Battery Water??
 

I'm ready to do some battery maintenance and realize I should have available
several gallons of distilled water for my battery bank. I have been
monitoring them and so far, over the last year, the electrolyte levels have
not yet dropped to a level of concern. However, I am doing more equalization
charging now and expect that will cause the level to drop some.

I have four L-16 Trojans (~800 AH total) and they hold a lot of liquid..

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled water
(for steam irons).. All I found was shelf after shelf of water designated as
'drinking water'.

I really don't think 'drinking water' would be good for batteries since it
is generally just filtered and the minerals will still remain in harmful
quantities.

Am I wrong?? In fact, if I don't find TRUE 'distilled' water, I'm willing to
test some common bottled 'drinking water' by boiling a pan dry just to see
how much crap is left.

One place I haven't tried yet, is the auto parts stores, but I'm not too
sure they have personnel who will know what I'm looking for (guys who
couldn't get a job at West Moron).

So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Battery Water??
 

Food Lion usually has distilled water, $.50/gal. Distilled is the key
word.

Ron

Battery Water??
 

You need distilled water. If you can't find it at the grocery store, try a
drug store like Walgreens or Eckerds. I'm surprised it wasn't at the grocery
store... look a bit harder. There's a lot of "drinking water" but they
almost always have true distilled water... it's just on the bottom shelf and
not too much of it.

--


Keith
__
If you do a good job and work hard, you may get a job with a better company
someday!"
"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm ready to do some battery maintenance and realize I should have
available
several gallons of distilled water for my battery bank. I have been
monitoring them and so far, over the last year, the electrolyte levels
have
not yet dropped to a level of concern. However, I am doing more
equalization
charging now and expect that will cause the level to drop some.

I have four L-16 Trojans (~800 AH total) and they hold a lot of liquid..

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled
water
(for steam irons).. All I found was shelf after shelf of water designated
as
'drinking water'.

I really don't think 'drinking water' would be good for batteries since it
is generally just filtered and the minerals will still remain in harmful
quantities.

Am I wrong?? In fact, if I don't find TRUE 'distilled' water, I'm willing
to
test some common bottled 'drinking water' by boiling a pan dry just to see
how much crap is left.

One place I haven't tried yet, is the auto parts stores, but I'm not too
sure they have personnel who will know what I'm looking for (guys who
couldn't get a job at West Moron).

So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Battery Water??
 

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 12:19:33 -0700, "Steve" wrote:


So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

I make mine. It's my drinking water supply at home. All the grocery
stores in Charleston have distilled water in them. Even WalMart, an
excellent source!



Larry W4CSC

Maybe we could get the power grid fixed if every politician
regulating the power companies wasn't on their payrolls.

Battery Water??
 

"Steve" wrote in message ...
I'm ready to do some battery maintenance and realize I should have available
several gallons of distilled water for my battery bank. I have been
monitoring them and so far, over the last year, the electrolyte levels have
not yet dropped to a level of concern. However, I am doing more equalization
charging now and expect that will cause the level to drop some.

I have four L-16 Trojans (~800 AH total) and they hold a lot of liquid..

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled water
(for steam irons).. All I found was shelf after shelf of water designated as
'drinking water'.

I really don't think 'drinking water' would be good for batteries since it
is generally just filtered and the minerals will still remain in harmful
quantities.

Am I wrong?? In fact, if I don't find TRUE 'distilled' water, I'm willing to
test some common bottled 'drinking water' by boiling a pan dry just to see
how much crap is left.

One place I haven't tried yet, is the auto parts stores, but I'm not too
sure they have personnel who will know what I'm looking for (guys who
couldn't get a job at West Moron).

So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Hi,
My local store has distilled water in the laundry isle. I guess for use in irons.

Paul

Battery Water??
 

Vito wrote in message ...
Steve wrote:

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled water...

Try the gagging cat (Food Lion).
73, K3DWW

I just got my at CVS. Any drug store should have it. look in the eye
dept. don't know why, but that's where I found it.

Battery Water??
 

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm ready to do some battery maintenance and realize I should have
available
several gallons of distilled water for my battery bank. I have been
monitoring them and so far, over the last year, the electrolyte levels
have
not yet dropped to a level of concern. However, I am doing more
equalization
charging now and expect that will cause the level to drop some.

I have four L-16 Trojans (~800 AH total) and they hold a lot of liquid..

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled
water
(for steam irons).. All I found was shelf after shelf of water designated
as
'drinking water'.

