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View Poll Results: What Can Happen?
Reduced Performance 2 100.00%
Leakage 1 50.00%
Kaboom 0 0%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 2. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 03-18-2023, 12:46 PM   #1
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Question Flooded Battery Damage?

Added distilled water to two batteries but looks like it was too much. It didn't overflow while adding but looked like I could still add more.

Charged one of them and the cycle completed but then noticed there was leakage. The charger showed correct voltage as well as an external meter. Haven't charged the second one yet. These batteries are just going to be sitting around as a spare for something else if needed.

What's the worse thing that can happen if used? Less performance? More leakage? Kaboom?
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Old 03-18-2023, 01:05 PM   #2
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Common occurrence when too much water is added to a battery, then charged.
As long as the plates are covered, there is sufficient water. When adding water, only fill to the very bottom of the fill tube.
Clean off your battery and surrounding area with baking soda and remove excess water with a turkey baster if necessary.
Here is one of many articles explaining steps in checking/filling electrolyte level batteries: https://tontio.com/filling-a-car-battery-with-water/
Your batteries should be fine.
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Old 03-24-2023, 05:01 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NMWildcat View Post
Common occurrence when too much water is added to a battery, then charged.
As long as the plates are covered, there is sufficient water. When adding water, only fill to the very bottom of the fill tube.
Clean off your battery and surrounding area with baking soda and remove excess water with a turkey baster if necessary.
Here is one of many articles explaining steps in checking/filling electrolyte level batteries: https://tontio.com/filling-a-car-battery-with-water/
Your batteries should be fine.
I was expecting reduced performance and appreciate the input.
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Old 03-24-2023, 05:09 PM   #4
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You have over diluted the electrolyte. I would expect slightly reduced capacity/performance until such time as the excess water evaporates and the electrolyte specific gravity returns to original values. Unless there is danger of spillage, do not remove the excess now or you will be permanently extracting some of the acid.
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Old 03-24-2023, 06:24 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by BehindBars View Post
You have over diluted the electrolyte. I would expect slightly reduced capacity/performance until such time as the excess water evaporates and the electrolyte specific gravity returns to original values. Unless there is danger of spillage, do not remove the excess now or you will be permanently extracting some of the acid.
So what is the difference between taking out the SMALL amount of excess now, or letting it ooze out during charging (heat expansion) until it reaches a more normal level?
We are talking such a small amount here I doubt seriously it will have any affect.
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Old 03-24-2023, 06:48 PM   #6
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So what is the difference between taking out the SMALL amount of excess now, or letting it ooze out during charging (heat expansion) until it reaches a more normal level?
We are talking such a small amount here I doubt seriously it will have any affect.
Because when you let the level naturally get back down to normal, over time, it will be a result of only the water evaporating. The sulfuric acid will remain the battery. If you remove excess liquid now, you will remove both water and sulfuric acid. Then from that day forward the battery will never again have the ideal amount of acid in it, like the day it was first filled at the factory.

Correct, we may be talking a small amount with a negligible effect, but from the description alone we don’t know exactly how much that would be.
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Old 03-24-2023, 06:53 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by BehindBars View Post
Because when you let the level naturally get back down to normal over time, it be a result of only the water evaporating.....
Only it won't be evaporating naturally, it will be coming out the vent during charging as the OP originally described.
I think you are over thinking this, but I have been wrong in the past
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