battery questions

[Kingpaul]

JohnnyB,
Outstanding! Thanks for the crystal clear education. The amount of knowledge on this board never ceases to amaze me.

[bigpoppi]

Wow, and to think I was doing something right, the 75% was taking 38.22 and subtracting 25%, my bad.... Thanx Johnnyb, I have crystal clear picture of the specifics and alot more insight to what I've been doing wrong. I just wish there was a local place that I could stop in at and bend an ear, get more do's and don'ts before I wreck and ruin..

[bigpoppi]

Now about the water level, I should remove some water, to just below the plastic sleeves, but still above the plates, 1/8", this could be tricky, any suggestions as what to use, I use to have a large suringe, a turkey baister? help.......

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by bigpoppi

Now about the water level, I should remove some water, to just below the plastic sleeves, but still above the plates, 1/8", this could be tricky, any suggestions as what to use, I use to have a large suringe, a turkey baister? help.......

I'd leave it as is and just not fill it quite as full when it needs water.
This is what I use, but picked it up at my local auto parts store for a better price:

http://www.amazon.com/Plews-75-030-Capacity-Plastic-Battery/dp/B000RFUF12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345657210&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+water+fill+bottle

http://www.amazon.com/Plews-75-030-Capacity-Plastic-Battery/dp/B000RFUF12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345657210&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+water+fill+bottle

I don't recommend removing any "water" because it is more than just water, it is diluted sulfuric acid. (About 27.7% H2SO4 by weight, when battery is fully charged. That is why the Specific Gravity of the electrolyte is 1.277 for a fully charged battery. Note: That is for Trojan batteries, other manufactures might use a different concentration)

During recharge, water (H2O) is broken down into Hydrogen and Oxygen and these gases bubble to the surface. Some people mistake this for boiling, but it is more correctly called Gassing.

Unless the batteries are overfilled or tipped far enough to leak out of the top opening, no Sulfuric Acid is ever lost, so only the water has to be replenished.
(Distilled water only, tap water can kill batteries.)

If you remove any liquid from the battery and subsequently add water at a later date (due to the normal gassing process), the net result is that you have weaken the strength of the electrolyte.

Leaving it as is, may mean that some liquid will bubble out while recharging, but the loss will probably be less than intentionally removing some.