Battery Maintenance

[PrincessoftheLake]

I checked the water level in my house batteries last week. Right now it appears the plates are covered but should I top them off until the water comes up to the caps? Is it bad to overfill?

Any help would be appreciated!

POTL

 

[DougM]

There is usually a raised ring in the battery cell opening that sits just about where the bottom of the cap would seat. It is an indicator of the correct height for the electrolyte. You should not fill any higher than that. you probably already know this, but use distilled water...

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

Thanks Doug. I saw the raised ring you speak of and yes, I know about the distilled water but thanks for asking!

 

[Witzend]

One of the things that can happen as a battery ages and is not talked about much is the the vent holes in the caps become restrictive to the passing of hydrogen gas that is a byproduct of electrolysis. When this occurs, you will find battery acid on top of your battery and wonder how is this happening, did I over fill the cells? The inside of the caps get spattered and acid starts to accumulate inside the vent. When the pressure finally builds up to exceed the restriction the water spurts out. This probably does not happen for all batteries, but if you start seeing battery acid on the top and you are not over filling, replace the caps.