huey graphite Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 OK. I finally took off the sticker, and the water levels are VERY LOW. Do I fill it to the top?(I will charge it first and then top it off). Also I read you cant use tap water, so is bottled water OK or does it have to say distilled? Up until recently I worked for 5 years as a technician in the cleaning equipment industry where battery operated scrubbers needed service. 99% of the time when the batteres failed it was due to improper maintenance. The #1 cause of failed batteries is allowing them to sit in a state of discharge for ANY amount of time. The longer the time, the worse the sulfation (hardening of chemical causing it to adhere to the plates). Even a brand new battery that has been fully discharged only once can sulfate. It is imperative that batteries are fully charged after every use (as mentioned earlier in this thread). If you do this.......your batteries will last you a very long time. Oh and to answer your question....bottled water is not okay. It must be distilled. If you don't have distilled, boil water for 10 minutes, allow it to cool and then fill your batteries. Boiling the water will remove any impurities and reduce the chance of sulfation. HG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huey graphite Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 OK. I finally took off the sticker, and the water levels are VERY LOW. Do I fill it to the top?(I will charge it first and then top it off). Also I read you cant use tap water, so is bottled water OK or does it have to say distilled? Up until recently I worked for 5 years as a technician in the cleaning equipment industry where battery operated scrubbers needed service. 99% of the time when the batteres failed it was due to improper maintenance. The #1 cause of failed batteries is allowing them to sit in a state of discharge for ANY amount of time. The longer the time, the worse the sulfation (hardening of chemical causing it to adhere to the plates). Even a brand new battery that has been fully discharged only once can sulfate. It is imperative that batteries are fully charged after every use (as mentioned earlier in this thread). If you do this.......your batteries will last you a very long time. Oh and to answer your question....bottled water is not okay. It must be distilled. If you don't have distilled, boil water for 10 minutes, allow it to cool and then fill your batteries. Boiling the water will remove any impurities and reduce the chance of sulfation. HG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 You can say that again Seriously though, my batteries are the first thing I go for when I'm done fishing. Even if i only run the graph off them.......I throw the charger on them. I find if you keep them fully charged all the time, they last much longer. Sinker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glirw Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Johnny I have an almost brand new Kirkland 12V battery for sale. I think it should work for a trolling motor. Call me if you haven't bought one yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lundboy Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 (edited) Oh and to answer your question....bottled water is not okay. It must be distilled. If you don't have distilled, boil water for 10 minutes, allow it to cool and then fill your batteries. Boiling the water will remove any impurities and reduce the chance of sulfation. HG This is not true. Boiled water actually concentrates the amount of minerals such as calcium and iron in the water that is left in the pot. Only the steam coming off is free of these contaminants. If you can condense the steam back into another vessel you are are good to go, because this is distilled water. Edited May 31, 2008 by lundboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBR Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Some one else should chime in but I don't think I would charge if the plates were out of the water. At least cover the plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desship Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Bottle of distilled water cost 1 dollar.Buy a solar charger when they are on sale at CT leave on during winter 1.8 watt trickle charge won't over charge. Put on charger in spring takes less time to bring to full charge. Solar charger ~$9.99 when on sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johnny Bass Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 (edited) Thanks again guys! I have a feeling I have been buying alot of brand new batteries for nothing. I've never thought of putting water into them.I bet if I were to top off all my batteries I would have brand new batteries!!! But the Kirkland I left on the cement last year so that one is probably toast!!! As far as charging them? I always charge them after they are dead. But over the winter I just leave them and don't touch them. I'm supposed to charge them once a month? I will keep note of that in the future. Still. The acid level is pretty low for a battery I have only charged 5 times or so. I just threw away a couple of car batteries. I wonder if I could have used the acid from them to fill my battery. I would imagine deep cycle acid and regular acid are different? Thanks for the offer Greg. But I think I am alright for now! Edited May 31, 2008 by Johnny Bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 No, using acid from a different battery doesn't cut the mustard, you see when the battery is in use the acid reacts with the plates, a chemical reaction, (I'm not fully sure how to explain it), but you will notice that a discharged battery will have a lower level of fluid in the cells, when fully charged without adding any distilled water, the level comes back up. Like I and others have mentioned before, recharge after every use, no matter how little you used it. Invest in a good 3 stage "float" charger, they will keep it at optimum full level without overcharging and gassing (bubbling) out the water. Or, get a "Battery Minder" from VDC electronics, leave it hooked up all the time during the off season. Again, storing batteries on cement is ancient info, todays battery cases are not porous so that's a mute point. Mine sit on cement all winter after proper cleaning, NO baking soda. Good luck in the future with your batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 as someone else suggested your original charger didn't shut off and the liquid was burned off. Hopefully it didn't warp the plates because if this happens your battery will not hold its charge. I also heard it was a myth about leaving your batteries on concrete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johnny Bass Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 (edited) No, using acid from a different battery doesn't cut the mustard, you see when the battery is in use the acid reacts with the plates, a chemical reaction, (I'm not fully sure how to explain it), but you will notice that a discharged battery will have a lower level of fluid in the cells, when fully charged without adding any distilled water, the level comes back up. Like I and others have mentioned before, recharge after every use, no matter how little you used it. Invest in a good 3 stage "float" charger, they will keep it at optimum full level without overcharging and gassing (bubbling) out the water. Or, get a "Battery Minder" from VDC electronics, leave it hooked up all the time during the off season. Again, storing batteries on cement is ancient info, todays battery cases are not porous so that's a mute point. Mine sit on cement all winter after proper cleaning, NO baking soda. Good luck in the future with your batteries. Thanks! Looks like I have at least 3 brand new Deep Cycle batteries now. I just looked at the one from last year and there is absolutely no fluid in it. No wonder it wasn't charging!!! Edited May 31, 2008 by Johnny Bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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