I'm shopping for a flooded lead acid battery backup system. The vendors all insist on distilled water for maintenance. What say they dr1 wise heads? If yes, then is it easily available in the DR? If no, please justify use of regular water.
- Thread starter jabejuventus
- Start date
Distilled Water
(1) ONLY use distilled water.
(2) NEVER add water when the batteries are discharged. Otherwise they overflow as they are charged.
(3) CHECK the water level regularly.
they sell distilled water at most gas stations. its like 80pesos for a gallon or something......ask the guy.
First 2 sets of batteries distilled battery water, battery lifetime nearly 4 years each set.
Then some one suggested using bottled Drinking Water, as their argument was that the battery water being offered probably really is not distilled at all, I found that argument without basis yet thought well remember where we are, very well could be true, so I stopped buying battery water and switched to bottled drinking water, with no ill effects.
Now that we have eliminated bottled drinking water from our diet, we installed a 50 gpd R.O. system, no more botellones, yeh! and yes that's what the batteries now drink as well too...........I do believe they have exceeded 4 years old now, since we are now on a 24 hour circuit, (umhum) well yes the power goes out much less frequently, a significant improvement, so the batteries spend more time in float than in discharge and charging cycles, which is what slowly kills a battery. Maybe we'll get 5 years, maybe.............6???
g'luck
Then some one suggested using bottled Drinking Water, as their argument was that the battery water being offered probably really is not distilled at all, I found that argument without basis yet thought well remember where we are, very well could be true, so I stopped buying battery water and switched to bottled drinking water, with no ill effects.
Now that we have eliminated bottled drinking water from our diet, we installed a 50 gpd R.O. system, no more botellones, yeh! and yes that's what the batteries now drink as well too...........I do believe they have exceeded 4 years old now, since we are now on a 24 hour circuit, (umhum) well yes the power goes out much less frequently, a significant improvement, so the batteries spend more time in float than in discharge and charging cycles, which is what slowly kills a battery. Maybe we'll get 5 years, maybe.............6???
g'luck
Very interesting if anyone else can confirm that bottled water is OK to use. Could save us all a fortune.
By the way, what is an R.O. system?
My first set of 8 battery's lasted 4 years. My second group has lasted 3 years so far. I don't see any difference. I never let them get low on water and always clean the terminals with backing soda and then coat them with petroleum jelly. Also clean tops of batterys. Can't complain. I use bottled water.
To DonLuis and Trucker: Everything is relative. What was the rated life expectancy of your batteries?
Battery water is not expensive if you have say 4 or 8 batteries, how, but 16 or 32, it gets expensive.
Our home processed drinking water taste just fine, and I just installed an 800 gpd plant at work, 130 employees and not 1 complaint, not one from 130 Dominicans????? You believe that, so it must be good!
g'luck
Some drinking water will be fine for batteries. Some will not. It depends on which impurities there are and how much. And there is no way of knowing that, short of analysis. You could put some drinking water in a clear glass and see it after it has evaporated, whether there is any residue. If there is none, it likely has nothing in it that will harm a battery. A Brita pitcher will probably remove some dissolved minerals.
Thank you. Where I am there are seven inversors with four batteries each. So I get through a fair amount of water. I think I might try an experiment with one inversor and its batteries on drinking water and let you all know the result in a couple of years - in the unlikely event that I remember! :laugh:
If your batteries are using a lot of water, they are in pretty bad state!
Buy gallons at the supermarket.
Use It!
Revers Osmosis water purification system are expensive to install, maintain, and expensive to operate.
They get about one gallon of "pure" water for every 4 gallons they use.
And they operate with Electricity!
"Penny Wise, Pound Foolish" if you ask me!!
"I'm 100% with "JD" on this one!
Which reminds me, "Time To Check My Batteries water levels"!
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Buy gallons at the supermarket.
Use It!
Revers Osmosis water purification system are expensive to install, maintain, and expensive to operate.
They get about one gallon of "pure" water for every 4 gallons they use.
And they operate with Electricity!
"Penny Wise, Pound Foolish" if you ask me!!
"I'm 100% with "JD" on this one!
Which reminds me, "Time To Check My Batteries water levels"!
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Yes, you are right with that! I agree not to use regular water unless you know your source
"Fluffy", Stop It!
The "suspense" is killing me!!
Just post your "SPAM", and get it over with!!!!!
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The "suspense" is killing me!!
Just post your "SPAM", and get it over with!!!!!
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