Adding distilled water to ups batteries really work ?

[Martin007]

Hi

I saw some youtube videos display that you can extend ups battery life by adding distilled water. Is that true and safe ?

 

[Shrek]

I would not put them in any orientation but upward after, as they could leak.

 

[anonuser57]

You mean like opening up a lead acid battery and filling whatever excess space is there and then sealing it back up? If for some reason there is less water in the battery due to leaking then yes. But you also have a leaking battery and you are diluting the electrolyte. So, technically yes but practically no.

 

[Fangio1951]

Hi

I saw some youtube videos display that you can extend ups battery life by adding distilled water. Is that true and safe ?

Load of crap m8.

You should only use proper battery acid, that has the correct fluid.

 

[Bill_Bright]

They are called SLA for "sealed" lead-acid for a reason. These are not lead-acid batteries commonly found in 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s automobiles - batteries with "removeable" caps that screwed on and off just so we could top them up with distilled water.

Can you do it? Probably. Will it extend the life? Maybe, maybe not. Do you risk leaking extremely corrosive battery acid in your UPS, on your skin, clothes, and elsewhere? Absolutely.

Is it worth it? NO!

Were you wise to ask first? Absolutely!

 

[Jacky_BEL]

If the UPS battery is a lead-acid one like a car battery with fill ports, the yes.
When charging lead-acid car batteries , some of the water gets converted into hydrogen and is lost.

 

[Shrek]

I believe one can still get to the cells on some car batteries

 

[Bill_Bright]

Being able to get to the cells and the manufacture's intention to make them "user accessible" for topping off are two different things. I can "get to" the pistons of my truck engine. Should I?

Today's car batteries "should" never need to be topped off. If they need it, it most likely means the battery has an internal short, or there is a fault in the charging system.

 

[Solaris17]

I can "get to" the pistons of my truck engine. Should I?

Dont let "big piston" set the narrative; you can push 50psi of boost atleast once.

 

[thesmokingman]

Hi

I saw some youtube videos display that you can extend ups battery life by adding distilled water. Is that true and safe ?

That's like a band-aid on a gunshot wound lol.

 

[Visible Noise]

Where are you going to add it? Drill holes into the battery case?

 

[Shrek]

The top is glued down for the UPS battery and can be replaced; there are rubber caps below.

Being able to get to the cells and the manufacture's intention to make them "user accessible" for topping off are two different things.

One just pulls the two tops off, and they just get pushed back in.

 

[Martin007]

example:

 

[Shrek]

you are diluting the electrolyte.

You should only use proper battery acid, that has the correct fluid.

Not diluting the electrolyte as the sulfuric acid does not evaporate, just the water.

 

[mclaren85]

They are sealed for a reason. Don't.

 

[Shrek]

They are sealed for a reason. Don't.

I would follow this advice.

 

[LabRat 891]

The caps in SLA batteries contain a catalyst that helps recombine the H2 and O back into water to prevent this very issue.
Unless an SLA has been overcharged and its pressure relief valve(s) popped, water loss is a least concern for Sealed Lead Acid batteries. [If It has, the battery is damaged and potentially unsafe, anyway]

Generally, SLAs wear out similarly to flooded cell batteries, from sulfation.
-and, the only way to properly and completely de-sulfate a battery, is to recycle the lead (Pb) into a new battery. No amount of chemical treatments can fully desulfate a lead acid battery.

tl;dr:
Just Don't.

I believe one can still get to the cells on some car batteries

View attachment 407945

Flooded Cell (commonly called "SLI" = Starting Lighting Ignition) are a bit different.
If your 'car battery' has caps like that, it likely is intended to be topped off with distilled water; to replace losses from evaporation and electrolysis*.

*SLA batteries are used in UPSs for more than just their 'cycle' characteristics. The sealed design and catalyst-capped encasement makes an SLA fairly safe to use in an enclosure, and in a living space.
A flooded cell battery will always dump some H2 and Oxygen into the environment while charging. In an enclosed chassis, or a small enclosed room (under malfunction conditions) this can become an fire/explosion risk. Flooded Cell 'car batteries' are rarely if ever used indoors or inside an enclosure, for safety's sake.

 

[kondamin]

I wouldn’t do it if they are lithium polymer batteries

 

[silentbogo]

I saw some youtube videos display that you can extend ups battery life by adding distilled water. Is that true and safe ?

