Buick35 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 When topping off a battery is tap water o.k. To use it should I use distilled or purified? Just wondered.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 I've always read that distilled is best because minerals in other water can shorten battery life (I don't know the exact mechanism). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buick35 Posted August 18, 2022 Author Share Posted August 18, 2022 Thanks,that's what I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drhach Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 I've understood that same. Also use distilled for the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Distilled water is better but tap water will work. I did some calculations a long time ago and typical tap water will shorten the life of your battery about 2 weeks. If you top it up every month. This should not be a big concern. Of course today you can buy distilled water at supermarkets and drug stores, it is not expensive or hard to get, but in a pinch tap water will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shipping reccomendations Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 I’ve always used battery acid to add to a battery. Was always available from Napa or auto parts store. Flexible plastic container with attached hose encased in a cardboard box. Just pull out hose from box and pour out how much battery acid you need directly into the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Distilled water is the only right answer. Yes, there are other things that might work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 1 hour ago, Shipping reccomendations said: I’ve always used battery acid to add to a battery. Was always available from Napa or auto parts store. Flexible plastic container with attached hose encased in a cardboard box. Just pull out hose from box and pour out how much battery acid you need directly into the battery. Water evaporates from the battery but the acid stays behind. By adding more acid you make it too strong. Might not do any harm in the short run but if you have to add water regularly it adds up. There is another thing. In the thirties it was common to check and top up a car battery weekly. Today it shouldn't need attention for life. If you are only topping up once a year or less the quality of the water is negligible unless it is very hard indeed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Batteries die when the plates get sulfated or coated with deposits.Hard water increases the deposits like the inside of an old tea kettle. The battery will die that much sooner BUT there is not much lime or deposits in the small amount of water used to top up a battery. So the effect on battery life is negligible unless you are boiling it dry all the time and using very hard water. In the thirties, with poorly controlled voltage as with a 3d brush generator, and the primitive batteries, you had to check and possibly top up the battery weekly. By the sixties you had better voltage control and batteries and might need to top up 2 or 3 times a year. By the 80s batteries were sealed for life. So, it's all according. The idea that hard water is bad for your battery was certainly true in the thirties, today not so much. Because you are not adding water all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 This is one of those questions that may not have a right answer. Depending on where you live and the water there tap water may be fine or terrible. Distilled water is the safe thing to use for most people. If you have a place to safely keep "battery acid" then that is the best, but few people have that option and you cannot get a small amount, seems like it comes at the minimum a half gallon container. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 Do not add battery acid. The acid does not evaporate, only the water evaporates. If you add acid you can make the acid too strong. Distilled water is best, ordinary tap water will do. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1gt Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 I take care of 30 batteries. Electric carts, cars, genie boom and other stuff. I collect the condensate out of the house A/C unit. No minerals and slightly acidic. Not good for radiators 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buick35 Posted August 19, 2022 Author Share Posted August 19, 2022 27 minutes ago, jp1gt said: I take care of 30 batteries. Electric carts, cars, genie boom and other stuff. I collect the condensate out of the house A/C unit. No minerals and slightly acidic. Not good for radiators Interesting.Our a/c has been working overtime.I might start collecting the water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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