Batt. Acid boils

[Banage]

I was charging my car ( 12 volt) batt. cause i left the lights on and killd it, and i heard this strange noise tords the the 0 mark of the charger, listning to the batt. i descovered the insides were boiling. Is this normal?

[bigredhead]

No.. it's not normal... and be CAREFUL.. do not create any sparks !!!!!!!!!!! Hydrogen gas is FLAMABLE !

What are you using for a charger ? and on what setting ?

Check the voltage of it, if it's anything below 11v or so.. it's shot and you want to replace it.... if you can check the acid level, do so, only after you unplug it and let it sit for a while to cool off..... only use " DISTILLED WATER " or " REVERSE OSMOSIS " water in it.. no city water.

If it's 12.x Lower the charger setting to " Trickle " and let it go for a while and keep an eye on it.

[OldSchoolin86]

Check the voltage of it, if it's anything below 11v or so.. it's shot and you want to replace it....
Are you saying toss the battery if volts are below 11?

[bigredhead]

Yes i am, once the cold weather starts.. that sucker won't turn the starter worth a crap.

A 12v Lead Acid battery should read 12.8 to 13 volts, once they go below 11 it suffers sulfation and the plates are shot.. it just won't give the cranking amps needed anymore. or for very long.

[OldSchoolin86]

A battery will read below 11v if it's drained (like you leave the lights on in your car). Most of the time it just needs a charge.

[Pistonhead]

Hydrogen gas is VERY flammable!!!!!!!

[slothminx]

Great album there!!! and always keep that battery in a ventilated area when you charging it or all that hydrogen builds up!

Will

[bigredhead]

A battery will read below 11v if it's drained (like you leave the lights on in your car). Most of the time it just needs a charge.

You sir.... are correct.


However, since the acid was " Boiling " in that puppy :eek: It's safe to assume it had been plugged in and charging at a high current for some time ( over night ? maybe ? ) and it should now be fully re-charged.. and then some.

Hence.. if it shows 11v or below after a start of the engine, keep your eyes peeled for good sales on batteries.. lol... :lol:

[bigredhead]

Some battery chargers are what's called " Smart Chargers " .. they will charge in 3 stages.. a high initial current, then a lowered amperage for a certain time .. and finally a " Trickle " charge .. that basically keeps the battery from auto-discharging ( a few % of it's capacity per month.. depending on conditions.. )

I have 4 x 12v .. 12 amp/hour batteries on my hub motor powered mountain bike.. 48v 12 a/h ( in series ) .. and use Soneil chargers, they are small ( size of a computer mouse ) and do the same job as those big clunky bulk Wet Lead chargers that have a HIGH and a LOW setting...

You should NEVER leave your batteries on a high current charge from start to end. The HIGH setting should only be used to turn over the motor in a rush.. then set it to trickle.

[daputz]

Even brand new batteries let to sit an hour after adding the new acid (as recomended) will make a a bubbeling sound while chargeing...... this is normal.

You cannot read judge a batteries worth by a multimeter..........or even testing with out first drawing off the surface charge. Yes gross sulfation is obvious in the older clear bodied batteries..........but most sealed and gel batteries have a black body. The best way to test a battery is to have it load tested on a proper tester. Signs of buldgeing, cracks or splitting are not worth testing............just toss them.


BTW................I have taken batteries with a tested charge of @ 7v and revived them to be put back into normal use..........it depends a the quality of charger you have and the situation of the battery.

[samster143]

Yea, all the batteries I ever charged have made a bubbling sound when charging. This is normal, check the water..replace only with distilled water. To check the strength of a battery they use some sort of resistor...it puts a load on the battery and this is how you tell if it has any amps left in there...That is what it takes to crank stuff.,

[bigredhead]

Yea, all the batteries I ever charged have made a bubbling sound when charging. This is normal, .,

You should invest in a better charger.. :lol:

[bigredhead]

http://www.jrwhipple.com/sr/elect_batlarge.html


Quote : "The second most common cause of battery failure is overcharging. Many chargers on the market will damage your battery if left attached for extended periods by "boiling" the water out of the electrolyte solution. Eventually, water loss will destroy a battery. Checking the electrolyte level in a battery--and adding distilled water when necessary--is extremely important, especially when using fast chargers or many of the trickle chargers on the market "

[250rAL]

If you hear it boiling, you're putting too many amps into it. Get a smaller charger.

[pinkhonda]

o.k. boys- i actually work at a battery speciality store. i would like to tell you how impressed i am at the amount of correct info i read. i would like to comment on one thing i noticed several times- "distilled" water- it is o.k. to use regular water (if you can drink it, you can put it in your battery).

[pinkhonda]

about the boiling- it has whats called a "bad cell" some people call it a dead short- IF ONLY 1 cell is boiling. most batteries have caps that you can take off and check the acid, some newer ones are sealed and you cant get into them. we get a ton of batteries that are just low on charge and depending on how old the battery is you can actually bring something from next to no voltage at all up to a full charge!!!

[pinkhonda]

as for the battery you have now- if just one cell is boiling, replace it!!! stay away from high CCA- for a ford- no more than 850 CCA, chevy 675 CCA, dodge 800. if you have ANY questions that i can help you with, i'd be more than glad to!! newer bikes suck as far as batteries, the gel batteries that is. super expensive and last maybe a year. some times you can find a wet version of the new gels. if possible, thats the way to go!!!!