I really don't think 'drinking water' would be good for batteries since it
is generally just filtered and the minerals will still remain in harmful
quantities.

Am I wrong?? In fact, if I don't find TRUE 'distilled' water, I'm willing
to
test some common bottled 'drinking water' by boiling a pan dry just to see
how much crap is left.

One place I haven't tried yet, is the auto parts stores, but I'm not too
sure they have personnel who will know what I'm looking for (guys who
couldn't get a job at West Moron).

So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

In the UK almost all garages sell the stuff.

Battery Water??
 

distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled water..........from a
chemistry major


Louis Bernard wrote in message
...
In addition to drug stores and grocery stores, another source according to
some
boaters here is water from your home dehumidifier. Someone may comment on
this
source of non mineralized water.

Battery Water??
 

Where do the minerals in the water go when you freeze it?

"NYangel" wrote in message
...
distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled water..........from
a
chemistry major


Louis Bernard wrote in message
...
In addition to drug stores and grocery stores, another source according
to
some
boaters here is water from your home dehumidifier. Someone may comment
on
this
source of non mineralized water.

Battery Water??
 

In article
,
"NYangel" wrote:

distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled water..........from a
chemistry major


Louis Bernard wrote in message
...
In addition to drug stores and grocery stores, another source according to
some
boaters here is water from your home dehumidifier. Someone may comment on
this
source of non mineralized water.





Bzzzzzt WRONG, Would you like to try again behind, Door Number Two.
Distilled Water is just what it say's "Distilled". That means it was
made by heating it up to vapor phase, and then recondensing it back to
liquid phase. This causes all the minerals and other impurities that
boil at higher temps to be left in the heating container and only pure
H2O condensing in the receiver. Freezing will only suspend the
impurities in the Ice Crystaline Structure, and they then will remix
with the H2O when thawed out. You better get your money back from the
college your attending, as you didn't learn anything in InOrganic
Chemistry 101.

Bruce in alaska

who actually did finsh 4 years of NitroOrganic Chemistry 30 years ago

Steve

I get all my Battery Water from Alascom (Longlines Carrier for alaska)
and they have a Triple Distiller at Lena Pt. that supplies all their
Battery Plants in Southeastern Alaska. Rain water is fairly close and
can be used in a pinch, as loing as your not downwind of a Oil or Coal
fired PowerPlant.

Battery Water??
 

"NYangel" wrote in message
...
distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled water..........from
a
chemistry major

I think what you mean is to thaw out the frost that builds up in a home
freezer. That has arrived as water vaper and so should be mineral free. The
disadvantage of these modern 'frost free' freezers is that you lose this
'by-product'
regards
Peter

Louis Bernard wrote in message
...
In addition to drug stores and grocery stores, another source according
to
some
boaters here is water from your home dehumidifier. Someone may comment
on
this
source of non mineralized water.

Battery Water??
 

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 17:11:59 GMT, "NYangel"
wrote:

distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled water..........from a
chemistry major

Man, stay away from THAT college!.....hee hee.

That's nonsense, even without the degree!



Larry W4CSC

Maybe we could get the power grid fixed if every politician
regulating the power companies wasn't on their payrolls.

Battery Water??
 

What a crock! (from a degreed chemist)

--


Keith
__
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
"NYangel" wrote in message
...
distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled water..........from
a
chemistry major


Louis Bernard wrote in message
...
In addition to drug stores and grocery stores, another source according
to
some
boaters here is water from your home dehumidifier. Someone may comment
on
this
source of non mineralized water.

Battery Water??
 

I cannot believe that all you people only use distill water in your batteries!
Come on and tell me the truth! You are all kidding right? Never used tap water
in your battery? I do, and my batteries last as long as anyone else's!

"Listen to the live broadcast of 'Nautical Talk Radio' with Captain Lou every
Sunday afternoon from 4 - 5 (Eastern Standard Time) on the web at
www.959watd.com or if you are in Boston or Cape Cod set your radio dial to
95.9FM.

Battery Water??
 

In article ,
(Capt Lou) wrote:

I cannot believe that all you people only use distill water in your batteries!
Come on and tell me the truth! You are all kidding right? Never used tap water
in your battery? I do, and my batteries last as long as anyone else's!

"Listen to the live broadcast of 'Nautical Talk Radio' with Captain Lou every
Sunday afternoon from 4 - 5 (Eastern Standard Time) on the web at
www.959watd.com or if you are in Boston or Cape Cod set your radio dial to
95.9FM.

