can force the fine electrolyte mist into the cap and ultimately is forced outside into the air around the battery.

The distance between the tops of the plates and the bottom of the tubes allows for more temperature expansion and contraction of the electrolyte with less acid vapor being released. The acid vapors have much more area to condense and drop back into the liquid.

Here is a photo I took of my current batteries 2yrs after I installed them..



Terminals stay clean, never had any corrosion issues under the terminals. There isn't any grease or sprays on those terminals to seal them.

Those are a replacement set of batteries, the first set gave me 9yrs but still had capacity left, they power my home fridge conversion and I didn't want to take a chance that 9 yr old batteries might not have quite enough life left for my use. I suspect that I could have easily gotten 11-12 yrs but my food safety comes first.

There is no hard set rule that says one must fill up to the bottom of the tube..

But there is one rule that needs to be followed, never let the electrolyte fall below the tops of the plates.. Just need enough over top of the plates that prevents the plates from ever being exposed to air.

ya thats what mine looked like after almost 16 years, the slots up the sides of the tubes are to prevent what you are talking about, I was taught to always fill it to the very bottom of the tube but to never go higher or cover the slots. this could be wrong but it gave you a consistant way to judge your level and I have been doing it for 40 years now.. well aside from in my camper it is LFP now haha, but the 5th is still CG2

StirCrazy wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
Two and a quarter gallons of water for topping off six batteries?

Or way overfilled them..

I only need to add 18 oz for my pair of 6V GC2s (about 3 oz per cell) once per yr which gets the water level to just below (IE not touching) the plastic fill rings..

If you are filling until the water touches or is higher than the bottom of the fill rings you are way over filling.

Basically you only want to have enough water to cover the plates, but not touch the fill rings.

Anything higher up the fill rings results in electrolyte being boiled out at a higher rate which then coats the tops of the battery with acid fumes which attacks your connections.

My first set of GC2 gave me 9 yrs of service, never had to clean or grease the terminals. As those batteries aged, they did use a bit more water, maybe 4 oz per cell at yr 9.

weird, I was always told to fill them to the bottom of the tube but not to block off the slots. mine lasted 15 years doing that, but I topped them off 4 times a year and they did use more water towards the end.

It's called "headroom".

Gives more open space for any electrolyte that may be bubbling or boiling to not find it's way up into the tube and ultimately to the cap.

If you fill it until it is touching the bottom of the tube, the splashes or even bubbles that happen within the tube will break inside the tube. Resulting in fine mist of electrolyte (acid) within the tube and ultimately on the underside of the cap. Any slight pressure build up inside the cell can force the fine electrolyte mist into the cap and ultimately is forced outside into the air around the battery.

The distance between the tops of the plates and the bottom of the tubes allows for more temperature expansion and contraction of the electrolyte with less acid vapor being released. The acid vapors have much more area to condense and drop back into the liquid.

Here is a photo I took of my current batteries 2yrs after I installed them..



Terminals stay clean, never had any corrosion issues under the terminals. There isn't any grease or sprays on those terminals to seal them.

Those are a replacement set of batteries, the first set gave me 9yrs but still had capacity left, they power my home fridge conversion and I didn't want to take a chance that 9 yr old batteries might not have quite enough life left for my use. I suspect that I could have easily gotten 11-12 yrs but my food safety comes first.

There is no hard set rule that says one must fill up to the bottom of the tube..

But there is one rule that needs to be followed, never let the electrolyte fall below the tops of the plates.. Just need enough over top of the plates that prevents the plates from ever being exposed to air.

Gdetrailer wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
Two and a quarter gallons of water for topping off six batteries?

Or way overfilled them..

I only need to add 18 oz for my pair of 6V GC2s (about 3 oz per cell) once per yr which gets the water level to just below (IE not touching) the plastic fill rings..

If you are filling until the water touches or is higher than the bottom of the fill rings you are way over filling.

Basically you only want to have enough water to cover the plates, but not touch the fill rings.

Anything higher up the fill rings results in electrolyte being boiled out at a higher rate which then coats the tops of the battery with acid fumes which attacks your connections.

My first set of GC2 gave me 9 yrs of service, never had to clean or grease the terminals. As those batteries aged, they did use a bit more water, maybe 4 oz per cell at yr 9.

weird, I was always told to fill them to the bottom of the tube but not to block off the slots. mine lasted 15 years doing that, but I topped them off 4 times a year and they did use more water towards the end.

Lwiddis wrote:
Two and a quarter gallons of water for topping off six batteries?

Or way overfilled them..

I only need to add 18 oz for my pair of 6V GC2s (about 3 oz per cell) once per yr which gets the water level to just below (IE not touching) the plastic fill rings..

If you are filling until the water touches or is higher than the bottom of the fill rings you are way over filling.

Basically you only want to have enough water to cover the plates, but not touch the fill rings.

Anything higher up the fill rings results in electrolyte being boiled out at a higher rate which then coats the tops of the battery with acid fumes which attacks your connections.

My first set of GC2 gave me 9 yrs of service, never had to clean or grease the terminals. As those batteries aged, they did use a bit more water, maybe 4 oz per cell at yr 9.

Well I have seen and used this system and looking at it for Link our two 12 volt batteries. We used on golf carts, and like 30 seconds to fill four 12 cart batteries!

If you used 2.25 gallons of distilled water on six batteries with a total of 18 cells, each cell averaged 16 ounces…a pint…to bring it to the proper level…by my math.