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Help! Charging battery

16 years ago

I bought a fancy Black and Decker. I checked and filled the battery with distilled water (the 6 compartments were a little low). Topped them off to about a 1/4" from the top. Do I charge the battery with the lids off or on? Any instructions I find say "see battery manufacturer." This is an older battery that came with the old tractor. I think the battery is an '03 (automotive size). The reason I ask this is that I started charging the battery and within an hr. water (acid I suppose) was leaking out under the lids.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

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Comments (4)

mownie
16 years ago
You are permitted to leave the caps off while you are charging. The liquid you see is a combination of water vapor and battery acid that condenses inside the caps (the caps are vents) and then gets expelled by the pressure and flow of gases from the charging process. You were extremely vague in regard to what size battery, battery charger, and the rate (amps) or setting that you are actually charging the battery at. For most L&G tractor batteries, a rate of 10 amps for 10 to 20 hours or so is about the best you can do. More technical parameters would include watching things like the specific gravity of the electrolyte and/or temperature of the battery but no real reason for DIYers to worry about those issues. The main things you need to watch are NEVER "wiggle" the cable "alligator clips" while they are attached to the battery during charging. NEVER attach or detach the "alligator" clips when the battery charger is operating. Doing any of those things could result in a spark causing ignition of the gases that hover around the top of the battery causing the battery to explode violently enough to cause serious personal injury and property damage. It is highly recommended that you at least wear safety goggles or a face shield when charging or boosting batteries.
User
16 years ago
mownie is right on point but it does sound like you overfilled the cells of the battery.

A standard L&G battery requires only that the electrolyte cover the plates. If you look into the cell with a flashlight there is usually a ledge with notches indicating the correct fill level.

Filling to within a 1/4" of the top guarantees electrolyte overflowing during charging and during use. Get a cheap glass turkey baster from WalMart and remove the electrolyte down to the correct level or you'll give your tractor an acid bath.

Be careful, you are dealing with sulfuric acid and it is dangerous. Store it in a glass container and take it to a place that accepts junk batteries.
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bill7
Original Author
16 years ago
Mownie,

Thanks for the info. I was charging at 10 amps (the readout said 10.4). So the water/acid that was coming out of the two caps (each cap covers three holes) is "normal"? I did follow the other precautions. The battery is an automotive battery. That is all that I can determine from the battery. Are there other numbers/indications of what size battery it is? Should I charge at 4 amp setting and remove the caps?

Thanks again for the reply.
bill_kapaun
16 years ago
If the battery is "cooking", I'd reduce the AMPS to 4.
Often, excessive gassing is a sign the battery is charged or bad.
A good battery should be able to crank an engine with just a couple hours @ 10 AMPS.

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