[RE-wrenches] Adding acid to a battery

[Kent Osterberg]

Ron,

It is reasonable to refill with acid for the purpose of replacing acid 
lost in a spill. In fact that's what should be done. The manufacturer 
will probably be able to tell you how much is necessary. If water has 
already been used, the specific gravity will be low and it'll be 
necessary to equalize the battery until there is enough room for the 
replacement acid. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be done in one step.

Since there was acid between the inner and outer case originally, I'd 
inspect carefully to make sure it is not filled with acid again.

Kent Osterberg
Blue Mountain Solar, Inc.
www.bluemountainsolar.com
t: 541-568-4882


On 2/24/2012 12:05 PM, Ron Young wrote:
> A client purchased a set of batteries (not from me) and purchased BOS from me. The batteries are a double walled type and it appears that one must have fallen over during shipment or was improperly filled at the factory and some of the electrolyte leaked into the space between inner and outer wall. The only solution was to remove the inner battery cells and dump the acid from the case. A small amount (about a quart) of acid was replaced (1.26 s.g. automotive battery acid) and then topped up with distilled water. The battery performs fine but one cell appears to have a lower overall s.g. than the rest (1.45 vs. 1.65) . This has shown up over time.
>
> Question: has anyone added acid to a battery to raise the s.g. Is this an acceptable option or totally off the wall. These batteries still appear to have full capacity and to replace the single problem battery will be very expensive.
>
> Ron
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