battery

[joe0508]

I have a 12v starting battery that i am trying to recondition using a charger.The battery is bubbling water around the fill caps.I have never seen this before and wondering if someone can shine some light on the subject?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Illiteracy is embarrassing...

boil1
boil/
verb
verb: boil; 3rd person present: boils; past tense: boiled; past participle: boiled; gerund or present participle: boiling

1.
(with reference to a liquid) reach or cause to reach the temperature at which it bubbles and turns to vapor.
"we tried to get people to boil their drinking water"
synonyms: simmer, bubble, stew
"the soup is boiling"
(with reference to a kettle, pan, or other container) heat or be heated until the liquid inside reaches a temperature at which it bubbles and turns to vapor.
"she boiled the kettle and took down a couple of mugs"
2.
subject (something) to the heat of boiling liquid, in particular.
(with reference to food) cook or be cooked by immersing in boiling water or stock.
"boil the potatoes until well done"
synonyms: bring to a boil, simmer, parboil, poach; cook
"boil the potatoes"
(of food) be cooked in boiling water.
"make the sauce while the lobsters are boiling"
wash or sterilize (clothes) in very hot water.
historical
execute (someone) by subjecting them to the heat of boiling liquid.
3.
(of the sea or clouds) be turbulent and stormy.
"a huge cliff with the black sea boiling below"
synonyms: churn, seethe, froth, foam; literaryroil
"a huge cliff with the sea boiling below"
(of a person or strong emotion) be stirred up or inflamed.
"he was boiling with rage"

noun
noun: boil

1.
the temperature at which a liquid bubbles and turns to vapor.
"stir in cream and bring to a boil"
synonyms: boiling point, rolling boil
"bring the stock to a boil"
an act or process of heating a liquid to the temperature at which it bubbles and turns to vapor.
a state of vigorous activity or excitement.
an area of churning water.
"massive current differentials, boils, and braided channels"
Fishing
a sudden rise of a fish at a fly.
plural noun: boils
2.

an outdoor meal at which seafood is boiled.
"everything for a traditional Louisiana seafood boil can be carried down to the beach"

t
The typical boiling point of 1.275 electrolyte at sea level is 257 F.

A child who blows through a straw is "boiling" his cola?

The term is expressed as ---GASSING--- folks.

If you boil a battery add spices as needed

Bubbling is fine. Gassing is fine. Boiling is a real greenhorn expression. Like someone who sits in a tub with a cigarette lighter and "boils" for amusement. Wotta hoot.

[wa8yxm]

joe0508 wrote:
I have a 12v starting battery that i am trying to recondition using a charger.The battery is bubbling water around the fill caps.I have never seen this before and wondering if someone can shine some light on the subject?

That is called "Boiling the battery" . more on that in a bit also a warning.

As others have said overfilling a battery is not a good thing. I have seen many suggest fill to the BOTTOM of the filler tube or "Split Ring" as it is also called (The bottom of the tube is called split ring, look and you see why at least two slits in the side of the tube)

I like a quarter inch lower myself. or perhaps half an inch in your case.

Now the Boiling happens under two conditions. OVER CHARGE or too rapid charge.. Ideally this "Boils" off the sulfur that collects on the plates and rejuvenates the battery. Or so goes the theory.

DOES IT.. Well.... I'd rather not guess. But that is the theory I was told by someone long time ago.

Oh the warning.. That is not water.. Or as the poem goes

Little Willie was a scientist
Little Willie is no more
For what he thought was H 2 0 (Water)
Was H 2 S 0 4 (Sulfuric or battery acid)

Yup. it is sulfuric acid.

Once you are done cover the fill holes (Replace caps) Rinse well, Wash down with baking soda and water. as much soda as you can get the water to hold. DO NOT LET THIS GET INTO THE CELLS. Then rinse again with fresh water. Treat the surfact it's on to soda and water as well.

[Chum_lee]

WOW! I wish I was able to make a definitive diagnosis without seeing the battery, knowing the size of the battery, the type of the battery, the AH/CCA rating of the battery, the age of the battery, the type of charger, the charge rate, the charge voltage, the length of charge (time), the current specific gravity, (and the variation) the beginning rest voltage, the ending rest voltage, the voltage drop under load, and probably a few other important specs that I can't think of right now.

