car battery - really necessary to use distilled water??

sassy_one

wealdroam wrote: »

What a load of....

Sassy, why have you posted on this nearly two years old thread?

You have averaged over eighty posts a day over the last couple of days. Get a life!

Anyway, back on topic...

Hardness from the water will build up on the plates if tap water is used. Obviously, in a soft water area that build up will be slower.

You are nearly there with the boiling water idea.
If you boil water, then condense the steam, then that condensate is perfect for topping up batteries, etc. After all, it is distilled water.

In fact, boiling the water only produces a water with more 'hardness' than before. Steam is water without impurities, so the longer you boil it, the harder the water you are left with.

Hope that helps.

Excuse me??!
May I draw you to the forum rules - this is a open and free forum, anyone, can post anytime they wish.
I have a life thank you, may be it's you who needs to get one, as you appear to be replying to all my posts

Take note, I said 'may be' - unlike you, stating facts when you obvious do not know.

I will use this forum as much, and as when I like, you don't like it, lump it! :T

And back to the point, you can use tap water in a car battery, so it is down to the person wishing to top there battery up, to make the choice what type of water they use in it!

sassy_one

bigjl wrote: »

Do you not understand sarcasm then sassyone?

Research what distilled water is, the above post will help.

But please don't mistake your opinion for fact.

Though one part of your post was relevant ""get your facts correct "

I think you need to re read, you are disagreed with by another member also, you option is not MoneySaving

You can, which is perfectly okay to use tap water in a unsealed car battery - enough said!

bigjl

You have previously posted that it doesn't cause any damage, which it does, then say "Take note, I said 'may be' - unlike you, stating facts when you obvious do not know.", you have just done that.

As here "And back to the point, you can use tap water in a car battery, so it is down to the person wishing to top there battery up, to make the choice what type of water they use in it! "

Everybody seems to agree that you can use it, but also that it will reduce the life of the battery, which it does.

You have stated that you don't work for a company the produces car batteries so you aren't in a position to advise against using distilled water, when that is what the battery manufacturers that I know of have stated. I am not qutoing my opinion, just the opinion of those in a position to know better through experience or technical knowhow.

sassy_one

bigjl wrote: »

You have previously posted that it doesn't cause any damage, which it does, then say "Take note, I said 'may be' - unlike you, stating facts when you obvious do not know.", you have just done that.

As here "And back to the point, you can use tap water in a car battery, so it is down to the person wishing to top there battery up, to make the choice what type of water they use in it! "

Everybody seems to agree that you can use it, but also that it will reduce the life of the battery, which it does.

You have stated that you don't work for a company the produces car batteries so you aren't in a position to advise against using distilled water, when that is what the battery manufacturers that I know of have stated. I am not qutoing my opinion, just the opinion of those in a position to know better through experience or technical knowhow.

Okay - were you hoping for a gold star? as I have run out, specially after having to give quite a few out during last week.........

wealdroam

sassy-one wrote: »

...unlike you, stating facts when you obvious do not know.

Can you please tell me which fact I have stated which you find obviously wrong.

sassy-one wrote: »

I will use this forum as much, and as when I like, you don't like it, lump it! :T

How rude... where's that rule book.

sassy-one wrote: »

And back to the point, you can use tap water in a car battery, so it is down to the person wishing to top there battery up, to make the choice what type of water they use in it!

You are correct. Clearly you could advise people to top up there battery with petrol, and it would be up to them to 'make the choice'.

And now... can you please answer the question I asked?

wealdroam wrote: »

Sassy, why have you posted on this nearly two years old thread?

If you'd rather not, that's ok too.

goldspanners

ive been topping up large traction batteries with tap water ( up here in scotland) that have an estimated 7-9 year life span. we usually always reach year 8 and sometimes 9.
obviously some are less,but this is only when the battery has been neglected and poorly maintained.

we also top up smaller car sized batteries and according to manufarturers spec we still get maximum lifetime from these aswell using tap water. ( mfrs spec on these is usually 12 months)

skiddlydiddly

sassy-one wrote: »

Excuse me??!
May I draw you to the forum rules - this is a open and free forum, anyone, can post anytime they wish.
I have a life thank you, may be it's you who needs to get one, as you appear to be replying to all my posts

Take note, I said 'may be' - unlike you, stating facts when you obvious do not know.

I will use this forum as much, and as when I like, you don't like it, lump it! :T

And back to the point, you can use tap water in a car battery, so it is down to the person wishing to top there battery up, to make the choice what type of water they use in it!

Yes but Sassy you are dragging up old threads that have been answered and run their course.You put them back on the 1st page and push threads started by people with present questions/problems off it.Mostly with just an opinion and a smilie, rather than any kind of factual answer.
I really don't understand why you have to dig out these old threads unless you have some kind of misguided compulsive helpfulness disorder.

OT- I "think" you can use frost from the freezer .

skiddlydiddly

goldspanners wrote: »

ive been topping up large traction batteries with tap water ( up here in scotland) that have an estimated 7-9 year life span. we usually always reach year 8 and sometimes 9.
obviously some are less,but this is only when the battery has been neglected and poorly maintained.

we also top up smaller car sized batteries and according to manufarturers spec we still get maximum lifetime from these aswell using tap water. ( mfrs spec on these is usually 12 months)

Has your company ever used distilled water to do this?I just wondered how the 2 processes compared longevity wise.

missile

If you have to regularly top up a car battery = it is nearing the end of it's life and I doubt you will notice any difference using tap water. I would replace it with a sealed battery.

Two year old post (YAWN). OP has probably replaced the car by now?

pwllbwdr

sassy-one wrote: »

It is perfectly acceptable to use water from the tap, in a car battery that is not a sealed one.

Although boiling the water will not remove the mineral content, it will make the water softer if you are in a hard water area.
This may not be needed if you water area is soft.

More information on boiling water and mineral content here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water

Did you actually read the wiki page you linked to? Two different types of hardness. If you boil water with permanent hardness, you will concentrate the minerals and increase the ion contents in what you then put in the battery. Temporary harness will change chemically when the water is boiled and precipitate out. That kind of hardness will be reduced in the water when you boil it.

It is more relevant to ask whether the mineral content of tap water is sufficiently high to cause a problem in a lead-acid battery over its typical life given the amount of topping up you are likely to do. That will depend on the type of tap water you have. So even if sassy can do it without problems, the OP, even with their time machine from two years ago, may not be able to.