TWL: Battery Water
Frank,
If anything boiling the water makes it WORSE for battery use. By boiling
you are concentrating the impurities in the water. Distilled water (although
still not the best) has most of the impurities removed, the impurities I am
talking about (calcium, magnesium, and other ions) will plate out and cause
shorts greatly decreasing battery longevity. In an emergency...sure use tap
water, but any other time avoid it at all costs. OTOH never use seawater!!
Toby Borge
M/V Brenda-Jean
Rainier, OR
Don't mean to step on your subject Bob but... the electrician who installed
our charger/inverter/batteries said that you could use tap water in the
batteries if you boiled it first. I've never done this, I've always used
distilled water but I've wondered if you were out somewhere where you
couldn't get distilled water how much damage, if any, this would do. Any
comments or opinions?
Frank Osborne
I am on a month long trip where there is no distilled water available. What
harm would it be to add some water from my water maker to the batteries?
Bob Owens
At 09:37 AM 2/9/02, you wrote:
Don't mean to step on your subject Bob but... the electrician who
installed our charger/inverter/batteries said that you could use tap water
in the batteries if you boiled it first. I've never done this, I've always
used distilled water but I've wondered if you were out somewhere where you
couldn't get distilled water how much damage, if any, this would do. Any
comments or opinions?
The degree of damage from non mineral free water depends on the amount and
type of mineral contamination. At a certain level you my as well figure on
throwing the batteries away at your earliest convenience, perhaps sooner.
Never use tap water except in an emergency. Reverse osmosis water is better
than most tap water. The minerals create electrolysis and provide
electrical discharge paths to discharge your batteries. Think before using
plain tap water. And boiling is a joke.
Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.
mikem@yachtsdelivered.com writes:
Never use tap water except in an emergency. Reverse osmosis water is better
than most tap water. The minerals create electrolysis and provide
electrical discharge paths to discharge your batteries. Think before using
plain tap water. And boiling is a joke.
I've said this before and was flamed and called a cheapskate for it, but I'll say it again:
I use rain water for my batteries. Rain water is Mother Nature's way of purifying water via sunlight distillation. Rain water is distilled water and practically mineral free, but may contain some dissolved gases which it picked up out of the atmosphere
on the way down from the clouds. However these gases get driven out of the rain water as soon as it comes in contact with the chemically much stronger sulfuric acid in the battery. My batteries last a long, long time...
George of Scaramouche1, Lake Ontario
You are all by your little lonelies in a nice secluded anchorage. You've
had your afternoon cocktail and are thinking about checking the engine room
now so you won't have to do it tomorrow before departure. Whoops! The house
batteries are low on water - the plates are exposed. Drat, I left the bottle
of distilled back in the dock box back home. Sound familiar? Momentary
"brain fade"? A "senior moment"?
By all means, break out the coffee pot (empty the coffee first) and add
tap water to your battery. This is less dangerous than running a battery
dry. Ever see a battery explode? It's quite a sight. I've done it in a car,
never in a boat (blow up the battery that is).
It is not good practice, and is not good for the longevity of your
batteries, but it is better than running dry (which is not good for the
longevity of your batteries either). I promise that the skies will not
split, the Final Trump will not sound, nor will your boat instantly
disintegrate before your eyes. <VBG>
C'mon guys, we're not talking about everyday use here. Just what you
have to do to get home.
Rube Goldberg-ly yours,
Walt Konieczko
Annie Sez Too 34 Marine Trader
Lanoka Harbor, NJ
.... Whoops! The house
batteries are low on water - the plates are exposed. Drat, I left the
bottle
of distilled back in the dock box back home. Sound familiar? Momentary
"brain fade"? A "senior moment"?
By all means, break out the coffee pot (empty the coffee first) and
add
tap water to your battery. This is less dangerous than running a battery
dry. Ever see a battery explode? It's quite a sight. I've done it in a
car,
never in a boat (blow up the battery that is).
It is not good practice, and is not good for the longevity of your
batteries, but it is better than running dry (which is not good for the
longevity of your batteries either)....
Chances are, your gonna have to replace those batteries anyway, so you might
as well dump tap water in them. Exposed plates?... no one on TWL would
neglect batteries to that extent. 8^O
-Mel
.... Whoops! The house
batteries are low on water - the plates are exposed. Drat, I left the
bottle
of distilled back in the dock box back home
Chances are, your gonna have to replace those batteries anyway, so you
might
as well dump tap water in them. Exposed plates?... no one on TWL would
neglect batteries to that extent. 8^O
-Mel
The situation I described did happen to me. I normally check my battery
water weekly if on board full time -less when I'm on board only for
weekends. Maybe I missed, maybe I was just stressing the batteries that
week.
Anyway that was 6 or 7 years ago, the batteries were about 2 years old
at the time, and they are still in service. All cells are still good when
checked with a hydrometer last November. As I said, the skies will not
split. Normally I use distilled water, but if it is not available, I will
use tap water.
Walt
At 02:06 PM 2/10/02, you wrote:
Anyway that was 6 or 7 years ago, the batteries were about 2 years old
at the time, and they are still in service. All cells are still good when
checked with a hydrometer last November. As I said, the skies will not
split. Normally I use distilled water, but if it is not available, I will
use tap water.
The use of tap water is like playing Russian Roulette. It won't cause you
any problems unless the tap water is heavy on the minerals. If it is, you
can say goodbye to the batteries.
If you don't know the water is pretty mineral free, then it is risky to
take a chance.
I repeat. From the information I have, ONE good dose of really highly
mineralized water and your batteries are on the road to oblivion.
Like some others have said, they have used tap water and had no problems.
Good luck.
Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.