Watering batteries

[SEVEN]

I saw this on another boating site. Thought I’d share it just in case somebody forgets to water their batteries.

[Bob Bradley]

Seems that all the new batteries are "maintenance proof". Tamper proof caps. Not my idea of a good idea.

[Captain Ralph]

I saw this on another boating site. Thought I’d share it just in case somebody forgets to water their batteries.

If you never ran aground or never ran out of fuel, then you may of never blew up a battery.
Ship happens to folks that use their boats.
I just blew up 2 batteries, at the same time, last fall.
By instinct, I dove flat to the deck when they went Ka-Boom..
Took a few seconds to realize what had just happened, why it happened and remembered I was here before,, flat on this same helm deck,, when I did the same thing,,, 20 years ago.

Yep, leaning on a low battery bank trying to start an engine. Banks were low (both times) of electrolyte. FM

Yes, Keep your battery water levels up. It does save from missing some heart beats.

[rwaldrop13]

If you never ran aground or never ran out of fuel, then you may of never blew up a battery.
Ship happens to folks that use their boats.
I just blew up 2 batteries, at the same time, last fall.
By instinct, I dove flat to the deck when they went Ka-Boom..
Took a few seconds to realize what had just happened, why it happened and remembered I was here before,, flat on this same helm deck,, when I did the same thing,,, 20 years ago.

Yep, leaning on a low battery bank trying to start an engine. Banks were low (both times) of electrolyte. FM

Yes, Keep your battery water levels up. It does save from missing some heart beats.

OK on topic but a warning story. Post-USCG I was a sevice manager for a Thermo King dealership (The refrigeration units on trucks and semi-trailers). The week I started, I implemented a draconian safety policy regarding eye protection, as well as full-face shields and rubber aprons when handling batteries. For reference, the battery usually is located on the bottom of the refrigeration unit housing, driver side. So when you open the access doors, it's right at face level for anyone 5'8 or taller. My shop foreman had to be told by the general manager that my policy would be followed by everyone including him. 2 days later I'm at my desk, we have a full shop, and I hear 'BANG' followed by a lot of swearing techs. Shop foreman walks in with his now cracked face shield, scratched safety glasses, and dripping rubber apron and rubber gloves. He apologized for arguing, since he would be driving home to see his daughter that night instead of in the ER or worse. Brand new battery right out of the parts room. Nobody ever figured out why it blew. Battery supplier theory was defective manufacturing. Moral of the story - Follow best practices with batteries and don't slack.