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Posts: 157
| My cranking battery was tipped over and leaked out. Is it toast? |
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Location: 31 | I remember you could buy battery acid once upon a time, so I don't see why you couldn't just refill it (and then secure better) if that's the only problem. If your battery tipped over though, it sure seems like a good reason to get a maintenance-free gel.
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
You might be able to get away with adding distilled water to it, then recharge the battery. If it has been sitting for a while, it might be worthwhile to just get a replacement so there is no worry about a battery failure at a time you need it most.
Steve |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | It's likely toast! When the plates of a lead acid battery are exposed to oxygen they start to corrode via oxidation. If it was tipped over for any significant amount of time, I seriously doubt if it can be recovered. Also it is dangerous to add pure sulfuric acid to a dilution of water and sulfuric acid (battery electrolyte). Simply adding distilled water to replace the lost electrolyte, will also dilute the electrolyte that remains and significantly reduce the power capacity.
Take it to a reputable battery shop and ask them to check it out. If it can be recovered, they can add electrolyte with the right specific gravity (SG) for that particular battery. Battery electrolyte SG's can and often do vary.
Your biggest problem is the lost electrolyte - it needs to be neutralized. Simply rinsing down the area with a water hose will not neutralize the acid, it just dilutes it and redistribute's the acid to new locations or much bigger area......
You can neutralize the acid by using a mixture of baking soda and water (2lb box baking soda dissolved in ~2 gallons of water). Keep applying the mixture to the area until it completely stops foaming - at that stage the sulfuric acid is neutralized. Rinse the area well with running water or wash down to remove the baking soda solution.
You can also sprinkle the dry baking soda on the area, but if the electrolyte has evaporated there will be a coating of sulfuric acid powder left behind, so you will need to wet the area so the baking powder can do its job. I prefer the baking soda solution method versus using the dry baking soda and wetting it.
Good luck!
Al
Edited by ESOX Maniac 3/26/2012 1:16 PM
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Location: 31 | I think you have located somebody who really knows what they're talking about? Nice post! |
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Posts: 8781
| I wouldn't write it off just yet.
http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/carfaq16.htm |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | EA- Did you actually read and understand the process's for reversing sulfation? I don't know of to many fisherman that have access to precision 12VDC constant current chargers, and the other equipment, including safety gear to actually try this. In fact they might be wise to see if their home owner insurance policy covers stupidity before attempting it.
Exposing the battery plates to air/oxygen for any significant period of time is a battery killer. If the battery tipped on its side, at least 50% of the plate(s) surface area were directly exposed to air/oxygen. How long was it in this condition? Any exposure to air causes immediate damage. That's why I recommended he take it to a reputable battery shop. The process's listed in your link are more applicable to very large lead-acid wet cell battery jars used in telecommunications, UPS's, and solar voltaic systems where the cost of the jars justify trying these types of remediation methods.
Good luck.
Al |
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Posts: 8781
| Al, it really depends on whether the battery was tipped over and left for months on end, or if it was discovered right away. We've been able to rescue and few car batteries and a deep cycle RV battery using this method and a trickle charger. Now, as to whether it's actually worth the time and effort? If it was a newer battery, I'd say yes. You've got nothing to lose. If the battery was 5 years old and tipped over all winter? Probably best to just replace it. As for access to a charger? You can get one at Home Depot, that has a "recondition" function built in, for less than the cost of a battery. |
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