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06-05-2013, 02:54 PM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 472
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Batteries and distilled water....
I just was reading a post where everyone was saying to add distilled water to the batteries to top off the electrolyte. Rarely if ever have I added distilled water. I have a RO system and just use it.
Any reason not to continue using RO water?
I know in the old days before consumer RO units were available distilled was the way to go.
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06-05-2013, 03:03 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: AB
Posts: 7,587
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fl_Richard
I just was reading a post where everyone was saying to add distilled water to the batteries to top off the electrolyte. Rarely if ever have I added distilled water. I have a RO system and just use it.
Any reason not to continue using RO water?
I know in the old days before consumer RO units were available distilled was the way to go.
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The reason for using Distilled Water is so you do not add any minerals to the cells which will result in shortened battery life. Use whatever you are comfortable with. A gallon of Distilled Water will last me probably two years or more, and the cost? Cheap...
__________________
2019 Unity LTV CB, pushed by a 2013 Honda CRV, BlueOx Baseplate, Aventa Bar & Patriot Brake
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06-05-2013, 03:24 PM
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 27,671
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Your RO system probably removes a large amount of the impurities that might harm a battery. Distilled is even better, since there are no metal ions at all, but RO is pretty darn good too. And distilled water is lot more widely available than RO, so the common advice will likely remain distilled rather than RO. Not may flks would go buy an RO system just to top up batteries, but a gallon of distilled is cheap and easy to get.
__________________
Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is West Palm Beach, FL
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06-05-2013, 03:31 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,886
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fl_Richard
Any reason not to continue using RO water?
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Do you have a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter to test your RO water and tell you when it's time to change the filters and membrane? If you do and your TDS is really low, like near zero, I'd use RO.
If you don't have one, your RO system will likely remove about 90% of the solids in the water. This is pretty good, but if you start off with water that has a high degree of dissolved solids (like our well water) then we're just getting the water down to a "normal" range.
In my experience most residential water supplies have TDS in the 150-300 range.
Note, the amount of solids will be impacted by TDS "creep" if you have a pressure tank. That is, the membrane isn't as efficient when the pressure tank gets near incoming pressure. Another way to say it is if you drain your pressure tank and take the low-volume RO water, that water will be much more TDS free.
I have RO water available and don't use it... Our TDS is really high pre-RO... Like near 1000.
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06-05-2013, 03:45 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 472
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I do have a TDS meter and it averages about 11. This is a small unit for drinking water only supplied by city water.
So good quality RO water is available everyday while distilled is just another thing to buy and store.
I couldnt think of any compelling reason not to use RO water. Just threw the question to the group to see if I'd missed something.
Agreed distilled is best but good RO is darn close
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06-05-2013, 08:35 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,894
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Most use distilled water because it is so readily available. The best choice is de-ionized water. That is what owners of electric fork trucks use in their $4,000 batteries.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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06-06-2013, 07:58 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: somewhere in the west
Posts: 1,168
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I look at it like this . . . My car would run on discarded oil I got for free from someone that changed their oil, and gave me the used oil, which of course, had contaminates in it, but again, my car would run fine on it.
So, while it works, the longevity of the car would be greatly compromised.
The same is true of using non zero TDS quality water, available for about a buck a gallon everywhere.
Ed
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06-06-2013, 08:53 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,886
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11 is a pretty low TDS. It's still not as good as distilled, but it's low enough that I'm sure it'll work just fine.
Our post-RO water has a TDS of about 100... So you can't just have a blanket rule here... :-)
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06-06-2013, 09:37 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Monroe, Ga USA
Posts: 708
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As most have suggested, distilled water, available @ WallyWorld cheap. JMHO, good luck, just check them monthly.
david g.
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_____________________________________________
USAF 1959-1963/ JFK Innaguration parade 1961,
1997 Fleetwood Southwind 37Y, 460 ENGINE on FORD chassis, Power Platform with Tag Axle.
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06-06-2013, 12:08 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 205
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__________________
Back to a 5'er after 4 yrs fulltime.
Pulling with a '14 2500 ram, 6.4 Hemi.
Montana High Country 31RE
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06-06-2013, 12:31 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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Quote:
Originally Posted by free-to-roam
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I put 4 oz of mineral oil in each cell of our Interstate U-2200's in 2004, here are two pictures I took of them in 2007. They had never been cleaned during that time. They lasted one month short of 10 years and actually were still in pretty good shape but we were headed out on a trip and I didn't want trouble on the road.
For the worry warts: the red "gas" can to the right is what I carry distilled water in.
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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