# A Battery Acid Substitute **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 4, 2008, 11:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324 "2008-10-04T11:24:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deepplaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@deepplaid](https://community.cartalk.com/u/deepplaid)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 11:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/1 "2008-10-04T11:24:35Z")
CAN DISTILLED WATER, BOUGHT OFF THE SHELF, BE USED IN PLACE OF ACTUAL BATTERY ACID. I HEARD IF YOU “THAW” OUT SOME ICE TRAYS, THAT WATER THROUGH THE THAWING PROCESS, THEN BECOMES DISTILLED WATER,AND COULD BE USED IN A PINCH TO REFILL THE EMPTY CELLS IN YOUR CAR BATTERY. CAN ANYONE SHED ANY LIGHT ON THIS SUBJECT? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/2 "2008-10-04T12:06:13Z")
Distilled water, rather than tap water, is preferred for topping off the battery’s cells when they are low. One does not normally add “battery acid” to a battery after it is built, and water is really the only thing that is normally used when topping off a battery in one’s car. While many people do use tap water, the presence of fluoride and various naturally occurring minerals makes this less desirable than distilled water. If you buy a gallon of distilled water (at minimal cost), it will probably be a lifetime supply for refilling your batteries over the years, so I would avoid the use of melted ice cubes. Incidentally, I would suggest that you turn off the “caps lock” key on your computer. Posting in all caps is considered to be the equivalent of shouting, and is difficult to read. ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/3 "2008-10-04T12:21:35Z")
If the cells are definitely empty, adding water will do nothing. As a battery charges, it emits hydrogen gas, which comes from the water/acid mix. Adding distilled water replenishes the lost hydrogen. But, if they are dry, the acid is gone too, and there is no substitute. Here’s a primer on car batteries:[http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/battery3.htm](http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/battery3.htm) ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/4 "2008-10-04T12:23:40Z")
If the cells of your battery are low, fill them with distilled water, which you can buy at a drug store. Thawing ice cubes does not produce distilled water unless distilled water was used to make the ice cubes. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/5 "2008-10-04T12:29:59Z")
Additionally, most large supermarkets sell distilled water–either in the aisle with the cleaning products or in the aisle with spring water. One gallon will be a lifetime supply for most people. ---
**Author:** ![mshugna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@mshugna](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mshugna)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/6 "2008-10-04T13:27:38Z")
Freezing and thawing water does not create distilled water…distilled water is produced by distillation. ---
**Author:** ![lenjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lenjack](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lenjack)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/7 "2008-10-04T17:01:29Z")
Find distilled water at Walmart for 68 cents/gallon. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/8 "2008-10-04T17:11:11Z")
The acid installed at the factory is never lost unless the battery is tipped over and the acid spilled out…In normal use, the electrolyte (acid) level drops and the acid becomes more concentrated as the WATER component is lost. By replenishing the lost water, you restore the acid to its original concentration. Distilled water, or water that has been purified by reverse osmosis can be used to replenish car batteries. Tap water may contain chlorine and other minerals which can damage lead-acid batteries… ---
**Author:** ![ryanhorlacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanhorlacher](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ryanhorlacher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/9 "2008-10-04T18:09:58Z")
Tap water usually contains minerals that are alkaline, so adding them to a battery would neutralize the acid. Distilled water is boiled then recondensed. Water can contain dissolved minerals as a liquid but not as a gas or steam. So when it’s boiled, it leaves the minerals behind and doesn’t have them when it’s condensed in another vessel. That’s why you end up with calcium deposits in electric tea kettles, it basically pulls the calcium out of the water. Water still holds dissolved minerals in its solid phase as ice so freezing and thawing water won’t remove them. ---
**Author:** ![jbsteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jbsteele](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jbsteele)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/10 "2008-10-04T18:10:37Z")
Correct. If you think about it a little more - even if the disolved minerals were somehow excluded by the freezing water (I suppose they might a little, like sea ice excluding most of the salt) those minerals would still be there in the ice cube tray and as soon as the ice melted, they would go back into solution. ---
**Author:** ![Jordan\_Sain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b2d939/32.png) [@Jordan\_Sain](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jordan_Sain)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 8:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/12 "2019-12-20T08:42:37Z")
I believe what they are meaning is using the ice tray to produce condensation… I think that’s reverse osmosis… I ---
**Author:** ![PhantomPatriot](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/phantompatriot/32/20713_2.png) [@PhantomPatriot](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PhantomPatriot)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/13 "2019-12-20T16:25:41Z")
Nope. Also why revive an 11 year old thread? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/14 "2019-12-20T16:44:32Z")
You have to wonder what someone is searching the web for when they find an old thread and then really don’t add anything of value . When I search for information the articles or posts always seem to have a date . If it is not current I just keep looking. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/15 "2019-12-20T17:37:24Z")
If you use the ice cubes to make condensation, that means heating them up until they emit water vapor and then collecting that vapor. That… Would be distillation. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kurtwm1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kurtwm1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kurtwm1)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-battery-acid-substitute/20324/16 "2019-12-20T17:40:41Z")
Use the water from your de-humidifier at home.