Battery Shortage (not Shorted)

[Raaf]

This hobby isn't cheap. Things cost money. Prices go up. Things change. You adapt. Some things are more difficult than others from one day to the next. You learn, you adapt again. Lesson over.

Let's talk about cars.

[rotorwrench]

The acid pretty much stays in the lead plates. The water departs in broken down form so a person should never put electrolyte back in there. Only clean water to replace the loss. A hydrometer will verify the correct specific gravity after a good charge.

I've seen batteries last 8-years or better without additives. A lot depends on the use the battery gets and how well the charging system functions. Regular maintenance will definitely help a lot as well.

The price of new batteries goes a long way to inspire a person to take good care of these items.

[eagle]

If you have a voltage regulator a 70 dollar Fleet Farm battery will last for many years. It's mostly in the care. Use a voltage regulator, trickle charge periodically in the winter, check the water level once a year. If you do happen to accidentally run the battery dead, use a trickle charger on it for a couple days to bring it up. A quick jump and running the car for an hour will not do the trick properly.

[The Master Cylinder]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

The acid pretty much stays in the lead plates.

Hmmm, I always thought the acid is in the electrolyte. Except what comes out the vents causing corrosion.

I find the battery oil is interesting. Here is a little history I found on the web;

Edison sold his Nickel/Iron battery to the Telephone , Telegraph, Railroads , and for early penny in the slot amusement listening tube phonograph use.

The Telephone & Telegraph companys had iron battery boxes on their poles with banks of the Edison Nickel/Iron battery in them.

The railroads had iron signal boxes which also contained banks of Edison batteries.

The "Battery Oil" was poured on top of the fresh electrolyte in each cell to prevent evaporation and gassing while charging on these utility poles. The oil would float on top of the electrolyte to give a thick protective oil film.
This would help the battery gases to re-combine instead of gassing-off while sitting long term, or re-charging. It also prevented evaporation.

You often find empty Edison Battery Oil bottles of 3-4 oz near old railroad iron signal & switch boxes in the woods near the switch & signal boxes today.
You often find old Edison battery jars on eBay !

[rotorwrench]

As was mentioned previously, it slows water evaporation and out gassing to a certain degree but it will not stop it. Any liquid cell battery would need an inspection schedule to make certain that the fluid level is above the plates and that the battery is in a good state of charge. With that oil in there, it may be more difficult to tell what the fluid level is. The oil can also get drawn into the hydrometer and leave a build up of crud inside it that would have to be cleaned out.

When a lead acid battery is weak or nearly fully discharged, the hydrometer will indicate the acidity of the fluid by specific gravity. Fully charged, a battery will have a specific gravity of 1.265. A discharged battery will have a specific gravity of 1.120. Water by itself has a specific gravity of around 1.0 depending on mineral contents or other trace elements. The higher the specific gravity the more acidic the electrolyte is. As the battery discharges the sulfate is absorbed into the lead plates as lead sulfate. The farther it gets discharged the more the absorption. As the battery recharges, the sulfates re-emerge into the solution while the lead & spongy lead return to lead dioxide state.

If the battery is left in a state for discharge for too long, the lead sulfate starts to crystallize on the surface of the plates and reduces the capability to hold a normal charge. Some of the sulfate crystals will fall off under heavy discharge and recharge but not all. This is why a battery should always be maintained in a good state of charge. Sulfation will kill a battery quicker than other forms of abuse.