It really depends on the amount of dissolved minerals in your tap water.
some places have dissolved Iron and copper salts in their water which
will kill a battery faster than crap thru a goose. some of the natural
Calcium sdalts will do the same. With Distilled Water, this is never a
problem. I suspect most folks don't even know what is in thier tap
water if anything.


Bruce in alaska

Battery Water??
 

In article ,
"Dennis Pogson" wrote:

"Bruce in Alaska" wrote in message
...
In article
,
"NYangel" wrote:

distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled
water..........from a
chemistry major

snipped

I think he really meant ice scraped off the refrigerator icebox sides! Is
this not "distilled water"?

--
Remove "nospam" from return address.



Nope, read what he actually said.

"distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer"


That Is exactly what he said, and it is WRONG on it's face. Any other
Implications are only in the mind of the reader. Nothing in his post
implies that he was suggesting scraping frost from the freezer sides or
anything else. I agree, that should he have actually made such a
suggestion, I would not have jumped on his case, and I also pointed out
that rainwater comes fairly close to "Distilled Water" as far as Battery
Uses are concerened. Real Distilled water is the Recommended Replacement
by all OEM Mfg's that I have ever seen.

Bruce in alaska

Battery Water??
 

I guess if you consider "freezing" an adjective instead of a verb, then it
would make sense. But, most of us didn't read it like that.


"Bruce in Alaska" wrote in message
...
In article
,
"NYangel" wrote:

distilled water can be obtain, by freezing water in the home freezer and
then defrost it........the water obtained is distilled
water..........from a
chemistry major


Louis Bernard wrote in message
...
In addition to drug stores and grocery stores, another source
according to
some
boaters here is water from your home dehumidifier. Someone may comment
on
this
source of non mineralized water.





Bzzzzzt WRONG, Would you like to try again behind, Door Number Two.
Distilled Water is just what it say's "Distilled". That means it was
made by heating it up to vapor phase, and then recondensing it back to
liquid phase. This causes all the minerals and other impurities that
boil at higher temps to be left in the heating container and only pure
H2O condensing in the receiver. Freezing will only suspend the
impurities in the Ice Crystaline Structure, and they then will remix
with the H2O when thawed out. You better get your money back from the
college your attending, as you didn't learn anything in InOrganic
Chemistry 101.

Bruce in alaska

who actually did finsh 4 years of NitroOrganic Chemistry 30 years ago

Steve

I get all my Battery Water from Alascom (Longlines Carrier for alaska)
and they have a Triple Distiller at Lena Pt. that supplies all their
Battery Plants in Southeastern Alaska. Rain water is fairly close and
can be used in a pinch, as loing as your not downwind of a Oil or Coal
fired PowerPlant.

Battery Water??
 

Try Wal-Mart I buy the stuff there.

Wolf
"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm ready to do some battery maintenance and realize I should have
available
several gallons of distilled water for my battery bank. I have been
monitoring them and so far, over the last year, the electrolyte levels
have
not yet dropped to a level of concern. However, I am doing more
equalization
charging now and expect that will cause the level to drop some.

I have four L-16 Trojans (~800 AH total) and they hold a lot of liquid..

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled
water
(for steam irons).. All I found was shelf after shelf of water designated
as
'drinking water'.

I really don't think 'drinking water' would be good for batteries since it
is generally just filtered and the minerals will still remain in harmful
quantities.

Am I wrong?? In fact, if I don't find TRUE 'distilled' water, I'm willing
to
test some common bottled 'drinking water' by boiling a pan dry just to see
how much crap is left.

One place I haven't tried yet, is the auto parts stores, but I'm not too
sure they have personnel who will know what I'm looking for (guys who
couldn't get a job at West Moron).

So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Battery Water??
 

Go to the pharmacist section and get the distilled water for contact lenses
cleaning at any wallmart or kmart etc. Still pretty cheap for a big jug.







"Wolf" wrote in message
y.com...
Try Wal-Mart I buy the stuff there.

Wolf
"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm ready to do some battery maintenance and realize I should have
available
several gallons of distilled water for my battery bank. I have been
monitoring them and so far, over the last year, the electrolyte levels
have
not yet dropped to a level of concern. However, I am doing more
equalization
charging now and expect that will cause the level to drop some.

I have four L-16 Trojans (~800 AH total) and they hold a lot of liquid..

I expected I could just go to the Market and find a shelf of distilled
water
(for steam irons).. All I found was shelf after shelf of water
designated
as
'drinking water'.

