Interstate Batteries and Mineral Oil

[bob109]

After much research I opted to treat all four of my of my Interstate house batteries with mineral oil. Added 3oz. of oil to each cell of the deep cycle six volt batteries. Tired of the constant attention required to keep the batteries and compartment free of that dreaded corrosion caused by gasing, I was convinced this will cure the monthly chore of adding distilled water to the cells. I'm currently in my third month of a five month stay in Fl. and have been on 50 amp shore power since the first of Nov. I've had to clean the batteries and surrounding compartment surfaces every month, Hopefully this effort will, once and for all, provide a remedy for a pain in the a$$ problem.

Will post results, good or bad, as time progresses

[bachler]

I hope you asked the Battery Manufacture weather it affects the Warrenty; I have the feeling the warrenty went away with the oil comming in.. Oil goes into the engine. Water in the rad and battery. If the battery is boiling over it's NOT the batteries fault; It is being over charged. That needs to be addressed; and not with oil;;; Life is good; Without getting oiled up;;

[Wizard]

Why not just turn off the battery disconnect when connected to 50 amp service.

Works great for me. Turn it back on every couple of months for a few hours to top off the charge.

[ralper]

According to the literature I received with a Die-Hard battery some years ago, the charging rate for a battery should not be more than 10% of its amp hour rating.
What is your charger rated at and is it more than 10% of your battery's rating? Maby that is causing your messy problem.

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizard Why not just turn off the battery disconnect when connected to 50 amp service. Works great for me. Turn it back on every couple of months for a few hours to top off the charge.

ok i just had a DUH moment
i never thought about turning off the batteries, and then running off the inverter/charger
i have to go read up and see if it will work for me

I to am tired of 3 months adding a bit of water, mainly because my batteries are a PITA to see into

[BryanL]

bad news. old myths. no longer good practice.

If you are getting a lot of battery compartment corrosion or having to add water frequently, fix the source of the problem, which is your charger and maintainer.

Excess gassing and water loss indicates overcharging. That will also cause plate corrosion and shorten battery life.

The best thing you can do for your batteries is to use a modern converter that will provide multi-stage charging and knows about the storage maintenance needs for batteries such as both proper charge maintenance and sulfation inhibiting technique.

[bob109]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bachler I hope you asked the Battery Manufacture weather it affects the Warrenty; I have the feeling the warrenty went away with the oil comming in.. Oil goes into the engine. Water in the rad and battery. If the battery is boiling over it's NOT the batteries fault; It is being over charged. That needs to be addressed; and not with oil;;; Life is good; Without getting oiled up;;

You forgot to mention the earth was flat

[bob109]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BryanL bad news. old myths. no longer good practice. If you are getting a lot of battery compartment corrosion or having to add water frequently, fix the source of the problem, which is your charger and maintainer. Excess gassing and water loss indicates overcharging. That will also cause plate corrosion and shorten battery life. The best thing you can do for your batteries is to use a modern converter that will provide multi-stage charging and knows about the storage maintenance needs for batteries such as both proper charge maintenance and sulfation inhibiting technique.

Would you consider my Freedom 458 2K Watt Inverter/Charger a modern converter?

http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Inv...-01_rev-2).pdf

[Ray,IN]

I've gotta agree with Bryan, excess off-gassing and water evaporation from batteries is not a normal condition. What is the charging voltage when batteries are low, does it decrease as the batteries reach full-charge, what is age and condition of batteries as that also affects their ability to accept charge?
I've always found The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1) a great guide to keeping my 12V system operating properly.

[RV Wizard]

Have each cell of the batteries tested with a hydrometer to be sure you do not have a bad cell. If all of the cells specific gravity are very close then check the charger for proper operation. If you have a bad cell the charger just keeps charging (over charging) the rest of the cells. My Interstate batteries lasted 9 years by just proper maintenance with the inverter charger doing it's fine job at recharging the battery banks. BTW, I did not use mineral oil and only added water about three times during their life.

[ksg5000]

Bad battery or perhaps your converter has gone bonkers (does happen).