Playing chemistry set with your battery can be deadly or blinding.
My grandfather and four other chemical engineers all got about 20-30yrs cut off their lives due to lack of safety equipment(late 1940’s) during a test run of a pilot chemistry plant they were designing and I recall sulfuric acid flying and injected into their lungs.
This might interest anyone who wishes to extend the life of a battery
Like others, I would advise against dealing with battery acid. To safely handle the acid would require buying some equipment that would cost more than the price of a new battery, plus the cost and hassle of dealing with the left over acid. And it would be very advisable to get a turkey baster and be careful to insure that the liquid is below the venting slots before re-connecting the battery.
Some auto parts stores use to sell sulfuric acid, but I’m not sure whether they still do or not. When I replace the battery in my motorcycle I buy them dry and add the acid myself, but do it carefully. There’s usually a small amount left in the plastic container when I’m finished and I just sit on a shelf in the garage in case I ever need it. A friend of mine put new acid in a motorcycle battery several years ago and it restored it for longer use. I don’t know what he did with the old acid.
I have found once you need to even consider the option, you are better off buying a new battery.
@SteveF -
You are correct IF the person disposing of it has a proper vessel for performing the reaction in and knows how to perform that operation safely.
I am not willing to make that assumption. The OP could be a chem lab-rat for all I know and would dispose of it perfectly. He could also be grossly unprepared for what he would try to do, and end up severely burning himself, destroying his vision, etc…
When some people think this is appropriate safe vehicle modification, you can’t assume that anyone coming in knows what to do:
So that’s how you lower your car 4 nuts!
If it is a fairly new battery, just go to the vendor and say your battery is no good can I get a replacement? They will take your battery in trade and give you a new one for $20. Maybe you screwed up but they may just honor the warranty. Really the cost of a battery for a dealer is pretty low and customer satisfaction is a bigger priority.
I realize this is 5 years old, but I just had to create an account to address this.
Yes, the electrolyte can, CAN, be dangerous. It is no more inherently dangerous than say, bleach. You just need to wear good safety goggles, not glasses. Keep the garden hose close and a preopened box of baking soda close. Buy the premixed electrolyte at an auto parts store. Read the directions on the box to use it. Move slowly and deliberately. If you do spill some on your skin just flush it with the garden hose for a few minutes.it is not something to fear, just respect.
This nanny state mentality that everything is scary, dangerous and bad for you is removing many things used in repairs, projects and whatever from availability.
Can some of the products be used for nefarious reasons, yeah, they can.
Take powdered aluminum as an example. Yes, it can be used to make things that go BOOM. But it is also in thermite. Can bad things happen with thermite, yup, really bad things.
Can you weld with it, they do it on a daily basis.
I’m trying to do a successful iron casting with it, has not gone well yet. I believe that with the right procedures and some more practice I’ll get it right.
A homemade cast iron part without needing a huge cupola furnace is the cats meow for me. I use safety gear, it’s like 5 or 6 thousand degrees F.
Buy electrolyte and use it safely,it's easy and works just like it's supposed to.
Don’t be afraid to try new things.
There is danger lurking everywhere. Don’t be a pu**y.
Prey soon all we’ll be able to buy is milk and eggs. Not flour because you can make flour bombs.
Milk and vinegar makes a kind of plastic, should we ban vinegar because it too is an acid.
Rant over. Have a great safe day everyone.
No, sodium bicarbonate plus sulfuric acid gives you sodium sulfate plus CO2 if I remember my chemistry … but it has been a lot of years. But I do know you won’t get any lead out if there is no lead input.
That is for excess H2SO4, but the liquid you drain out of a battery may have lead in it.
edit: yup, 5 years. meaningless… still, I don’t like to see incorrect statements…
Bill, you just replied to someone who has not been here for a year on a 5 year old thread.
Halfadud, thanks for nothing.
you can get industrial drain cleaner at a “good” hardware store which is concentrated sulfuric acid, just measure the SG, it should work. i use old batterys to clear drains all the time and it works.
use it for drain cleaner!
Gene , you are replying to a thread that started in 2012 and some of those people have not been here in a while.
As a matter of fact, BOTH of the guys Gene replied to haven’t been active on this website in quite some time
Just in case anybody decides to try this idea to clean a clogged drain, concentrated acid can eat right through steel pipes, resulting in very expensive to repair damage. Possibly ok for plastic drain pipes, ABS, PVC etc.
Well I’m not a plumber but i’d be very concerned about dumping acid down the drain. First off it will eat the plating off of any metal parts like stoppers and trim rings. If you have continual drain problems I’d look at what is being done wrong. In 30 years the only thing I’ve had to do to clear drains is take the gooseneck off and clean the hair and gunk out of it. That includes kitchen, bath, and shower drains. It just shouldn’t require acid cleaning. If it does, get a plumber to run a snake through the lines.
OK, back to cars and sorry but some answers just need to be responded to before someone gets blinded, burned, or ruins expensive plumbing. Not to mention I’ll bet the treatment plant doesn’t care for it. Any extra battery acid I’ve had for the mower took a ton of baking soda to neutralize it before disposal. Anyone use muratic to clean the garage floor? Yeah, it heats the soles of you shoes up. Bad stuff unless you’re a chemist.
One for thing for certain about this site, it is well policed by those who seemingly aren’t interested in threads which are “old” or which have inactive contributors!
So, YES, I know this is an old thread and that, quite possibly, every, single, past poster is deceased. But, that’s not why I am responding.
I found this thread while searching for info on battery acid to use for a purpose other than battery electrolyte. The thread’s age is unimportant to me. The information provided is. And, it will likely be to many others who find it in a manner similar to the one I used.
I heartily applaud the comments of Halfadud who seems to be one of the few participants with something other than what I refer to as a chicken-bleep viewpoint. (He chose pu**y.) Regardless, I’ve never seen so many skittish people!
Thanks to Halfadud for injecting some common sense!
Being afraid to live is virtually the same as dying. So, take a chance, LIVE a little - On the edge! IF you call handling acid being on the edge - I don’t!
Thanks to all of those who contributed useful information to this thread. I try to learn something from every encounter and I learned some useful things here.
Seems sulfuric acid will always be sulfuric acid - no matter how old the thread! And, those, who insist on driving 70 in the fast lane, will always question why they should move over for someone driving faster! Maybe they’re leftists? Smiling as I leave . . .
I like this thread
I spent many years handling sulfuric. It needed to be diluted to a 1N solution to age test GRP and extrapolate 50 year life. Any way when my new sealed car battery was delivered on its side, ignoring the big ‘this way up’ arrows. I should not of opened it, ever optimistic, opened it, and although on a tray, spilled over the carpet. Did save the carpet but still have no interest from the supplier, delivered 28 days ago. The delivery company said it must be actioned by the supplier!! Pay pal is supportive though.
To the battery. I easily found 38 percent strength for motor bike batteries. The dispensing was easy. I pushed the dispenser into the vents one each side until it leaked out. Volt reads12.7.
Having watched an Australian blog perhaps I need to force off the top cover to do it more directly
What do you think bloggers??
It sounds like you overfilled the battery. You need to remove the cover and get the level correct.
How? Looking at utube it looks like a hammer and chisel job