I really don't think 'drinking water' would be good for batteries since
it
is generally just filtered and the minerals will still remain in harmful
quantities.

Am I wrong?? In fact, if I don't find TRUE 'distilled' water, I'm
willing
to
test some common bottled 'drinking water' by boiling a pan dry just to
see
how much crap is left.

One place I haven't tried yet, is the auto parts stores, but I'm not too
sure they have personnel who will know what I'm looking for (guys who
couldn't get a job at West Moron).

So, where is everyone getting their battery water??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Battery Water??
 

Well, you know, I tried that. Went around to NTB (a large tire and
battery warehouse around here). They sell and service nothing but no-
maintenance batteries. No distilled water around.

Joe Wood

Meindert Sprang wrote:
And nobody has come up with the obvious source of distilled water: where do
you go when your car battery needs a water refill........right!

Meindert

Battery Water??
 

I guess you have to live in the Caribbean... you can get distilled water
on every island!!!

But in the USA one can't fid it....

hummm...


Joe Wood wrote:
Well, you know, I tried that. Went around to NTB (a large tire and
battery warehouse around here). They sell and service nothing but no-
maintenance batteries. No distilled water around.

Joe Wood

Meindert Sprang wrote:

And nobody has come up with the obvious source of distilled water:
where do
you go when your car battery needs a water refill........right!

Meindert

Battery Water??
 

It is at Kroger, Safeway and Publix around here. On the bottom shelf on
the water Aisle. Just look for it. It is cheaper than "spring" water
so it gets stuck in a bottom corner somewhere.

hanz wrote:
I guess you have to live in the Caribbean... you can get distilled water
on every island!!!

But in the USA one can't fid it....

hummm...


Joe Wood wrote:

Well, you know, I tried that. Went around to NTB (a large tire and
battery warehouse around here). They sell and service nothing but no-
maintenance batteries. No distilled water around.

Joe Wood

Meindert Sprang wrote:

And nobody has come up with the obvious source of distilled water:
where do
you go when your car battery needs a water refill........right!

Meindert






--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Battery Water??
 

Bruce in Alaska wrote:
It really depends on the amount of dissolved minerals in your tap water.


There's a fair amount in the municipal water here (showerheads clog
with time) and I screwed up and ruined the batteries, they only lasted
nine years.

Using distilled water is a wise idea, though; 'specially in third
world countries. And it doesn't have to be steam distilled, an RO
system produces distilled water too.

Battery Water??
 

"Mark" wrote in message
om...
Bruce in Alaska wrote:
It really depends on the amount of dissolved minerals in your tap water.


There's a fair amount in the municipal water here (showerheads clog
with time) and I screwed up and ruined the batteries, they only lasted
nine years.

Using distilled water is a wise idea, though; 'specially in third
world countries. And it doesn't have to be steam distilled, an RO
system produces distilled water too.


No, an RO system does NOT produce distilled water. Very pure, yes. But
distilled, no.

Distillation is the condensed vapor resulting from the evaporation of water.
Heating the water (boiling) speeds the process.

Sloppy distillation of very impure water can produce polluted distilled
water, but, assuming the process is righteous, distillation yields the
highest purity commercial water available.

I might use RO water for a battery if I didn't have distilled available, but
I'd rather use distilled water. Besides, commercial distilled water is
pretty cheap.


Ed

Battery Water??
 

Calcium + Sulfuric Acid = Calcium Sulfate eating the acid that makes
the battery go. Once the Calcium Sulfate is laying in the bottom,
this acid is not recoverable. It still starts the boat, but, quietly
and with little fanfare, the AH capacity of the battery just dropped.
If you do it enough, so much acid is consumed what is left runs out
very fast and capacity really suffers.

I'm amazed at the few people who know it's the ACID content that
determines when a battery has "run down". The acid is used up, FIRST.
Too much acid and the plates get holes eaten in them that cannot be
recovered (You know, that idiot that pours acid into his battery to
"replenish" it.). Using up the acid protects the plates to prevent
holes. So, the acid content is very critical in achieving AH
capacity.

Moral - If you use any water but distilled, you drop the AH capacity
of the battery every time you use it.

Use DISTILLED WATER ONLY. RO water STILL contains DISSOLVED metals,
like calcium. Don't think so? Fill a perfectly clean Teflon-lined
pot with RO water. Boil it all away and look at the inside of the
pot. Distilled water will leave NO residue. Still sceptical? Clean
off the Teflon and just leave the RO water to evaporate from the pot
over a few weeks. Same results. RO water STILL contains dissolved
solids....that eats battery acid every time you use it.



