Adding Water to the Battery.

[Clay01]

Just wondering how often you guys check/add water to the battery in your GS's. My 82 GS 650, seems as if I need to check the water level in the battery on a monthly basis. Brand new battery in March, I had trouble starting it this afternoon (slow cranking), got it home, pulled out the battery and there was almost NO water left in it. Is this normal?? Does keeping the battery tender on have a tendency to cause this?

Thanks.

[Nessism]

Your charging system may be over charging.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#A04

[Steve]

No a (proper) battery tender won't cause that, but it will mask the problem that is caused by a charging system that is over charging.

If the voltage gets too high, it will boil off water from the electrolyte. As the electrolyte level gets down, battery capacity goes down, so you apply the tender.

The first thing you need to do is to verify the condition of your charging system. Once you verify that it is correct (or take the necessary steps to correct it), you will likely need to replace the battery, too. Running with dry plates, as you have done, will pretty much be destroyed. I would recommend paying a few extra bucks and getting an AGM battery. That is a type of construction, not a brand name, it stands for Absorbed Glass Mat. It uses thin sheets of porous fiberglass between the lead layers in the cells to keep the lead layers from shorting out on themselves. By doing this, they can put the lead closer together than "normal", and put more of them in the same space, giving you more capacity in the process. It is also a sealed battery, meaning that you will never have to check the electrolyte level again.

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[celesboy1]

i'm have some tips...to extend usage of wet type battery

you can use EDTA powder mixed with electrolyte water....then just pouring inside battery like usual

EDTA = Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid

[Andrew Vanis]

EDTA = Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid

where would one get that?

[celesboy1]

where would one get that?

i buy it in chemical store.....

ohh...i forget to mention...EDTA powder are commonly used to preserve food in indonesia

[Agemax]

according to these guys.......

http://batteryboys.us/battery-education/additives-are-they-worth-it.html

EDTA should be avoided in lead acid batteries

[UncleMike]

+1 on fixing your charging system and getting an AGM battery. I don't remember the last time I pulled out my tender, and I even had a few winters in NY and MA where I didn't use it and it started right up in spring.

[bwringer]

Good gravy, are there still primitives out there selling and using wet batteries?

Your bike is overcharging -- get the hence to the Stator Papers, immediately. Then order up a proper sealed battery so you don't get acid puked all over your frame.

[Redman]

...., got it home, pulled out the battery and there was almost NO water left in it. Is this normal?? ....

No.
That is a symptom of the R/R overcharging.
You have a volt meter so can check battery voltage with engine at a bout 4k rpm...?

You have a 30 year old bike, you may need a volt meter.
You have a 30 year old GS. You do need to have a voltmeter.

...., Does keeping the battery tender on have a tendency to cause this?
....

No, not if it is actually a Battery Tender.
Yes, if it is just a charger, even if its a 1 amp.
Yes, Yes! if it is a large battery charger, like 6 amp.

WHere are you located?
Add that to your user profile (go to UserCP).

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[celesboy1]

Good gravy, are there still primitives out there selling and using wet batteries?

Your bike is overcharging -- get the hence to the Stator Papers, immediately. Then order up a proper sealed battery so you don't get acid puked all over your frame.

yes...wet type still very commonly used in indonesia....cars , bus , motorcycle even 18 wheels truck still use it nowadays.... its old school yes...but much more cheap than gel sealed battery....and mostly indonesian prefer cheap one despite of the quality

[Kaiser Sosei]

Just wondering how often you guys check/add water to the battery in your GS's.

When the light goes on.

[GateKeeper]

I do it when the light goes off.....



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