Battery question

[c-fut]

I checked the water level on my battery and it was over the max level. I would like to remove the tap water from it but was wondering if there are any issues I should keep in mind before doing it. I was either thinking of just opening up the caps on the battery and turning it upside down to dump the water and refill with distilled water using a straw. What do you think of this method. Thanks in advance for your help

[The Buddha]

Naaa ... yea tap water is bad, but not so bad that you will kill it.
If you tip it out and usually very little will come out ... it can be bad too.
You need to refill it with acid of the right strength, and may have lost some lead in the process.
Cool.
Buddha.

[beRto]

I checked the water level on my battery and it was over the max level. I would like to remove the tap water from it but was wondering if there are any issues I should keep in mind before doing it. I was either thinking of just opening up the caps on the battery and turning it upside down to dump the water and refill with distilled water using a straw. What do you think of this method. Thanks in advance for your help

The battery is filled with a mixture of acid and water. Because this is a dangerous solution, it must be disposed of properly - it would be a bad idea to turn it upside down and dump!! 

During use, the water evaporates but the acid stays behind. This is why top up is done using water only. Tap water contains many minerals that are not good for the battery - distilled water is preferred because it has fewer impurities.

If you have already used tap water in the battery, I agree it would be a good idea to replace this. Take the battery to a shop and ask them to dispose of the old acid and replace with fresh stuff. This should not be very expensive. They will probably even charge the battery for you!

Good luck! 

[c-fut]

do you see anything wrong with using a straw to remove electrolyte from the battery? I don't have an eyedropper handy

[surf.seppo]

Sucking the acid out with a straw sounds like a bad idea too. Sour candy is made sour by a coating of citric acid. Multiply that by a bit and you'll get to the pH of battery acid. Essentially, you'd be risking some nasty chemical burns on the inside of your mouth.

[philward]

do you see anything wrong with using a straw to remove electrolyte from the battery? I don't have an eyedropper handy

Depends how you use the straw.  If you use it like a pipet (think science class) by dropping the straw into the battery, putting your finger over the open end, and then pulling the straw out with some of the acid held inside by the vacuum created - fine.

Whatever you do don't use your mouth!  Also, whenever you are opening up the plugs on a battery you should always wear glasses regardless of how much you may think you don't need them.  One drop of acid will ruin your vision for ever.

Lastly, if you have overfilled with tap water then I would be either replacing the acid (at the least) or just getting a new battery.  Tap water is not good for batteries (minerals in the water react with the acid), overfilling is not good for the battery (dilutes the acid), removing acid and topping up with more water is not good for the battery (further dilutes the acid) - so with the cheap price of batteries these days you could just renew it and write this off as stupid-tax. 

[the mole]

I would consider just leaving it alone if you have overfilled it. The extra water will gradually evaporate anyway, and if the battery still works then just be nice to it and use distilled water next time it needs topping up. I can't see any point in taking acid out of the battery now, it will just end up too dilute. No need to buy a new battery until this one starts to die, and it may still go a few years. Depends what your tap water is like.

[werase643]

During use, the water evaporates but the acid stays behind. This is why top up is done using water only. Tap water contains many minerals that are not good for the battery - distilled water is preferred because it has fewer impurities.

in theory.... it should have NO impurities....pure H2O