Acid droplets on top of batteries

[youracman]

I have 12v batteries in a used 2005 Precedent (supposedly "strong" 2008 Trojans....but almost all the Craig's List ads say that). From what I have read on this site, I believe 2008 12v Trojans are nearing the end of the road.....even if the golf course where this cart was abused did, in fact, take proper care of the batteries. Long intro; short question: What is likely causing droplets (condensate, I'm gusssing) to continually form on top of a couple of the batteries?

I keep them charged & I have lowered the electrolyte level so it is maybe 1/4 inch above the plates .... that helped some, but I still get (small) puddles/droplets on top of the batteries (after a couple of days.....just sitting still) which I "blot" with a paper towel. These droplets are often near the fill caps, but not always ...... they can be a couple of inches away. Got no litmus paper; but a "tongue test" says this fluid is acid. I believe ventilation in the battery compartment is OK. Is this a battery death-nell syndrome, or what would be your diagnosis? Ed S.

[Michael Eddie]

Water should be just above the plates, its possible the seals on your caps are worn out? What age are your batteries? Because if they are getting to 5 years old, you will want to look into replacement batteries, new. Make sure you wash down the cart, batteries and trays with a water/baking soda mix to wash away all the acid before it starts doing damage.

[youracman]

I have lowered the level on the 2 "culprit" batteries a bit more.......now a little less than 1/4 inch above the plates. The (rubber?) seals on the battery cell covers look OK, but I swapped out the 2 covers on the worst offender with the battery in front of it (which has been "droplet free") to see if it might be something as simple as bad caps. I'll get back in a few days with perhaps some more data. ed s

[Michael Eddie]

Yep let me know

[dougmcp]

As batteries age they tend to off-gas more.
Your battery charger is probably boiling them during the equalization stage of the charge causing a little residue.
If you have a 48v cart and your charger is reaching the 63v range at the end of the charge you are slightly overcharging and it will result in a high boil rate.

[youracman]

I did change the caps around, and sure enuff, the caps that leaked on the aft batteries leak on the front ones now......I note this the day after they are charged. Anyway, I will see if I can get a voltage reading across the battery pack when the charger drops down to very low current at the end of the charge cycle.

Another "oddity" is that the charger usually pegs the ammeter (for about 30 seconds) at the start of charging, then it drops back into range. Also, it sometimes shuts off at the pegged-out condition, and then restarts right away.... then in about 20 minutes or so the current is down to 10 or 12 amps. It usually drops to about 5 amps about an hour before it shuts off.

I'll get back if I can come up with any data that might be useful. I plan to see the maintenance man here in our retirement community (he repairs and rebuilds carts for sale after hours). He will have some battery caps I can swap out and that might help put cap question to bed. I am suspicious that the battery liquid is coming from the little square vent holes in the caps, but "ain't no way I am ever gonna catch it in the act" so to speak.

[dougmcp]

Sounds like your charger is doing what it supposed to, you will be able to confirm that with a voltage check.
If you are really concerned about the leaking caps try calling a local battery distributor and getting some new ones.
There are some really good ones out there that do a good job of preventing acid release but are a little costly. It all depends what your priorities are but that can be purchased here: http://www.flowsystemsusa.com/water-...FWgZQgodoAiFRA

[youracman]

Well Doug, I am tired of mopping up acid droplets with a paper towel I ordered 24 of the water-miser safety vents today (from the online site you provided the link to). Nice folks to deal with, albeit a bit of a "pricey" fix. After talking with the expert on the other end, I am confident the droplets/acid puddle problems will be gone. They also insist that their flip cap devices will extend the life of my new batteries when I buy them a few months hence; that'll definitely make them worth the $. I will get back in a few weeks to verify the efficacy of the fix ...... in the event others may want to know. Thanks for all the help you give ..... to me and a lot of others. Ed S. in Fairview, TX

[dougmcp]

I know they're pricey little devils (rough guess about $120) but everything I have seen with actual golf cart users swear by them and it has stopped their overflow problems.
Hope you report back in with a follow up on their performance on your cart.

[youracman]

I installed the "Water Miser Safety Vents" about 2 weeks ago and I have not had a single drop (or even a damp spot) on my batteries since. These little dudes need to be filed under the category "Problem Solvers" IMHO. They were $127 delivered to my door. I selected the "Medium Height" as suggested by the folks who sell them. They are just over 1-1/4 inch tall and to ensure I had clearance, I removed the old caps and placed pieces of 2X4 over the holes...then lowered the seat.......result: plenty of clearance. I am sure I will be buying new batteries within a few months and I will certainly install these on the new batteries (they claim they will extend the life of new batteries......so that is a nice "gimmee"). The seal at the battery interface appears to be some sort of rubberized cloth gasket (probably proprietary) and if it is fully compatible with H2SO4, these caps will almost certainly outlive me ......... but then I am 80 yrs of age :^)) I will attempt to include a picture in this response. Before I took the picture, I opened one of the "flip caps" to show how they open for water level checking/adding water.
ed s

[Michael Eddie]

I installed the "Water Miser Safety Vents" about 2 weeks ago and I have not had a single drop (or even a damp spot) on my batteries since. These little dudes need to be filed under the category "Problem Solvers" IMHO. They were $127 delivered to my door. I selected the "Medium Height" as suggested by the folks who sell them. They are just over 1-1/4 inch tall and to ensure I had clearance, I removed the old caps and placed pieces of 2X4 over the holes...then lowered the seat.......result: plenty of clearance. I am sure I will be buying new batteries within a few months and I will certainly install these on the new batteries (they claim they will extend the life of new batteries......so that is a nice "gimmee"). The seal at the battery interface appears to be some sort of rubberized cloth gasket (probably proprietary) and if it is fully compatible with H2SO4, these caps will almost certainly outlive me ......... but then I am 80 yrs of age :^)) I will attempt to include a picture in this response. Before I took the picture, I opened one of the "flip caps" to show how they open for water level checking/adding water.
ed s

Good job Ed, looks nice and thanks for sharing the picture

[dougmcp]

Nice youracman, not only pricey but pretty too!