Did I just ruin my battery?

[adarklake]

My El Cheapo battery given to me by the dealer was underperforming so I decided to check the water level inside. I had my bottle of distilled water ready and everything. When I pulled the caps off, rainwater came from nowhere and flooded the wells. They were at correct levels, but now they have pollen and crap in them. What should I expect from the battery now that this has happened?

[Lins]

If it's something you're going to rely on, I would replace the battery. If you can get by without a good battery (usually on shore power) see what happens. Did you get a chance to look at the water level before it happened and did it look about right? If so I would think it was done anyway.

[Iwannacamp]

I might be temped to dump the acid and refill. One used to buy acid in 5 qts or 5 gals.. at an auto parts supply.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by adarklake

My El Cheapo battery given to me by the dealer was underperforming so I decided to check the water level inside. I had my bottle of distilled water ready and everything. When I pulled the caps off, rainwater came from nowhere and flooded the wells. They were at correct levels, but now they have pollen and crap in them. What should I expect from the battery now that this has happened?

Remove the excess water , put on a charger and give it a load test , chances are you'll be fine . rain water is pretty much the same as distilled except for the pollen or debris that may have collected in it . either way i doubt to much got in there to make a difference . worth giving it a try or just take it in and get a new battery

[adarklake]

Originally Posted by Lins

Did you get a chance to look at the water level before it happened and did it look about right? If so I would think it was done anyway.

Yeah, the water level was fine. Battery is about a year old. I figured the water must be low in it because of the poor life.


Maybe I'll just do the golf cart battery thing at this point. We do boondock sometimes, perhaps not often enough.

[adarklake]

Originally Posted by MR.M

Remove the excess water , put on a charger and give it a load test , chances are you'll be fine . rain water is pretty much the same as distilled except for the pollen or debris that may have collected in it . either way i doubt to much got in there to make a difference . worth giving it a try or just take it in and get a new battery

I could see the pollen floating on top of the water. Not enough got in to have to drain it, nor would I want to mess with acid.

[NJKris]

The good news is the rain water is basically distilled water. The bad news is I have no idea what pollen would do.

[007matman]

I would give it a shot.

If you do decide to go there golf cart battery route, Costco has them for about $100 each.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by adarklake

My El Cheapo battery given to me by the dealer was underperforming so I decided to check the water level inside. I had my bottle of distilled water ready and everything. When I pulled the caps off, rainwater came from nowhere and flooded the wells. They were at correct levels, but now they have pollen and crap in them. What should I expect from the battery now that this has happened?

I agree. Not optimum, but I would use a battery bulb to remove the excess water (and suck up as much crud as you do) to the fill ring.

Use it as normal until it proves otherwise.

[camaraderie]

Ditto...do nothing beyond reducing the water solution in each cell to the right level. You will likely get some reduced cycle life due to mineral/plant contamination on the plates but nothing to worry about over the short term.

[gbaldwin]

Wow,.. can imaging that much water/crud got in from a rain unless it was left open for a while. Im gonna guess OK.

[D W]

Originally Posted by adarklake

I could see the pollen floating on top of the water. Not enough got in to have to drain it, nor would I want to mess with acid.

Just get yourself a cheap turkey baster and some baking soda and suck the excess out, and neutralize it with the baking soda. Then put the battery on a good charger and see what it does over the course of an hour. I wouldn't recommend dumping the battery. You don't want to expose those plates to the atmosphere once they've been in acid. Fresh acid on those plates will kill it for sure.

[awellis3]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Ditto...do nothing beyond reducing the water solution in each cell to the right level.

I ditto your ditto.

[adarklake]

Originally Posted by gbaldwin

Wow,.. can imaging that much water/crud got in from a rain unless it was left open for a while. Im gonna guess OK.

Some water may have gotten in through the top of the battery box, not sure how (snow perhaps?). The water pooled underneath the rectangular well-stopper and wasn't immediately visible until the plug was removed. By that time it was too late and the dirty water started to pour into the wells.


If the contaminates don't degrade the battery too much I'm not going to care. As long at they don't react with the acid to make any flammable/noxious gases I should be fine?

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by adarklake

Some water may have gotten in through the top of the battery box, not sure how (snow perhaps?). The water pooled underneath the rectangular well-stopper and wasn't immediately visible until the plug was removed. By that time it was too late and the dirty water started to pour into the wells.


If the contaminates don't degrade the battery too much I'm not going to care. As long at they don't react with the acid to make any flammable/noxious gases I should be fine?

Anything that got in there won't make a difference . could not have been that much . and batteries are very explosive . hydrogen gas always be careful removing the caps . watch for sparks and flame around a battery if they explode it's a mess and can burn you good

[FleckDreher]

Will not hurt it.

[jimmoore13]

It's not great for it, but it's not the end of the world.

ASSUMING THIS JUST HAPPENED. Do not charge the battery. Get a turkey baster and suck out some electrolyte from each cell. This should remove the majority of the contaminants. Beware that it will be somewhat acidic. But if you haven't charged the battery or towed the rig, mixing should be minimal.
Replace with distilled water.

Wash your turkey baster and use it for installing distilled water into the cells from a gallon jug of distilled water.
Live and learn.
If it's just a throwaway dealer battery, your entire risk factor is $100 at most.

[cedarcreekbob]

My Friend,Opinions can be like Rear-Ends,Everybody has one!!
With that being said,here's mine:"Why Attempt To Resurrect A Turd?"
It sounds like You're not thrilled with the low ball battery the Dealer slipped in on You prior to this mess happening to You. At this point,I'd look at this as an important piece of Your Camping Experience. To Hell with it,bite the bullet and set this issue right. Go out,get the battery that satisfies Your Standards and Needs,and Enjoy!! Happy 2019 Camping to You and Yours!!

[tyler811]

Originally Posted by D W

Just get yourself a cheap turkey baster and some baking soda and suck the excess out, and neutralize it with the baking soda. Then put the battery on a good charger and see what it does over the course of an hour. I wouldn't recommend dumping the battery. You don't want to expose those plates to the atmosphere once they've been in acid. Fresh acid on those plates will kill it for sure.

Just remember what turkey baster to use when Thanksgiving rolls around

[NorSnrub]

It might shorten the life of the battery, but I would use it till it didn't work anymore.