But thank God for the internet, now you don't have to know those things anymore before making a definitive diagnosis.

Uhhhhhh, bubbling when charging is normal guys, . . . . . NORMAL!

Chum lee

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Bubbling around the caps

Mistake City

Caps are removed when charging the battery. The tiny vents are overwhelmed by rapid electrolysis and gas will force it's way out.

If the battery misperforms right after charging it is bad, no question.

[Sam_Spade]

joe0508 wrote:
I have a 12v starting battery that i am trying to recondition using a charger.

I've often been accused of posting "negative" replies......and here is another one.

Attempting to "recondition" batteries has been around probably for close to 100 years now and it doesn't work any better today than it did in the beginning.

There usually is no lasting effect of any kind of attempt to rejuvenate a battery. It might appear to help for a few hours or days but that's about it.

Overall, mostly a waste of time. Once the chemical reactions create an unwanted and insoluble compound, you're done.

[KD4UPL]

Since very little information is provided I'll make a guess. I think the reason you thought the battery needed reconditioning was because it didn't work very well anymore. I bet it has a shorted cell. Trying to charge a battery with one shorted cell will overcharge the other 5 cells because they are not getting 1/5th of the charge voltage instead of 1/6 like they should.
If this is the case you just have to replace the battery. Now that it is charged put a load on it briefly, just a couple amps for a few minutes. Then, check the voltage. It it's lower than about 12.5 volts you need to replace it. If it has a shorted cell it will likely be around 10.5 volts.

[RJsfishin]

BLF13 answer was probably the only correct one.

Most people not in the know, fill a discharged battery full of water first, then place it on a charger overnite, then wonder why electrolyte is bubbling out all over the place the next morning.
A discharged battery should never be filled above just covering the plates, until after fully charged, then fill to the slots.

[mr-moe]

"It's on the internet, it's got to be right?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I do not second as a Search Engine and Google should stop embarrassing themselves by trying to play electro chemical engineer.

When charging amperage exceeds the level of the natural absorption rate, the battery may overheat, causing the electrolyte solution to bubble creating flammable hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas, when combined with oxygen from the air, is highly explosive and can easily be ignited by a spark. You shouldn't boil them.

This is utter poppycock best suited for campfire gossip after guzzling a couple of six-packs.

• Gassing is not a product of overheating in a battery. It is a product of electro hydrolysis. Forming hydrogen AND OXYGEN from sulfuric acid
• Equalizing a flooded lead acid battery is impossible without creating mild to moderate electro hydrolysis
• I can create impressive amounts of hydrogen and oxygen emissions from a battery while it is at room temperature

What's next from GOGGLE, medical advice, definitions of morality.

Good god gertie.

[Old-Biscuit]

Use a hydrometer and check the specific gravity of each cell
Then you will know whether to keep or use as core for new battery


As for that charger..chuck it
It should have dropped to LOWER amps when battery was charged
If it doesn't have that capability..get one that does

[mt1729]

Get a new battery!!!

[DrewE]

joe0508 wrote:
I left it bubbling for like an hour or more do you think it is safe to hook back up?

Clean it, check that the electrolyte level in all the cells is okay (and top off if needed), and I suspect you'll be good to go. The worst case scenario is that you discover the battery isn't working, but you'll never know until you try it out or otherwise test it. If you have a hydrometer, check the specific gravity in each of the cells to make sure they're all about the same (which indicates fairly well that none are shorted). Assuming they were bubbling more or less equally, there probably isn't a completely bad cell.

An occasional modest overcharging is not a terrible thing for a battery; among other things, it makes sure all the cells are fully charged at the same time. Obviously you don't want to do this super frequently, nor overdo it.

[joe0508]

I left it bubbling for like an hour or more do you think it is safe to hook back up?

[joe0508]

I checked to see the charge on the battery and it was fully charged.The charger never gave me any indication it was finished.I guess i was overcharging it?