Top up to the Lead Acid Battery with Water
Traction and semi traction batteries, which are also one of lead acid batteries, are generally supplied with removable vent caps so that they can be kept topped up with water. The action of charging the batteries causes gassing when a certain voltage is reached, usually somewhere around 2.35 to 2.4 volts per cell. The result is that water is depleted of its constituent parts by liberation of the Hydrogen gas plates. Hydrogen is of course much less dense that air and the electrolyte and consequently floats out of the batteries at the earliest opportunity. This water must therefore be replenished from time to time. If you do not gas a battery the chances are that it will become sulphated due to fact that not all the sulphate will be fully removed during the non gassing phase of charging.
It is very important to note that only very pure water is suitable for topping up. It must contain no mineral traces and especially no metallic solids, especially iron. The most suitable form of water is distilled water or water that has been chemically treated and demineralised. Only these types of water should ever be used to top up the batteries. Tap water will quickly corrode the battery and should never be used. The frequency of topping up required for the batteries depends on how they are used. If they are frequently and heavily discharged they will need to be topped up regularly. Perhaps every two weeks to a month.
If the batteries are not charged and discharged frequently then it is likely that they will not require topping up for longer periods of time, say once every two or three months or so.
If the lead acid batteries are regularly charged after only short discharges they will use much more water than normally. This type of treatment of the batteries should be avoided. It is most important to make sure that the tops of the plates in a battery never become exposed. They should always be covered by electrolyte or they will quickly sulphate and the battery will fail. If watering is too much of a chore, it is possible to fit either automatic watering systems or catalytic caps. With the former, the battery vent caps are replaced with special caps, which incorporate float valves.
The cheapest method of watering is by hand. It is also the most reliable provided it is done regularly.
When testing your lead acid batteries, deep cycle batteries or traction batteries, it will not only elongate the life of your battery; but also it will save you some money. You know, if the battery is dead, you have to buy another one to replace it. So if you maintain it carefully, you can avoid buying a new one. Besides, good maintenance may prolong your battery life.
Source: www.leoch.com
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