Adding water to the battery. Plain, boiled and filtered water in the accumulator

We all heard that you can only fill the battery with distilled water and no more! But why? Why is it impossible to pour, say, ordinary from the tap, or boiled, driven through a filter, and so on? This is a very elementary question - it is worth dropping into a high school chemistry course and everything will be resolved right away. For those who skipped this lesson or forgot, today I want to tell you in detail why you can’t pour the “ordinary” one from the tap, there will be an interesting video at the end, so read and watch ...

The battery, despite its simplicity, requires a certain accuracy both in and in maintenance in general. One of these conditions is, it is precisely when it is present that correct operation is guaranteed, if something else is flooded, then the battery may not work at all

Subtleties of the electrolyte

I would like to recall a little how the battery works and what is the role of the electrolyte here. Let me briefly remind you that there are negative (lead) and positive (lead dioxide) plates. A special electrolyte liquid is poured between them - it consists of approximately 65% ​​distilled water and 35% sulfuric acid (this corresponds to a density of 1.27 g / cm3).

When the battery starts to thin out (we connect the load), then during the interaction of lead oxide and sulfuric acid, lead sulfates begin to form in the form of salts on the plates. The density of the electrolyte drops.

When charging, the process is reversed. - sulfates are destroyed, the density again increases to the prescribed 1.27. BUT if you start the battery and discharge it to zero (), the sulfates may no longer be destroyed (the crystals of these salts will become strong), the battery will lose capacity - this process.

There are also additions of “calcium” - if, again, this type is discharged to zero, then in addition to lead sulfates, calcium sulfates are formed.

It is worth remembering that any substances, whether in plates or an electrochemical liquid, under certain conditions, can have certain effects on the final battery.

In simple words - the cleaner, the better, inside there should be only what chemists and engineers laid

Plain, boiled and filtered water in the battery

Before talking about ordinary water, I would like to say a few words about distilled water. We need to remember the physics course, what it tells us - distillate practically does not conduct electricity , it is very pure, it has little (practically no) salts, metals, minerals and other things - THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Thus, we realized that only clean liquids should beat inside. But ordinary water cannot be called such. I dug around on the Internet and found what the drinking (ordinary, which flows from the tap) liquid consists of - I was a little shocked.

About 30 - 33 types of various minerals, metals, salts, etc. I am attaching a screenshot

As you can see, minerals alone are about 1000 mg/l (about 1 gram). Such a liquid conducts electricity perfectly, it precipitates.

BUT most importantly, we do not know how it will behave - with sulfuric acid, lead, calcium, what compounds will be formed. After all, let's say minerals (1000 mg / l) it just can be calcium, and it forms sulfates during discharges (which are practically insoluble in water and sulfuric acid).

All this has a very negative effect on battery performance, mineral sulfates are formed on the plates, metals can increase resistance and contribute to destruction.

In simple words - ordinary water will simply kill your battery in a short time, usually a couple of months, as you will operate your car

Boiled water - it differs from the usual one only in that it does not contain organic compounds (usually these are bacteria that die when boiled), but the rest of the elements do not disappear. Therefore, it is also IMPOSSIBLE to fill it!

passed through the filter - now it’s just a bunch of different filters (including household ones), I’m not going to talk about industrial ones now, maybe almost distillate comes out from under them. But household appliances are also not able to 100% purify water, some of the substances will definitely remain. So after the filter, it is also IMPOSSIBLE to fill in the battery!

In simple words, only distillate - AND NOTHING ELSE!

TOTAL - what will happen to the battery?

Well, let's, in conclusion, summarize the points (so to speak, a reminder) what will happen if you fill in ordinary, boiled, filtered (ordinary household filter) water:

• Acceleration of the electrolysis process - rapid loss of water
• Precipitation (minerals) and possibly sulphates on the plates - loss of capacity
• Destruction of plates, from metal impurities - failure of the battery
• Accelerated self-discharge - due to metals
• Increasing plate resistance
• Change in the electrical conductivity of both the working fluid and metals
• Increase in electrolyte density (some substances may contribute to this)
• Precipitation, can bridge elements

Separately, I would like to say to those who write that ordinary water will bridge the plates, this is not true, nothing will happen, the battery will work as it worked, only the electrolysis process will accelerate, that's all.

