Who adds water to car battery regularly?

Sunny

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 31, 2014
Messages
5,095
Reaction score
1,739
Location
Colorado
Country
United States
Dash Cam
More than I can review. ;)
I read articles that mention to check and add water to Flooded lead acid batteries regularly, like monthly.
I have 7 years old Everstart maxx battery on one and 3 years old AAA on another.
They both have two long caps on the top that I think are there to check water level but I have never opened them.
Is it necessary?
 
They should be checked once a year when the car is serviced, but almost nobody does and a standard service at the garage will not bother.
Most car batteries are either low maintenance, which means that the battery is likely to die of other issues before it runs short of water, or they are AGM batteries which are sealed and can't be checked.

The only batteries that people do bother checking are caravan batteries, and because they are often heavily discharged it is worth checking them yearly, possibly even monthly if you are using them a lot.

If you are using it for parking mode with a 12.2V or less cutoff then a 3 month check and overnight 100% top up charge could well extend the life considerably and should be recommended.

If the battery is designed to be checked then it should be easy, if the water level is above the plates then it is OK, if the plates start to break the surface then you should have already topped it up a little with proper battery water. Remember it is not water in there, it is dangerous acid so wear glasses just in case you splash it.
 
I remember my dad checking and topping up with distilled water. I’m sure I have a bottle of distilled water somewhere but all my recent batteries have been sealed or AGM so no need to do anything except replace it when it’s dead or dying.
 
Yeah in the old days a can of distilled water was a must in any gear heads garage, today i think the concept are totally forgotten.
I have serviced a lot of lead acid batteries as part of ships EMG power supply, and the ferries i worked on had 8 Gen packs on the upper car deck to power the 4 propellers, each of those had 2 large batteries which needed water now and then.
 
This is the battery I'm talking about. Description doesn't mention low maintenance nor to fill water.
It's flooded lead acid but it has worked for 7 years without ever opening the covers.
The right cover says to "Keep vent caps tight and level".
This is showing around 12.2v recently so probably time to replace.
Not sure if checking/adding water will help this old battery.

20200121_210803-everstart-maxx-s.jpg
 
Well, let's have a look...

You're not going to kill it by looking.
12.2 V is OK for an old battery, especially a standard one. Might start getting a bit slow to start in the winter but should be fine until next winter at least.
 
@Sunny That type of battery can be topped off- the caps are a press-fit and lift straight off. If you look inside with a light, you'll see a tube (pipe) going down into the cell. One kind has a slot near the bottom; you fill those to the bottom of the tube. If there's no slot you fill those to about 1/4" (6.5mm) below the tube. Sometimes this kind of cap will be mounted flush with the top of the battery; handle those the same way. The ones which have 1 or 2 close-fitting completely flat "caps" mounted flush are not removable- those are glued on.

Normally neither kind will need the electrolyte level checked, but with the removable ones I do check them once or twice a year as the summer heat here will cause some evaporation. On an old battery if you check and see the tops of the plates are not immersed, it's probably not going to be long before you'll need a new battery. Always use eye protection when working on wet cell batterys, and whole face protection is better. Distilled water is best for these, but ordinary tap water will usually do as long as yours doesn't have a high mineral content or over-chlorinization.

Phil
 
@Sunny That type of battery can be topped off- the caps are a press-fit and lift straight off. If you look inside with a light, you'll see a tube (pipe) going down into the cell. One kind has a slot near the bottom; you fill those to the bottom of the tube. If there's no slot you fill those to about 1/4" (6.5mm) below the tube. Sometimes this kind of cap will be mounted flush with the top of the battery; handle those the same way. The ones which have 1 or 2 close-fitting completely flat "caps" mounted flush are not removable- those are glued on.

Normally neither kind will need the electrolyte level checked, but with the removable ones I do check them once or twice a year as the summer heat here will cause some evaporation. On an old battery if you check and see the tops of the plates are not immersed, it's probably not going to be long before you'll need a new battery. Always use eye protection when working on wet cell batterys, and whole face protection is better. Distilled water is best for these, but ordinary tap water will usually do as long as yours doesn't have a high mineral content or over-chlorinization.

Phil
Thanks
Yes, I checked the water level by popping off the caps with a flat head screw driver and two cells have slightly low levels.
I replaced the battery as it's over 7 years old but I kept it to use it with my portable compressor.
They don't need full battery to work.
 
Way back in the day, I always had a large bottle of de-ionised water for the battery and some special pills that were recommended for reconditioning the battery.
 
Never heard of battery vitamins.
 
Never heard of battery vitamins.

I remember those. Kind of like "Marvel Mystery Oil" or "STP"- things you really didn't need which had dubious benefits but which were rather popular anyway :rolleyes:

Phil
 
Back
Top