Did I damage my battery?

[ebsworj]

I recently noticed my battery (dual-purpose) was boiling on the charger (charged overnight last night). What have I done? Is the battery damaged? Can I do any thing? Can I add water or something?<br /><br />thanks

 

[briannh1234]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

Add distilled water only. If the battery charger is a cheap one you may have damaged it. It's also possible that your battery is getting very old. Walmart has an excellent smart charger. Once it's charged take it to a local auto parts store and they will usually test it for free.

 

[ebsworj]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

It is a Exide Natalus dual-purpose battery. Unknown age. Its not sealed? I guess i just assumed it was. Where can I get distilled water? <br /><br />Sorry for all the stupid questions and thanks for your help

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

Any grocery store in the bottled water/soft drink area. Make sure its distilled water, not ordinary bottled water.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

ebsworj, I've experienced this; unless the case is damaged, at worst you might've shortened your battery's life by a few months. <br /><br />I don't think that battery is sealed - if not, add distilled water & if it checks out with a hydrometer (few bucks at autozone), takes & holds a charge then most likely it's okay.

 

[fishon71]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

Why not use tap water? Always have, what is the effect? Is it a case of not being pure and additives can shorten battery life ????

 

[jlinder]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

Tap water has contaminants (minerals, etc) that can affect the batteries life and performance.

 

[ebsworj]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

Thanks guys. I'm really depending on my battery for this long weekend on the columbia river. we have a big stereo and an outboard with one batter so you can understand why i want the battery to last.

 

[fishon71]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

Save the water out of your de-humidifier if you have one, this is distilled.

 

[ebsworj]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

good idea

 

[amirm]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

A single battery, of unkown age, cooked this way, sounds like a high risk item to me. I would buy a new one and a smart charger to go with it.<br /><br />Amir

 

[James B]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

I am with amir on this one. A new battery from Wal-Mart is cheap insurance towards saving a day on the water. I really hate driving to the ramp, boat not starting, and then having to go to Wally World to get a new battery.

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

A boiling battery on charge is bad news. Battery was not runn down enough for a constant voltage charger. Charger it NG. Battery has a shorted cell and cooks itself to death. I think a bad cell.---------Buy the new size 27 or 31 and enjoy yourself if they will fit in the space of the old one.

 

[Tatorbug]

Re: Did I damage my battery?

You can have a parts store such as auto zone check your battery for capacity, if it is OK, then you can add distilled water to a fully charged battry. The battery capacity is the best indicator of a battery's condition.