All this will lead to the output of your, even a fresh battery. REMEMBER THIS! It's not worth it to experiment. However, some dishonest sellers pour ordinary tap water instead of distilled water, thus deceiving you. It is already very difficult to defend yourself here - you should look at the bottle so that there is no sediment in it, or buy in pharmacies (everything is more closely controlled here), BUT YOU CAN DO YOURSELF EVEN AT HOME, there is nothing complicated here, and you will be sure 100% (we'll talk about this in the next article).

So that when the electrolyte boils away, its density does not increase significantly, it is necessary to add distilled water to the battery in a timely manner. How to add distilled water to the battery? Let's consider this process in more detail.

Features of pouring distillate

Before proceeding with the process of filling the distillate (electrolyte), the battery must be prepared. It must be turned off, removed, installed on a flat surface, cleaned of dust and dirt. Cleaning the battery is a must, since even the smallest particles of dirt, if ingested, can lead to its complete failure. The easiest way to clean the battery is with a solution of ordinary baking soda.

Inside the power source there are special marks indicating the minimum and maximum levels for the distillate.

To prevent dirt from getting into the battery, use a regular syringe to fill with distilled water. It will allow you to pour the liquid not only absolutely hygienically, but also as accurately as possible.

After filling, close the battery and replace it.

1. Never add fluid immediately after you have turned off the engine. He needs to stand for at least six to eight hours. Only after the “rest” can the battery be opened and the filling process started.
2. After filling with water, it is also impossible to immediately put the device into operation. Wait at least until the morning of the next day, otherwise boiling is possible, which will lead to fatal consequences.
3. Refilling with distillate will not make the device new, but will simply improve its functioning a little. If the battery has already used up its resource, then it is better to replace it with a new one.
4. Before putting the battery into operation, check the amount of liquid inside. You can start its operation only if the water level is within the normal range.
5. And in no case do not use ordinary water for refilling, but only special distilled water, purchased in special. stores in closed containers. When pouring ordinary water, the plates will be destroyed and the battery will completely fail.
6. Filling water into the battery should be done at room temperature in a closed room.

A low electrolyte level in a car battery indicates either a leak or evaporation of the liquid, which leads to the boiling of the battery. The latter is accompanied by an increase in density, which harms the device up to the destruction of the plates and the complete loss of performance. To avoid this, it is enough to reduce the acid concentration of the working mixture by adding water to the accumulator. But it must be absolutely clean, so it is recommended to use a distillate.

The purified liquid is obtained by double evaporation and collection of condensate. The result - it gets rid of extraneous salts, minerals and other substances. That is, there is pure H 2 O at the outlet. In the right proportion, sulfuric acid and water create the necessary electrical conductivity of the working mixture.

The condensate after evaporation during the operation of the car battery does not leave a residue. Therefore, it can be constantly added to the battery without consequences. That is, no deposits will appear on the electrodes. The presence of impurities threatens to adversely affect battery performance:

• The formation of sediment on the plates, due to which they are constantly destroyed, increases the resistance and reduces the capacitance.
• Unpredictable change in electrical conductivity.
• Acceleration of self-discharge, due to an increase in the density of the working mixture.

Attention! Distilled water is sold at gas stations and shops. But there are also fakes. Therefore, even after purchasing the necessary goods, you can pour ordinary water into the battery with all the ensuing consequences.

To prevent this from happening, it is enough to check the presence of information about the manufacturer on the label. It is most reliable to measure the electrical resistance with a tester. Without impurities, it will tend to infinity, otherwise the device will show a specific figure.

What happens if you pour boiled water?

In the absence of a distillate, it seems the only solution is to add an otherwise prepared liquid, such as boiled water, to the electrolyte acid. The requirements for ordinary tap water include treatment. This is true, but its processing always leaves a large number of various substances. Water of this quality can be eaten, but not used to dilute the electrolyte. This is the result of the fact that, according to the standards, the presence of hardness salts, metals is allowed, and some elements must be mandatory.

