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Old 06-10-2019, 08:01 AM   #1
Colonel
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Default Battery Acid

I have an aftermarket Ford 6v battery that has never been charged with acid. How much acid do I need and where can I purchase it?
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Old 06-10-2019, 08:21 AM   #2
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Default Re: Battery Acid

This is normally done with acid you get from Autozone or others.

It comes all prepared and in a 1 gallon box (bag within) and you simply pour it in. The box/bag comes with a spout you put into the hole and tilt up the box - no glug-glug as the bag inside collapses.

You do want to be careful. And wear gloves, face-shield, and possibly an apron. It is acid and will burn horribly.

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Old 06-10-2019, 08:26 AM   #3
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Default Re: Battery Acid

Parts places have various sizes - 1 cell, 6 cell, etc... How do I know which one to get? Don't want to overfill. Is there dilution needed on my part? Directions with acid?


I have a battery that was apparently overfilled quite a while back by someone. It spits acid out the top vents when charged, when the car runs and even on a battery tender. It plays heck with the paint under the car. Must avoid this problem.... thoughts?
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Old 06-10-2019, 08:40 AM   #4
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Default Re: Battery Acid

Most batteries take near 2-quarts of electrolyte give or take depending on size of the case. If a battery is venting electrolyte in service then it is being overcharged or it was over full to begin with. The generator should charge at around 7.1 to 7.4 volts. If voltage is too high, it will vent.

Batteries need to have electrolyte up over the top of the cells around 1/4 to 3/8 inch. They need to set about 1/2 hour before top charging them. After that, only distilled or demineralized water needs to be used to keep the level up. Continuously adding acid solution will eat a battery up due to the acid getting too concentrated.
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Old 06-10-2019, 08:55 AM   #5
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Default Re: Battery Acid

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Originally Posted by rotorwrench View Post
Most batteries take near 2-quarts of electrolyte give or take depending on size of the case. If a battery is venting electrolyte in service then it is being overcharged or it was over full to begin with. The generator should charge at around 7.1 to 7.4 volts. If voltage is too high, it will vent.

Batteries need to have electrolyte up over the top of the cells around 1/4 to 3/8 inch. They need to set about 1/2 hour before top charging them. After that, only distilled or demineralized water needs to be used to keep the level up. Continuously adding acid solution will eat a battery up due to the acid getting too concentrated.


X2, fill at 1st to just over the min fill reading if the case is marked. Or if no markings to just somewhat over the plates. Let sit, to be on the safe side I put the battery in a metal cake pan in case of overflow, and wait an entire day while the battery self charges.


Then charge it with a charger according to manufacturer specs. Let sit/cool, and then add distilled water. If no indicator I fill to the bottom of the fill hole, usually the fill openings are molded so the opening extends down below the interior surface of the top of the battery.


I do not put in a new battery and use the vehicle to charge it as I have seen some do. My opinion is this can charge a battery too quickly (overcurrent/heat) - my opinion.
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Old 06-10-2019, 09:13 AM   #6
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Default Re: Battery Acid

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How to charge a dry stored battery;
http://support.rollsbattery.com/supp...ries-detailed-
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Old 06-10-2019, 09:54 AM   #7
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Default Re: Battery Acid

Be cautious & don't burn your "WOO-WOO" !!!!
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Old 06-10-2019, 10:37 AM   #8
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Default Re: Battery Acid

And if you have a 6v battery - this would be "3 cell" - although you should be prepared to go back for No. 4 or beyond if you find the cells don't fill to the levels indicated above.



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Old 06-10-2019, 11:21 AM   #9
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Default Re: Battery Acid

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Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
I have a battery that was apparently overfilled quite a while back by someone. It spits acid out the top vents when charged, when the car runs and even on a battery tender. It plays heck with the paint under the car. Must avoid this problem.... thoughts?
OK, Please don't kill the messenger.

Back in 2018 there was a discussion about Battery Tenders that evolved into a sidebar (typical with FB) about "Battery Oil", first mentioned by FB member Willie Krash.

My battery (I have 12v system) had a lot of spatter on top and was beginning to corrode the battery box. Being curious since I never heard of battery Oil before, I decided to try some Battery Oil in my battery. And it actually works. No spatter, no adding water, no battery corrosion. The oil lays on top of the acid and prevents "misting" out of the vent.


Article posted by FB member Eagle


Posted November 29, 2010 (edited)
Here is the scoop on "Battery Oil"

Edison & Others developed the Nickel/Iron storage battery in the 1880s !

Edison, Exide, Willard, and others built & sold them for automotive use.

Edison stated that this battery would last your lifetime !

He was promoting them for Early Electric auto use ~

The Nickel-Iron (NiFe) battery was considered a Life-Long Battery that could last 30-50 years or more!

I was not harmed by deep discharge or repeated cycling charges.

In many ways this battery was superior to the Lead/Acid storage battery we use today as it has a very long life; and could be restored by changing the electrolyte and cleaning the plates !

The battery was built with cells in a glass or ceramic jar with a lid that could be opened .

