Dressing Battery Terminals

[blackrose]

What do you use to dress your battery terminals?

 

I used to use vaseline but recently found spray cans of Battery Terminal Protector at Halfords. It's a kind of green slime.

 

The reason I ask is that I sometimes have to remove certain cables from terminals in order to check fluid levels, and then the dressing tends to get everywhere. I called Halfords technical dept to ask about the electrical conductivity of the green gunk (of couse they didn't know). I wonder whether I've got to get the terminal completely clean before refitting the cables?

 

I guess if your dressing is protecting the terminals then it's doing that by insulating them and has a low electricl conductivity, meaning that you've got to clean them completely with a bit of meths on a cloth before refitting cables & redressing to ensure good electrical contact?

Edited July 27, 2006 by blackrose

[charles123]

I dont dress them at all, they are all clean and dry with no gunge on them, just apear as grey coloured lead. Not sure why anything would be needed to dress them

[jollyroger]

What do you use to dress your battery terminals?

 

I used to use vaseline but recently found spray cans of Battery Terminal Protector at Halfords. It's a kind of green slime.

 

The reason I ask is that I sometimes have to remove certain cables from terminals in order to check fluid levels, and then the dressing tends to get everywhere. I called Halfords technical dept to ask about the electrical conductivity of the green gunk (of couse they didn't know). I wonder whether I've got to get the terminal completely clean before refitting the cables?

 

I guess if your dressing is protecting the terminals then it's doing that by insulating them and has a low electricl conductivity, meaning that you've got to clean them completely with a bit of meths on a cloth before refitting cables & redressing to ensure good electrical contact?

I just use a thin coating of waterproof grease, it's cheap, handy and it works. If you are having to remove cables to check the levels I would suggest you re-route the cables so you don't have to.

Also the grease is not used as an insulator but to keep water and air off the terminals to prevent them oxidising

[NB Willawaw]

I have always used vaseline to protect the terminals.

If I have to undo the terminals, I wipe the vaseline off and then

re-apply once the terminals are made again.

 

Its not good to keep undoing the cables to check the levels.

 

I appreciate that the boat may have been designed and built like that

by LB, but its not good practice.

 

I suggest you consider replacing with sealed batteries when the time is right.

[blackrose]

Yes I'll have to get some slightly longer cables so I don't have to keep removing them.

 

I suggest you consider replacing with sealed batteries when the time is right.

 

How do sealed batteries cope with constant 4 step charge. Are they truly maintainence free?

 

I dont dress them at all, they are all clean and dry with no gunge on them, just apear as grey coloured lead. Not sure why anything would be needed to dress them

 

You're certainly supposed to coat the terminals with something to stop them oxidising.

[DHutch]

As long as its all perfectly dry theres little need for any "dressing" or whatever.

- However under deckboards where they might get damp, some form of gunk over terminals is a good idea. But i really wouldnt get hung up on it blackrose. Vasaline/waterproofgrease/wd40/3in1/special terminaldressing it doesnt really matter i dont think. (i ours are just bear)

 

As for sealed batterys, diffrent people will inevitably tell you diffrent things, but we've never had any problem using bog standard wet lesuire batterys. Other than the elecsols.

- First set lasted 9 years, elecsols did 10months, and the current set seam as good as new after the 3/4years theyve been in.

 

 

 

Daniel

[David Schweizer]

You're certainly supposed to coat the terminals with something to stop them oxidising.

Yet another myth perpetrated by those people who would sell you stuff that you don't need. I have never dressed a battery terminal with anything and have never had any green gunge forming on them. Have you ever tried just cleaning the terminals and leaving them dry? As already suggested by Daniel, lead only oxidses to the pioint of forming green gunge if it is exposed to excessive moisture, If your batteries are exposed to severe moisture you need to do something about that.

[Cafnod]

Agree with Daniel and David, especially Davids point that you are treating the symptom and not the cause.

[Breals]

All the oil in my bilges keeps everything nicely coated and corrosion free

[ChrisPy]

All the oil in my bilges keeps everything nicely coated and corrosion free

[blackrose]

Yet another myth perpetrated by those people who would sell you stuff that you don't need. I have never dressed a battery terminal with anything and have never had any green gunge forming on them. Have you ever tried just cleaning the terminals and leaving them dry? As already suggested by Daniel, lead only oxidses to the pioint of forming green gunge if it is exposed to excessive moisture, If your batteries are exposed to severe moisture you need to do something about that.

 

I was only going by what I had read in the 12v bible and also Tony Brookes website, (http://www.tb-training.co.uk/MarineE04.html#BATTERY%20TERMINALS) and I assumed that these people knew more than me.

 

I'm not sure if anyone's making a vast amount of profit here selling stuff. It's only a bit of vasaline or grease!

Edited July 29, 2006 by blackrose

[ChrisPy]

I was only going by what I had read in the 12v bible and also Tony Brookes website, (http://www.tb-training.co.uk/MarineE04.html#BATTERY%20TERMINALS) and I assumed that these people knew more than me.

 

I'm not sure if anyone's making a vast amount of profit here selling stuff. It's only a bit of vasaline or grease!

but it don't 'alf make a mess of your clothes, tools and hands, to say nothing of slimy muck covered cables. Yuk!

[anhar]

but it don't 'alf make a mess of your clothes, tools and hands, to say nothing of slimy muck covered cables. Yuk!

Not sure how relevant it might be to boat batteries but for motorcycles, I've always been told to grease battery terminals to help prevent corrosion. Manuals advise this and it is something that almost everyone does. Vaseline is often recommended, doesn't have to be special stuff though even the latter can't cost that much. Thinking about it, it might be very relevant for boats, especially for cruiser sterns where the batteries are likely to be more exposed to damp but it seems to make sense to me for any battery location.

 

Since we are talking about hardly any cost, is there any reason not to grease the terminals? Surely there's no downside and there may be upside if corrosion is prevented. You don't need vast dollops of the stuff, just a thin smear.

 

regards

Steve