Mostly crap. I think the only time it worked for me, is when we tried to revive a big-ass 24V old tank battery in my fiend's workshop, and even then that monstrous battery still had 3 or 4 dead cells. Fortunatelly it had terminals for rewiring, so we made it into a big-ass 12V battery
This thing never works on AGM or gel, and barely ever works for SLA. You'll most likely just make a mess when caps pop and distilled water mixed with acid boils over. And that's the best-case scenario.

 

[Bill_Bright]

you can push 50psi of boost atleast once.

LOL - and perhaps only once! At least you would go out with a bang!

One just pulls the two tops off, and they just get pushed back in.

Yes, I know. But the fact remains, these SLA batteries are sealed to prevent loss of water through evaporation or leaks. If there is a loss, it is because there is a problem, again, either with the battery or the charging system, or both.

It should be noted lead-acid battery technology is over 150 years old and really has not changed much since it was invented. The biggest improvements, IMO, is simply in the purity of the materials used to make them.

But until Man can create perfection 100% of the time, impurities are still likely and it does not take much of one to start building a bridge in the gap between the plates. And once further (and inevitable) buildup of contaminants complete the bridge spanning the gap, a short is created. And that short typically results in excessive heat buildup inside the cell - which typically results in a loss of voltage output as well as excessive pressures inside the battery case.

This is commonly seen (and felt) by swelling, a bulging battery, and one that gets quite warm as it tries, but fails to fully charge. This also puts additional strain on the charging system as it has the impossible task of fully charging a battery that cannot be fully charged.

This swollen battery condition is sometimes seen in UPSs when you try to remove the batteries and discover they are stuck inside the UPS battery compartment. That should raise some serious red flags but I caution, that would be for significant swelling, nor necessarily minor.

I personally would NOT try to pry off the cap of a swollen battery. I only have 1 good eye as it is.

And note adding water to a battery that has an internal short is not going to fix the short.

So I say again, just because the plates can be accessed, that does not mean they were intended to be accessed. If that was the intent, the manufacturers could easily use caps that unscrew for refilling and screw back in. And those caps would have some sort of acid-resistant gaskets to create a proper seal again once fully screwed in.

They are sealed for a reason. Don't.

Exactly

example:

And did you note his warning at the end? Since he had to pry off the caps, breaking the seal, now there is no certainty the replaced caps will create an effective seal again to prevent future leaks. So he, correctly so, warns to keep the battery oriented with the caps up. BUT, because of the UPS design, that meant the UPS must always be kept on its side or you risk extremely caustic acids leaking out and into the UPS. That would not hurt the UPS but it sure might be something you or someone else may forget one day down the road.

Just looking at the 3 UPS in this room, it is obvious the batteries in 2 of them are oriented on their sides. And IIRC, so do the batteries in the bigger (tower) UPS on this computer.

***

One good bit of news here is approximately 80 - 90% of the materials used in these SLA batteries is recyclable and most communities will have recycling centers that will take them off your hands, and keep that hazardous waste out of landfills and waterways. A very good thing!

***

One more thing. I never, as in NEVER EVER buy replacement batteries from the UPS maker. They always charge more for the same batteries you can find cheaper elsewhere. I buy my UPS batteries from BatteryWholesale, Battery Mart, Batteryplex, RefurbUPS, Walmart or Amazon - depending on who has the best price on that day. Note today one distributor will price high with free shipping and the next day price low but with additional shipping charges added. So be sure to factor in shipping, which can be significant, but sometimes free.

Just make sure you get the same voltage. The amp/hour rating can be higher however, for longer run times, but not lower. For example, if the current cells are 12V 7.2AH, I always go with 12V 9AH. And last, make sure you get the correct terminal size. There are inexpensive adapters but typically space inside the UPS battery compartment is too limited.

F1 vs F2 terminal connector size

F1 Terminal – 3/16” (0.187”, 4.8mm) wide
F2 Terminal – 1/4" (0.25”, 6.35mm) wide

If your UPS battery consists of two or more battery cells, they will be strapped in parallel, series or series/parallel configurations to achieve a specific output voltage required by the UPS. This strapping is typically done with one or more small jumper or interconnecting cables. Don't discard those straps (or any plastic framework) the old battery may have used. Save them to use to assemble your new battery. I recommend taking a photo of the battery wiring before disassembly to use as a guide when assembling the new cells into the new UPS battery.