This was an aklaline battery that used a Potassium Hydroxide caustic soda & distilled water electrolyte with Nickel & Iron (NiFe) plates contained in a glass cell with a rubber top supporting the plates & covering the cells.. The cells were connected in series with brass wing nut & wire or copper ribbon strip jumper connections..

The cells were stacked in a wooden crate and hooked-up in series.

Each cell was .8 Volts with 1.2 Volts in later production variants.

Each of the cells could be refreshed or replaced.

Edison sold this battery to the Telephone , Telegraph, Railroads , and for early penny in the slot amusement listening tube phonograph use. You often find old Edison battery jars on eBay !

The Telephone & Telegraph companys had iron battery boxes on their poles with banks of the Edison Nickel/Iron battery in them .

The railroads had iron signal boxes which also contained banks of Edison batteries.

The "Battery Oil" was poured on top of the fresh electrolyte in each cell to prevent evaporation and gassing while charging on these utility poles.

The oil would float on top of the electrolyte to give a thick protective oil film.

This would help the battery gases to re-combine instead of gassing-off while sitting long term, or re-charging. It also prevented evaporation.

You often find empty Edison Battery Oil bottles of 3-4 oz near old railroad iron signal & switch boxes in the woods near the switch & signal boxes today.

The railroad workers would use the oil and then just toss the empty bottles in the woods along side the tracks.

Look for them near the old railroad signal boxes ! You can still find many today !

The railroads and telephone/telegraph COs still used this type of battery well into the 60s-70s in some rural areas in the USA !

Edison Electric Storage Battery Co . built them until 1972~

Exide built them until 1975 !

Folks also collect the bottles, battery jars, and batteries today ! They are not worth very much~

There are 4-5 styles of battery oil bottles used over the years.

I also understand farms used this Edison battery for farm & house lighting before general rural electrification. The battery banks were often connected to a wind mill "Aeromo" generator for re-charging.

The wind mill usually used a Ford or other auto type generator.

These electric set-ups were often sold thru the early Sears catalog ! The farmer's friend ~

Electric autos & very high-end & high priced gasoline autos often used the Nickel/Iron Edison , Exide, or Willard automotive battery. Many early electric autos Ie: Detroit Electric, Baker, and other auto builders often offered a Nickel/Iron battery bank as a higher price option; As it would last for decades, if not Life-Long!

Deep discharge did not harm this type of battery as it did severly harm a Lead-Acid battery and shortened it's useful ife. This deep-discharge ability made it perfect for early electric auto carriages !

High priced gasoline autos used them also.

A friend bought a Rolls_Royce Phantom I from the Ford museum a few years ago.

It had not run in fifty+ years or more.

The old Exide Nickel/Iron battery was still in the battery box on the left running board.

My friend got the car up and running with a new modern battery~

He then decided to try to refresh & restore the old (NiFe) Exide battery.

It consisted of a large crate style wooden box with many glass jar cells inside. Each with hard rubber jar lids. Each cell was connected in series to form 6 volts.

He dumped the old electrolyte, and cleaned the plates which were in very good shape.

He then added fresh electrolyte and charged the battery.

It worked !!

Today it is now installed in the Phantom's battery box and used to actually start and run this Phantom !

It still works fine after all these decades !

And yes~ He did pour a fresh bottle of Edison Battery Oil on top of each battery cell.

If you search hard enough you can still find un-opened Edison battery oil bottles with the famous Edison script autograph cast in the glass bottle on eBay !

TRUE STORY~~~~

Believe it~

Or Not !
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Old 06-10-2019, 11:28 AM   #10
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Default Re: Battery Acid

Quote:
Originally Posted by redmodelt View Post
How to charge a dry stored battery;
http://support.rollsbattery.com/supp...ries-detailed-


Thanks for posting - very nice procedure with explanations why to do it.
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Old 06-11-2019, 12:30 PM   #11
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Default Re: Battery Acid

Solutions should be already diluted. Remove the battery from the support and have it at a comfortable work height. Best to have windows and doors open for ventilation. wear eye protection.
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Old 06-11-2019, 01:58 PM   #12
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Default Re: Battery Acid

And remember,batteries have known to explode!!!
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Old 06-11-2019, 08:43 PM   #13
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Default Re: Battery Acid

https://ironedison.com/nickel-iron-n...oaAjSYEALw_wcB


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K84PywMwjZg
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Old 06-12-2019, 08:52 AM   #14
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Default Re: Battery Acid

Nickel iron batteries work well for some applications but not a lot. They are an inefficient design and they give up power very slowly and have to be charged very slowly. It would take a huge one just to start a car. They are very expensive to produce since there had never been a large market for them. We used nickel cadmium batteries in the helicopters for a lot of years. They are light weight but are a pain to recharge plus they have gotten too expensive. We quit using them in Texas due to the heat. They have a tendency toward thermal runaway and can actually explode if they get too hot. This required a temperature monitoring system that has to be tested periodically.

I guaratee that if they were so good, Henry Ford would have used them since He and Tom were pals.
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