Can I use water or do I need battery acid

[patastinky]

I'm having a hard time finding the battery acid and was wondering if I could just fill the cells up with water.

[rodneya]

Is it a new battery or just topping up?
New battery needs proper acid, topping up just distilled water.

[SoCal250]

Normally distilled water can be used if topping up a used battery, as Rodney said. However, if the level is too low you may need to add acid as the pH level will be too high (water will dilute the acid too much).

That battery may be questionable. Every used battery I have had with levels that low and the dark discoloration in the cells like in the photo usually turned out to be too weak or shorted internally.

A new "wet type" battery requires straight acid fill before use. Acid can be found at any auto parts store.

[patastinky]

Is it a new battery or just topping up?
New battery needs proper acid, topping up just distilled water.

So I bought this battery new about two years ago and I filled it up with the proper battery acid. Ever since it's been on a tender on and off. Last month it's been on the tender pending today's start. However I noticed that the fluids were low so I guess at this point I can use distilled correct?

[pidjones]

I would check tender and bike's regulator. A battery should not get that low in just two years. I've had Yuasa battery last more than eight years and it was still good until a bozo dropped it. Never needed any water added, and that was in a GoldWing. Top your off with distilled water, charge it up, and take it to a parts store for a free test.

[m in sc]

i dont use a tender on anything. it does ^ every time, for me. Use battery acid, most parts stores sell it. 

[patastinky]

I would check tender and bike's regulator. A battery should not get that low in just two years. I've had Yuasa battery last more than eight years and it was still good until a bozo dropped it. Never needed any water added, and that was in a GoldWing. Top your off with distilled water, charge it up, and take it to a parts store for a free test.

Actually, it might be older than 2 years. Maybe closer to 5. Either way i filled it up with acid, so if distilled water can be used that would save me from having to tear apart my garage to find the little bottle of acid.

i dont use a tender on anything. it does ^ every time, for me. Use battery acid, most parts stores sell it. 

I've never used one either, but most of my friends that own motorcycles say they tend their batteries. I'd love to have to use it. I guess if it was started every so often the battery wouldn't dry up; right?

[m in sc]

what did it for me was that on the ducati sport classic i had, i had it on a tender one winter. it kept the electrolyte active, but it also caused the corner of the battery box to get brittle and break off from the off gassing. And these are actual battery tenders, not a knockoff brand.

just me. some people swear by them. If its going to sit forever, i disconnect the battery now. 

[1976RD400C]

I just put the tender on my batteries every 6-8 weeks and let it charge a few hours and then take it off.

[bitzz]

Acid doesn't boil off. The water in the acid does, leaving a salt.
When you add water, it mixes with that salt, making acid again.

Add water.

Now: why is your bike boiling the battery?

[IR8D8R]

It depends on the failure mode. A sealed battery with low electrolyte indicates a problem. You may be able to extend it's useful life by adding water. Maybe. Pouring in sulfuric acid doesn't work. I've tried. Battery electrolytes are not just acid and water. there are stabilizers and modifers. I don't think you can buy electrolyte OTC anymore. You would need to remove and replace the entire fill.

If you leave a tender or any charger on a fully charged battery it acts like a fuel cell producing water and hydrogen. The water dilutes the acid. The hydrogen usually dissipates. The action of a fuel cell erodes the electrodes by loss from electrolysis. The metallic elements cannot plate the anode because they are oxidized by the electrolyte so they pass into solution and contaminate the electrolyte. There is also ozone created which attacks plastic and causes embrittlement of the case. So now you have a contaminated electrolyte and a brittle case.

Leaving a battery discharged causes the sulfates in the acid to accumulate on the battery elements which will eventually render them incapable of passing electrons. They call this shorted (or sulfated) but it is really the opposite. "Salted" is more accurate. That contamination is present in the sulfate salt layer that accumulates on the electrodes as copper and lead sulfate.

Occasional charging of a lead-acid battery is the best way to maintain it when not in routine use. The discharge cycle is required for optimum health. Self-discharge is almost enough to be healthy if the battery is recharged at the right time. There are tenders with adjustable thresholds. Manual charging is the best way to deal with a LA battery in storage rather than keeping it at top charge all the time. It is the discharge part of the cycle that sheds the salting. It is possible to make a discharger from heating element wire wrapped around a ceramic core. RC guys will know about dischargers. Or you can get a bunch of high current resistors. Easier to sacrifice an old electric heater. It's a PITA... Occasional charging is better for the battery. Charge your battery in the fall and again before you use it in the spring and it should be OK. Unless you like in Minnesota or Alaska.

There are ways to fix a sulfated lead-acid battery but the chemical required is an environmental nightmare. I shouldn't tell you... You wash it out with a concentrated chemical. Then flush with water a few times. The stuff that is left is very toxic and contains lead and chromium. Needless to say replacement of the electrolyte is part of the routine. But...

The main problem with restoring modern lead-acid batteries is that the electrode monoliths are not pure. They are usually a copper substrate plated with lead and zinc. In the case of alarm batteries they are often simply thinly plated copper mesh. Once this plated layer is eroded with use - via electrolysis, the battery is done. That is part of the normal chemical process so the battery lifetime is finite.
In the 70's you could get quality batteries that had solid electrolytic elements. Those really fucking heavy AC Delco or Die Hard batteries that cost $200 in 1985 were really great. Those you could clean out and add new acid over and over. Not anymore. Please don't try the chemical process on a modern battery. The result is a dead battery and a couple gallons of toxic mess.

Is it worthwhile to spend $50 on the chemicals and get the waste to restore your $30 Chinese battery? Hell no.

IR8D8R

[m in sc]

alarm battery.  just saying  5-8 years out of one.

[85RZwade]

Thank you IR8D8R, that is an excellent explanation! Once again, "they don't make 'em like they used to"

[rodneya]

alarm battery.  just saying  5-8 years out of one.

And no breather tube, they dont leak and can be placed in their side and cheap too.

[pidjones]

Or scooter battery. Thinner, slightly less CCA (that we can't use), standard MC connections. I put one in my RD400c project, Mighty Max YTX5L-BS with 55 CCA for $22.99 from Amazon. Sealed AGM that is the same length and height as the original but thinner. Designed for scooter, but should handle the RD fine.