Adding Sulfuric Acid to Deep Cycle

[palace]

Hi guys I picked up some sulfuric acid from a local Auto parts chain and added it to my 2 yr. old energizer deep cycle. Yes the charge was pretty low. No I did not put a trickle charge on it. Last season I added some distilled water only. Add the battery worked all summer, fall and winter no problems. The plates in each cell look clean, no buildup. I am hoping by adding acid this year it may rejuvinate the battery for another two years? I keep her in the garage so she is protected from the sizzling AZ Sun, AKA: Its a dry heat LOL.
Question: Has anyone tried to rejuvinate a deep cycle by adding acid?
Chime in with thoughts or experiences

 

[Thalasso]

Your not supposed to add acid after the initial filling. Only distilled water

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... The original acid is always still in the battery,...

Only the water evaporates, not the acid,....

 

[UncleWillie]

There is generally never a need to add Acid to a battery unless it was spilled out.
Always add straight Distilled or RO/DI water.
Not Tap Water or Distilled/Purified Nursery Water.

Consumer Lead Acid Batteries electrolyte will have a Specific Gravity of 1.26.
It can be raised to near 1.30 for heavy duty (Deep Cycle) use, but the life of the battery will be shorter.
Charge the battery and measure the specific gravity, before making any decisions.

 

[palace]

yes uncle Willie, i ran this afternoon with no problems on 78% charge. yes i will check the specific gravity. Seems like that (specific gravity) and voltage are the key factors. Also reading books that there can be an issue on how the acid is distributed or gets layered in the cells from nonuse. I think i may be able to get a total of 4 yrs. out of this battery. time will tell.

 

[tblshur]

you might keep in mind , sometimes i have tried to extend the life of my batteries at the expence of my solenoid, starter brushes, and trolling motor brushes. i would keep a close eye on the battery voltage as used . jmo good luck:joyous:

 

[palace]

Thanks, TBLSHUR
this battery is purely used for accessories, I will watch if I run a trolling motor in the future. It is there as a backup is my starter bat. ever dies. Going to put charge on it today and see what happens.

 

[airshot]

I am quite surprised in my reading here that you are trying to get 4 yrs from your battery. I normally get that and then some. My deep cycle that is used for accessories as well is going on its 4th year and has held a full charge all winter long (so far). Same with the starting battery, it is going on its 3rd year. I do buy decent quality batteries but rarely does a battery get replaced before 5 yrs even in my autos. I do watch the fluid levels and store them in a heated area over the winter and trickle charge them on occasion thru the winter. During the boating season I only charge the deep cycle when it drops to 70% then charge it back up but that is only a couple times thru the season. I know I may be stretching things a little but I do load test them at the start of the year and always have twin batteries on board in case of a failure. To answer the original question..never heard of adding acid to a battery before, only distilled water.....

 

[bruceb58]

If you don't keep your battery 100% charged...all the time...you will get sulfation. The deeper discharged you store it and for the increased amount of time you store it in a discharged state, the more sulfation you will get.