If you pour boiled water into the battery, the situation will not improve much. At 100 °C, the hardness decreases, forming a precipitate. However, it does not drop to zero. In addition, a lot of steam escapes without taking a single foreign substance. The volume decreases, but the impurities remain. The action from heat treatment will be, but the following:

• disinfection, on which it absolutely does not depend on whether this liquid can be added to the battery or not;
• a decrease in the proportion of water and the total volume and, as a result, an increase in the concentration of impurities;
• precipitation from salts of temporary hardness, moreover, nothing will happen to the constant, that is, the effect is scanty;
• as a result, the concentration of minerals remains practically at the same level, and this worsens the properties of the electrolyte.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to fill the battery with ordinary drinking-quality water or boiled water. The composition of the first is saturated with numerous impurities. The second does not differ in the content of foreign substances. As a result of their use, all the destructive effects of pollution will affect the battery.

What can be poured into the battery instead of distilled water?

What quality of water should be added to the battery if you can’t get to the nearest store to buy the necessary liquid? To begin with, try to still purchase the required one, because the distillate is also sold in pharmacies. The car owner will only need a capacious container, preferably not iron. If this method is also not available, it remains to add analogues similar in composition to the electrolyte acid.

These options are more sparing than a full-fledged replacement. Even in the last two paragraphs, one evaporation takes place, while the liquid recommended for the electrolyte goes through the procedure twice. Whether it is possible to top up with one of them the working mixture depends on the required quantity and confidence in their quality. For example, the purity of precipitation from rain or snow is strongly affected by dust and air pollution. It is safer to add such water to the battery after it has settled. During the day, impurities will settle, the upper layers will remain either without them, or with a minimum amount.

Do-it-yourself preparation of distilled water for batteries

There are several ways to make your own distilled water at home. The two most faithful. Firstly, without tangible harm, you can add the collected steam from a boiling kettle or pan to the working mixture of the battery. The main thing is not to forget about the high temperature. A container or barrier for condensate must be held with a towel so as not to burn yourself.

The second method is suitable for owners of an apparatus for obtaining alcohol, or rather, moonshine. If ordinary water is poured into it and overtaken, the required condensate will be at the outlet. One drawback: the process takes a very long time, since the device is designed for a different density and volatility of the substance. It’s really possible to make a similar design with your own hands, and it’s cheap and simple:

In everyday life, boiled water has the best drinking qualities due to the disinfecting effect of high temperature. In terms of purity, it practically does not differ from that taken from the tap. The distillate is made at home. And replacing it with analogues will still cause some harm. Although the latter is smaller compared to the one that will occur if ordinary water is poured into the battery even after heat treatment. If you find yourself in a similar situation, please share your experience in solving the problem in the comments.

A rechargeable car battery is on average in operation from 3 to 5 years, some battery models are able to work up to seven, and even up to 10 years. But in order for the energy storage device to serve properly for a long time, it should be regularly serviced, if necessary, add water to the battery. At a low level of the solution, the lead plates in the banks are quickly destroyed, as a result of sulfation, the battery fails. Maintenance consists in keeping the battery clean, maintaining the density and the required volume of electrolyte, and how much water needs to be filled in, what should be the density and some other points we will consider in this article.

A car battery ensures the operation of energy consumers when the engine is not running, and also allows you to start the engine uninterrupted in different climatic conditions. The battery is charged by the alternator, but if the electrical equipment is faulty, the battery may lose charge and not start the car. We will not dive deep into the theory, but we will try to explain the device and operation of this node in simple words. So, the battery for a car:

• has six jars with lead plates filled with electrolyte (solution of sulfuric acid);
• each of the plates has electrodes with positive and negative charges;
• charging, the plates accumulate energy and give it to consumers (including the starter when starting the engine).

The sulfur solution in the banks for the normal functioning of the battery must contain a strictly defined proportion of acid and water, which is called density, and various problems with the battery arise when this balance is disturbed. The density would be a constant value, but when the battery is discharged, the plates are covered with lead sulfate, hydrogen leaves the sulfuric acid, reacting with oxygen, the solution becomes too “liquid”, and the density drops.

It is only necessary to add water to the battery, and it is strictly forbidden to add electrolyte. The fact is that when charging a dead battery, the density rises to the desired level, the lost capacity returns, and if this does not happen, then the battery needs not to be topped up, but to be restored (if the battery has not completely failed yet). Fill electrolyte only in the following cases:

• the very first refueling of a dry-charged battery is performed;
• it was determined that the electrolyte leaked out of the jars.

In maintenance-free batteries, topping up is not required during the entire period of their operation, the banks of this type of battery are sealed, and evaporation does not occur.

