Battery water levels

[bluetooth]

Just been checking the batteries.
Always seems bit hit and miss to me about properly accurately knowing/seeing the levels especially whilst doing body twists inside the engine bay with a torch! Are there any clever tricks or gadgets folks use ?

 

[Hurricane]

I use a turkey baster.
Something like this:-
Turkey Baster Chef Cooking Gravy BBQ Flavour Food Tube Syringe Pump Pipet Pipe 5038673182933 | eBay
Poke it into the cell squeeze and the electrolyte comes up the tube.
If nothing comes up the tube you need to add more.
Using this method, I can also judge how much electrolyte is over the plates.

 

[paulajayne]

Look at a battery top up system - autostop when at correct level.

 

[bluetooth]

I use a turkey baster.
Something like this:-
Turkey Baster Chef Cooking Gravy BBQ Flavour Food Tube Syringe Pump Pipet Pipe 5038673182933 | eBay
Poke it into the cell squeeze and the electrolyte comes up the tube.
If nothing comes up the tube you need to add more.
Using this method, I can also judge how much electrolyte is over the plates.

Excellent. Do u have a depth guage marking as well?

 

[bluetooth]

Look at a battery top up system - autostop when at correct level.

View attachment 120364

Clever but seems tad overkill!

 

[Bilgediver]

Just been checking the batteries.
Always seems bit hit and miss to me about properly accurately knowing/seeing the levels especially whilst doing body twists inside the engine bay with a torch! Are there any clever tricks or gadgets folks use ?

Even some low maintenance batteries need topping up. Mine you have to remove the magic eye complete. It screws off... Not obvious. The plates are of a low profile with lots of fluid over them so a longer period between top ups hence low mainenance '

 

[Bran]

I a durite bottle, press the nozzle into the top up point, it fills to the correct level and then stops filling. Makes it much quicker and easier:

.

 

[vas]

Clever but seems tad overkill!

depends on your batteries, deep discharge ones like the typical trojan T105, on solar charge with a decently tuned victron mppt controller "drink" up to 1 lt per month in the summer (4X6V ones)
have the exact watering system that shown on #3, now filling is done every fortnight or so, by getting down to the e/r and lifting the 4lt distilled water canister above the level of the batteries for 4-5mins, job done.
Obvs has to be done when batteries are fully charged (so afternoon is best time for that)

V.

 

[tico]

Vas - even easier.... convert a garden sprayer and fit the bayonet attachment.
Then just pump up the sprayer and let the autofill do it's stuff.
(Thats what forklifts do!)

 

[vas]

brilliant! never thought of that tbh!
and I have just the right garden sprayer doing bugger all in the garage

 

[oldgit]

just checked my 2 x flooded leisure batteries fitted in 2019.
Topped up with 2 litres !!! of distilled water.

 

[rafiki_]

I topped up every month. About 500 ml needed.

 

[bluetooth]

I topped up every month. About 500 ml needed.

Any special gadget used?

 

[rafiki_]

Any special gadget used?

Nope. Needed a torch, used a small funnel to fill. This was a rather large 12v battery for the engines, plus a small 12v for the gennie.