Thread: Adding water to car battery

Well I just picked up a new battery and the guy at the store said that I should watch the water level of the battery and add water if it gets too low. Could someone explain why I have to add water to the battery ?! And do I need a specific kind of water or will bottled water suffice ?!

Thanks and sorry for the newb question

use bottled water, and i dont remember why exactly but it converts the water to acid or something, and if its not topped off it can prematurely ruin the cells in the battery by running them dry.

distilled water would be best if you were adding anything to it. i personally would just buy batt acid, which should be available at your local auto parts store.

Does it matter if you pour it in from the left or right cap on the top of the battery ?!

doesnt matter which one first, but if you have a maintance free battery, i wouldnt bother. just dont overfill it otherwise the acid will go everywhere once it gets hot.

No just make sure it's at the correct level

Car battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good old Wiki

it will smell like old, spoiled eggs if you let it run dry. i was driving my van with my friend years back and this happened, basically we had to pull over on the side of the road too vomit so just keep that in mind.

They used to use different materials in older batteries to make the lead "paste" for the plates. Old school batteries used lead-antimony, and newer batteries will not require normal maintenance since they changed to lead-Calcium. I have heard of lead-potassium pastes also.

Either way, these new batteries should not need regular maintenance as far as water is concerned. If you buy a new battery today, expect the water level to be just fine for the life of the battery. By the time you need to actually add water, the battery will be toast anyway.

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of adding water, make sure you only use distilled water. The minerals in tap/drinking water can lessen the chemical reaction in the battery and lower cranking amps significantly. I have seen MANY batteries go bad within weeks of adding tap water. Some are just fine for years, but I just always recommend distilled water to fill the battery.

Acid filling is nice, but can upset the specific gravity concentration levels. It is best to buy some acid and distilled water with a battery specific gravity tester. This is similar to an antifreeze tester, but designed for batteries. Use the tester to get the right ratio for a fully charged battery.

Make sure the plates dont get dry either,overhere they don't even sell this kind of batteries no more.