With the question of whether to fill in water or electrolyte, we have already figured out, now we need to find out what the quality of the added liquid should be. Water can be ordinary (raw), boiled and distilled, and although all liquids look and taste a little different, they have different chemical composition. If you fill in ordinary water flowing from a tap, when it reacts with sulfuric acid, it can give an unpredictable result, as a result of a full charge of the battery, it will not happen. The thing is that this moisture contains many different salts, metal microparticles, other impurities, and to a large extent affects the chemical process. Of course, in our time, various filters are used that provide effective cleaning, but they do not fully give a 100% result. Another option is boiled water, in which bacteria die from strong heating, but salts and other microparticles remain.

The distillate is the only liquid composition that can be mixed with an electrolyte, it is free from dissolved and undissolved particles, and does not conduct electricity. Distilled water can be obtained in several ways:

The distilled liquid has no taste and smell, and pure snow and rainwater are also distinguished by a minimum amount of various impurities, but it is not recommended to add them to the electrolyte.

At the very beginning of the article, we already noted that a low electrolyte level in battery banks can lead to the destruction of lead plates, so the electrodes cannot be dry, they are completely filled with a solution. But the water level at the same time must be certain, 10-25 mm above the upper edge of the plates (depending on the battery model and the recommendations of the manufacturer), any deviations from the norm in any direction lead to undesirable, and sometimes even disastrous consequences:

• if there is little electrolyte in the battery, the battery drains quickly, often completely fails, even a battery explosion is possible under load;
• if the level is too high, the desired density is not reached (1.27 g / cm³ is considered the standard), the liquid begins to come out of the cans, oxides appear on the body and terminals.

But overflowing water is not as bad as underfilling, although it also does not bode well, for example, at low temperatures there may not be enough density to start the engine with a starter.

How to fill water:

If the level is too high (under the very “neck”), the density drops, and it is not possible to raise it even with the help of charging. Therefore, in this case, it is allowed to pull the solution out of the jar with a pear a little more than the norm and add not water, but an electrolyte. Such actions should be trusted to professional battery workers, due to inexperience, you can not cope with the task and ruin the battery.

At present, the industry for the car mainly produces batteries of a low-maintenance type, they require a minimum of care, however, prevention should be carried out regularly. To service the battery, you must:

• remove the battery from the car:
• take it to a warm room;
• clean the case from dirt and salt deposits (it is impossible to turn the case over);
• clean the terminals from plaque with sandpaper, if they are oxidized, wipe dry with a clean rag;
• let it stand for 10-12 hours (it is possible for a day, it is especially important to let the battery “depart” in winter).

Then you should check the electrolyte level in the banks, top up with distilled water if necessary, put the battery on charge. You can’t do without a charger, just like without a hydrometer, and it would be nice to have a multimeter and a load plug. After the battery has settled, we check the voltage without load with a multimeter, it should be in the range of 12.4-12.7 Volts. When connected to the load plug terminals, the voltage should not fall below 9.6 V, the load time lasts about 5 seconds.

After adding water to the desired level with a hydrometer, we check the density, in those banks where we had to add more, respectively, there will be a lower density. Then we put the plugs in place without twisting them, connect the charger to the terminals, if the battery is in a fairly good condition, automatic mode is suitable for charging.

The battery is most efficiently charged at room temperature +20ºC, after charging it is necessary to let the battery stand again, but 5-7 hours are enough. Then we repeat all the checks again, the most optimal values ​​in this case:

• voltage without load - 12.7 Volts (up to 13.0 V);
• under load - from 9.6 to 10.4 V;
• density - 1.27-1.28 g / cm³.

For the northern regions, the electrolyte density can be set higher (up to a value of 1.31), for the southern regions, 1.26 g / cm³ is often enough. Depending on the type of battery, it is recommended to carry out battery maintenance once or twice a year, low antimony batteries require maintenance more often, about once every 3 months.

Video: Water or electrolyte, what to add to the battery?

Getting into a car and turning the ignition key, many do not even realize that at this moment complex chemical processes are taking place under the hood. For long and efficient operation of the battery, the chemical purity of the internal components of the battery is important. Distilled water is the key to long and proper battery life. If you follow all the rules and do not add ordinary water to the battery, you can avoid many problems with the car.

The role of electrolyte in a battery

The liquid electrolyte consists of sulfuric acid and pure distilled water. Pure sulfuric acid is capable of melting lead, so it must be diluted to a ratio of about 1.27 g/cm³. Over time, it evaporates, and the percentage of acid increases. The battery starts to fail, and if this situation is not corrected, the battery will become unusable.