***

Last but not lease, and just for fun - What's this cell vs battery stuff? A single cell can be "a" battery. Or, several cells put together can make up "a" battery. So, for example, if you have a flashlight that uses 4 AA batteries, individually each AA battery is a single cell. Insert the 4 AA cells into the flashlight and now, working together, they have become "one" battery, made up of 4 cells. Clear as mud, huh?

To make it more confusing, standard SLA UPS batteries, like this 12V 9Ah battery, or the one in that video, actually have 6 cells internally (just like a car battery). So, when that 12V 9Ah battery is used separately, it is a single-cell battery. But strap two of those 12V 9Ah batteries together, they become one 2-cell battery - even though there are 12 internal cells. Totally confused now? No worries. It really does not matter. Most people just call them batteries - and that's fine.

 

[Shrek]

It should be noted lead-acid battery technology is over 150 years old and really has not changed much since it was invented. The biggest improvements, IMO, is simply in the purity of the materials used to make them.

Losses by electrolysis is an issue, mitigated by having catalysts in the caps (to recombine the hydrogen and oxygen)
but I don't know how recent this technology is.

Frequently Asked Questions, Hydrocap

FAQ What are HYDROCAPS? HYDROCAPS are a catalyst battery cap designed to replace the conventional vent cap on a lead-acid or alkaline battery.

hydrocapcorp.com

 

[TheLostSwede]

Be really careful playing around with lead acid batteries, all kind of things can go wrong. A couple of guys ended up having one explode in their face when I did my national service. You can also get thermal runaway in them.

What is lead acid battery thermal runaway? - Power Sonic

Thermal runaway may be considered a 'hot topic', but in this blog, we demystify what causes thermal runaway - and how to prevent it.

www.power-sonic.com

 

[Shrek]

I treated some UPS batteries for sulphation (using pulsing), but eventually they went into thermal run away, probably due to internal shorts.

I'm still thinking to try LiFePO4 batteries in one of my UPS units.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Losses by electrolysis is an issue, mitigated by having catalysts in the caps (to recombine the hydrogen and oxygen).

Yes, I know. But I don't understand the point.

How does that apply to the batteries used in common UPSs found in typical home and small office scenarios? It doesn't.

This thread is about small (typically 1500VA and smaller) UPS batteries. Can you find an UPS intended for SOHO use that uses hydrocap vents on its batteries? Got a link?

I point out they add to the cost of these batteries and take up extra space. The SOHO size UPS market is a very competitive field.

Your own link makes it clear those caps replace "conventional vent caps". They do NOT, however, replace the caps found on typical SLA batteries used in UPS. For example, typical SLA battery caps don't use threads. Adding threads to the battery would significantly add to the cost. They also add to the height of the battery. Typical UPS batteries already "barely" fit inside battery compartments.

So my comment still applies. If the battery fluid level in the UPS SLA battery is low, that indicates a problem with the battery since the caps used by the manufacturers should have prevented loss due to leaks or evaporation.

Also, I am not aware of any SLA battery included in UPS for SOHO use by APC, CyberPower, Triplite etc. that include batteries with hydrocaps. So again, can you show us one?

By far, the vast majority use standard SLA (AKA VRLA - valve regulated lead-acid) batteries. These most common type are "sealed" and the valve is simply a "pressure relief" valve designed to prevent the battery from blowing up!!! They are not designed to recombine anything.

I acknowledge hydrocaps exist! But not in your typical home or small office UPS. Nor can they be used to replace existing caps as they snap in place, not screw in.

 

[silentbogo]

example:

There are few glaring issues with that video:
1) Not a single test before or after filling up the battery. Didn't even measure the voltages, let alone capacity of the unit.
2) Even if you have a serviceable battery - you still need to run few "recovery" cycles with a pulse charger on it in order to knock off some crystallization off electrodes and to give that water a chance to mix with electrolyte. If the cell is dry - sulfuric acid turns to semi-solid goop and doesn't mix with water very well. Back in a day people would just leave it for a day or two charging at very-very low current, but personally I've never seen that work/help even on car batteries.
3) If you do it like a dude and put it in an UPS right away - it'll pop the caps and leak right away. Especially if cells are filled to the brim like in that Mumbai Einstein video.
4) If it was self-discharging or overheating beforehand- no amount of water will fix that.
"Trust me bro" doesn't really work here.