On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 01:00:03 -0700, "Ed Price"
wrote:


"Mark" wrote in message
. com...
Bruce in Alaska wrote:
It really depends on the amount of dissolved minerals in your tap water.


There's a fair amount in the municipal water here (showerheads clog
with time) and I screwed up and ruined the batteries, they only lasted
nine years.

Using distilled water is a wise idea, though; 'specially in third
world countries. And it doesn't have to be steam distilled, an RO
system produces distilled water too.


No, an RO system does NOT produce distilled water. Very pure, yes. But
distilled, no.

Distillation is the condensed vapor resulting from the evaporation of water.
Heating the water (boiling) speeds the process.

Sloppy distillation of very impure water can produce polluted distilled
water, but, assuming the process is righteous, distillation yields the
highest purity commercial water available.

I might use RO water for a battery if I didn't have distilled available, but
I'd rather use distilled water. Besides, commercial distilled water is
pretty cheap.


Ed



Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

Battery Water??
 

On 17 Sep 2003 14:47:48 -0700, (Jim Woodward)
wrote:


Do you have a reference for an RO membrane taking out viruses? About
half of the people I have talked to believe that the membrane will
take out viruses, the rest want a UV sterilizer in the system to kill
them. Everyone seems to agree that bacteria are stopped by the
membrane.

There are articles available on the net that WEREN'T produced by
distiller manufacturers warning of toxics coming through the membranes
from bacteria. The articles I read, and I'm sorry I didn't save the
URLs because I have a distiller at home, said the bacteria were
blocked by the membrane, BUT, the bacteria caught in the pressure side
of the membrane were BREAKING OPEN and spewing toxics into the
pressure side that WOULD flow through the membrane under pressure into
the drinking water supply.....

One wonders if this has something to do with the massive sicknesses on
some cruise ships......??



Larry W4CSC

3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million
gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air
conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right?

Battery Water??
 

In article ,
(Jim Woodward) wrote:

Hello again, Bruce:

Three things:

Seawater RO makers typically specify output as around 150ppm total
dissolved solids -- a far cry from distilled, but it tastes good. You
can get more or less distilled water (less than 0.1ppm TDS) from an RO
system, but it takes much more than a standard single stage drinking
water system.

Do you have a reference for an RO membrane taking out viruses? About
half of the people I have talked to believe that the membrane will
take out viruses, the rest want a UV sterilizer in the system to kill
them. Everyone seems to agree that bacteria are stopped by the
membrane.

Batteries:
Let me call your attention to a thread started by Glenn Ashmore in
rec.boats.building -- "A really big battery bank deal." $300 each for
new 1400AH 6V UPS sets by East Penn.

I'm looking at those, but would also be interested in tapping your
"Been doing this for 30 years now, and have some experience in the
field." What would you buy for Fintry's house battery set -- we need
1500-2000AH (nominal capacity) at 24VDC? The plan is to discharge
them around around 50% on a daily basis for house loads when we're at
anchor. My knee jerk reaction is flooded Rolls/Surrette units as they
are local (Boston area) and have a good rep, but I'm not wedded to
them. I'm looking for best overall cost-effectiveness. Weight is not
an issue.



Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com

Hello Jim,
The Rolls/Surrette Batteries are "Top of the Line" Batteries and would
certainly do the job, but at an elevated price, over what a standard
Deep Cycle system would cost. A lot of the High Seas and Coastal
Freighter Fleet use them in their SOLAS Required Emergency Power Systems.
When I was a Fed, I liked to see them installed, as it showed that the
Owners were at least congnisant of Safety. 2000amp/hrs is a very large
bank, and I don't have a lot of experience in that size. Most of my
experience is under 1000Amp/hrs, but in principal they are the similar.
I am partial to L16's, and Exide Flooded Single Cell Forklift Banks. I
have seen a few of the later that range up into the 2000Amp/hr range at
36Vdc and 48Vdc. They have great longevity, but the initial costs are
rather steep compared to the L16 and the consumer type batteries.

It really is a matter of what one can afford and what will the final
application and loading will be. I really like my AbsolyteII AGM Bank,
but my Alscom buddies seem to think that they don't standup in the long
term when compared to Standard Flooded Telco Cells. I've only had this
AGM Bank for three years, so the jury is still out on this system, as
far as I am concerned.

Bruce in alaska