Define, how much water to add into the battery by checking the electrolyte level.

How to check the level at home:

• We turn off the plugs
• We collect the electrolyte covering the plates with a transparent plastic or glass tube. (The body of a simple ballpoint pen is ideal)
• The liquid level should be approximately 1.5 - 2 cm.
• Depending on the battery manufacturer, different labels are provided for monitoring.

Important! Top up only if the level has dropped in at least one of the cans.

Causes of low electrolyte level:

• Water evaporation when overcharging and in hot weather. It easily turns into steam, but acid does not. In this case, you need to add distilled purified water to bring the density to the desired parameter.
• Crack in the hull. In this case, you will need to solder the case (if it is made of polypropylene) or dispose of the battery. After the tightness is restored, it will be necessary to add the finished electrolyte.
• Flipping. At the ends of the case there are special drainage holes designed to release vapors and hydrogen when “boiling”. If the battery is turned upside down, some electrolyte will leak out. You will have to raise the level by adding electrolyte.

Characteristics

The universal natural thinner is H2O, or water. Due to its universal properties, it is almost impossible to find pure water without impurities in nature. In any case, it naturally occurs in the form of solutions of salts or oxides.

Water can be purified in various ways, the most popular is evaporation and subsequent condensation. In nature, this process occurs as part of the cycle of evaporation - precipitation. Humans have accelerated this process through distillation. The device of the distiller is known for its use in moonshine stills - a heating cube, intermediate tanks, a cooler.

Distilled water is an excellent dielectric. Most instruments that determine purity use the principle of measuring the resistance between electrodes immersed in a liquid. For relatively pure water, electrodes lowered by 1 cm at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other have a resistance of 33 Ohm.

What to replace?

Usually motorists do not have a question - where to get distilled water? - after all, it is sold in almost every household or auto chemical store. Industrially purified water is the purest. The quality of the product is checked on sophisticated expensive equipment, factory conditions are close to ideal.

What can be added if there is no distilled water?

Important! The snow that has fallen is no good- melt water during thaws penetrates lower, carrying impurities into the thickness.

Distillation. In any kitchen, cleaning is quite possible. You can purchase a compact distiller, or build it yourself.

The simplest distiller can be prepared in the kitchen with your own hands, for this you will need:

1. Two glass bottles, one of which will have a curved neck.
2. Scotch.
3. Saucepan with a volume of 20 liters.
4. Ice pack.

Fill a bottle with a straight neck not to the end, so that thirteen centimeters remain to the top. Glue the necks of both bottles with tape. The pot into which the water bottle will fall must be filled so as to completely cover the bottle. An empty bottle should have ice on it. The water will begin to evaporate and as soon as the second bottle is filled with distillate, the process can be completed.

It is impossible to achieve high quality, but relatively pure water can be obtained.

Useful video

A very interesting video with distillation and testing of water at home:

Why you can not pour ordinary water

Diluting the electrolyte with ordinary water can significantly reduce the efficiency of the battery.

Natural water cannot be pure. The amount of impurities is from 0.01% to 0.1%. In rain and melt water there is dirt and dust, in ordinary and boiled water there are salts and minerals that will settle on the plates and destroy them. The resistance will increase, and the capacity of the battery will decrease in the meantime, the electrical conductivity will change.

Is it possible to pour boiled water into the battery? - No you can not!

Doing this is strictly prohibited. The impurities will settle on the lead plates and interfere with their redox reactions. The area of ​​contact between lead and electrolyte decreases, the battery fails.

It is possible to “kill” a battery by charging it with water with a high content of impurities in one discharge-charge cycle.

Battery Maintenance Features

The car battery is a consumable item - it fails over time. You can significantly extend the service life by proper maintenance, which is carried out according to the following rules

• The battery must be charged before servicing.
• Between charging and checking the density, 5-7 hours should pass to stop the processes of sulfation of the plates.
• Before topping up, be sure to check the density with a calibrated hydrometer!
• After topping up, charge the battery again. So the electrolyte is mixed faster.
• After operation, check again the density of the electrolyte and the capacity of the battery using a load plug.

If the battery capacity has dropped sharply and the electrolyte has become cloudy, then it is out of order and it is time to change it.