H2SO4 to battery acid

Don sez: "> Why do you do that, Dr. Kinch? You have the knowledge and education

Errrr, Don. Aren't you familiar with the old saw, "There are those that write to inform and then there are those that write to impress" Wanna guess ?

Bob Swinney

I think that part of the reason is that the acid is much heavier than the water. So if you pour acid into water the acid sinks into the middle. If you pour water into acid, the water floats on top, boils, and spits at you.

Dan

Karl Townsend wrote in article ...

"Always do it the way that you oughta'

Whenever you're mixing, pour acid into water."

I am way out of date, been retired for 12 years, I think it is 40% but I am probably wrong.

I used to dilute the concentrate to 25% for my analysis, 1 litre acid to 3 of distilled water. Add ACID to WATER, very slowly, with stirring, it should take about 30 minutes for 4 litres, just over 1 US micro gallon (~3.8 l) and the temperature will get to about 50 C. I had everything set up with a magnetic stirrer as it was a twice a week job, first am, cool & useable by lunch time.

. Alan, in Gosnells, Western Oz. VK6 YAB VKS 737 - W 6174

Karl,

I am no Chemist, but it looks to me like you need to mix just shy of 2 parts water to your acid for the proper dilution.

I would probably rely on the hydrometer and sneak up on the proper dilution.

There is another factor... The specific gravity of the liquid in a flooded battery depends on the state of charge (which is what most people use a hydrometer to measure). With the battery fully charged, the SG is somewhere around 1.260, depending on the specific mix of active metals in the plates. With the battery discharged, the SG is lower, and the weight that was formerly part of the acid is now part of the metal.

Normally, if you fully recharge the battery, the weight moves back to the liquid and the SG is restored to nominal. That's why you normally only add pure water to make up liquid losses.

On the other hand, when they make a new battery out of raw metal plates, the positive and negative plates start with the same initial composition. They get polarized through an ugly process of repeatedly replacing the liquid with strong acid and charging the battery. So if your particular cell's problem is chemical, it might be possible to rejuvenate it somewhat by changing the acid and charging it strongly.

But... I wouldn't want to subject all the other cells to the charging process it would take to try to rebuild capacity in the bad one. And I would probably use much stronger than the specified acid during the "rejuvenation" process. However strong it is when you pour it in, if the process accomplishes anything its SG will change, and you will need to dump it and install the specified SG acid when the rejuvenation is complete.

Loren (Who would try to find a used cell of similar construction and age...)

Either way you do it, it can boil and throw some of the liquid back at you.

Pour water into acid, and what it'll throw back in your face will be mostly water with some acid in it.

Pour acid into water, and what it'll throw back in your face will be mostly acid with some water in it.

Your choice.

John Martin

Which is neither informative or impressive. Is there another pigeonhole for those like you?

Sorry, but that is completely incorrect -- and dangerous to boot, because you falsely suggest that it doesn't matter. The danger of boiling-induced spatter when you add acid to water (the proper way) is so small as to be almost insignificant. The other way around, though (adding water to acid) is actively dangerous.

You're right - somehow I reversed it while typing.

Pour acid into water, and what you'll get in your face will be mostly water with some acid in it.

Pour water into acid, and what you'll get in your face will be mostly acid with some water in it.

John Martin

Dr. Kinch take note: this is what a responsive post looks like. Applicable knowledge responsively and thoughtfully applied to the query to get 'er done.

Well done, whit3rd. You set a good example.

If you've worked with H2SO4 (I have, in refining gold), you probably know that it liberates one hell of a lot of heat when you mix it in water. You make it sound like you'll get a little splashing-----which is not how it goes, especially if you get stupid and dump the acid in quickly, in volume. What happens is a rapid (often violent) evolution of steam. A steam explosion.

Can't speak for you, but whether it's acid with a little water in it, or water with a little acid in it, I don't want it in my face------not now-----not ever. Great care should be used when mixing sulfuric acid with water----even when done properly. There are acids that can be mixed with water, or water with them, with no consequences. Sulfuric isn't one of them.

Harold

That's easy to answer. He's an ass.

Harold

Stay off his back, dick kink. For that matter, go play in the quicksand.

Harold

Indeed! Well done.

Harold

Sorry. Thought a few key facts would inform the OP. Didn't know "responsive" was "work out every last detail to four decimal places."

{Give,Teach} a man {a,to} fish, etc.

[CAUTION: waggish quotation of this trite proverb incorporates elision. May not be sufficiently "responsive" for culturally feeble or public- schooled persons.]

Harold and/or Susan Vordos write:

Quiet, you bilious grudge. Direct answers are rarely the best.

Matthew 13:34

If only you had a *reason* to be so arrogant...

I know that one, hey! "Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll go into debt for a bassboat, be gone every weekend and come home stinkin' drunk."