View Full Version : moisture in battery box ?
I have my battery in a battery box in the battery compartment in my boat
you know the black battery boxes they sell at boat us etc..
today when I went to inspect the cables for tightness I found moisture on the under side of the lid
is this acid or condensation ?
is it from the onboard battery charger when it charges the battery or what ?
are these boxes a good thing to have or not ?
rebs
rebs
I have had that problem before and it look like condensation to me. What kind of boat are you running?
Wall@y@
05-18-2004, 10:34 AM
This water is coming from the cells during battery charging. When a battery is charging, evaperation of the cell water is a part of the charging process and why it is necessary to add water every so often and why batteries have vented caps. This is so pressure will not build up in the battery. Unless you have a battery that is completely sealed, this will be a common occurance. This doesn't occur in jell batteries or batteries that are completly maintenance free.
Suzuki
05-18-2004, 11:26 AM
One way to find out for sure if it's acid is to sprinkle a little baking soda on it. If it's acid it will bubble up and fiz. That's how I always check. Wash the tray out with soap and water or a weak solution of baking soda and water then monitor. Last year my cranking battery developed a leak so I had to replace it.
FisHn2DMax
05-22-2004, 08:41 AM
As stated above, a little moisture is normal due to charging. I have condensation on my battery box lids and sides of boxes. If you notice water build up in the bottom of the box to the point it's covering the bottom of the box, this is not normal. If you're just getting condensation don't worry about it. Leave the battery box lids off/open every once in a while to air it out and you'll be fine.