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Window condensation = battery top up ??


Blazeaway

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As I am in lock-down you start to think daft thoughts and this came to me today whilst clearing the condensation this morning.

 

We have one of those Karcher window vacuum cleaners and after sucking about 200 mls of water off the wondows I thought this, in theory at least, is distilled water so should be good enough as emergency battery top up should I not be able to get out before needing some.

 

So collective wise ones, what do you think ?

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True story. A few years ago late one night dark and cold and raining I tried to start engine and battery was flat. Checked starter batt no water in it. No water on board so knowing the battery would be knackered I topped it up with loads of canal water, nowt to lose. 

Jump started iirc from domestics so all fine. Boat started no problem next day and battery lasted several more months. Weird things batteries. 

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I understand that is some places its acceptable to top up with tap water but that is after it has been tested and usually by large commercial operators. I also heard that British Road Services (remember them) topped up with tap water because they found mechanical battery damage caused by drivers and fitter destroyed the battery before tap water would so they saved on distilled water. No deionised water in those days.

Edited by Tony Brooks
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If you've got a set of cheapos near the end of their life then almost any water is probably fine. If you've got a brand new set of tractions then probably not wise.

 

And have you seen the mess that rainwater sometimes leaves on a car windscreen?

 

...................Dave

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14 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

I was always told that the best source of topping-up water is to defrost some ice from the walls of the fridge or freezer because it has effectively distilled itself to get there.

 

As it is moisture condensed from the air inside the freezer, it will contain the same impurities as any other condensed water.

 

Deionised water is cheap, batteries are expensive, so unless your batteries are on their last legs anyway, why be a skinflint?

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1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

Deionised water is cheap, batteries are expensive, so unless your batteries are on their last legs anyway, why be a skinflint?

 

I used to use deionised water but my last set of Trojans didn't last long. I couldn't figure out whether I'd over-filled them or whether the cheap brand of deionised water was just poor quality. Anyway, after getting a new set of Trojans I decided to pay a bit more for a gallon of certified distilled water and I chucked all my old deionised water away.

 

https://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/WP_EffectOfImpurities_0612.pdf

 

Trojan recommend distilled water rather than deionised. I can't help thinking that they have the relative costs the wrong way around. From what I've read deionisation is a fast process while distillation takes more time so distilled water is generally more expensive. 

Edited by blackrose
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16 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I used to use deionised water but my last set of Trojans didn't last long. I couldn't figure out whether I'd over-filled them or whether the cheap brand of deionised water was just poor quality. Anyway, after getting a new set of Trojans I decided to pay a bit more for a gallon of certified distilled water and I chucked all my old deionised water away.

 

Yes, it is impossible (without analysing the water) to tell what you are buying on eBay.

 

Poor quality water allows growths to develop which can short the battery plates, increasing the self discharge current or even causing plates to overheat and buckle.

 

Back in the day when I was on the tools, we used to make our own demonized water using a Permutit Deionising machine, which had to be periodically regenerated by using hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate.

Edited by cuthound
Spillung
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