Mineral Oil in Battery

[ronspradley]

Have heard that putting 2 ounces of mineral oil in each hole in a 12v deep cycle RV battery will decrease need for adding water and decrease corrosion in battery compartment. Is this accurate or another one of those good sounding stories that just ain't true?

ronspradley

[sdennislee]

Several posts in this thread Which AGM Battery and Other Related Questions even a couple posts how to use a hydrometer to test the battery when it contains mineral oil.

Thinking about trying it myself.

[RJay]

I put 4 oz. of mineral oil in each of the cells in my 6 volt Interstate U2000 batteries and haven't seen corrosion in two years and they require much less watering.

On Edit: Just be sure it's food grade quality mineral oil.

[ronspradley]

Thanks for the responses. I think I will try the mineral oil in my two batteries. It is time to replace and this also seems like the time. I have mineral oil in my shop because that is what I use to finish the mesquite cutting boards that I make.

ronspradley

[GARYMC74]

I have been using it for 8 years in all my 6V batteries. Works wonders. It floats on top of the acid so added water goes right through when needed. I have always used 2 oz per cell.

[ernieh]

I put mineral oil in my coach batteries 3 years ago. No corrosion, and I have yet to add water.

As I recall, they recommended 2oz for 12v and 4oz for 6v batteries.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJay I put 4 oz. of mineral oil in each of the cells in my 6 volt Interstate U2000 batteries and haven't seen corrosion in two years and they require much less watering. On Edit: Just be sure it's food grade quality mineral oil.

I also put 4oz of mineral oil in my U-2200's in 2004, I'm still using them to this day.

I used straight off the shelf Wal*Mart pharmacy mineral oil with no problems.

Glad to see others are catching on!!

[Dunner]

So, is it 2oz or 4oz of mineral oil? I've read both. Do I hear 3?

[jlyon69]

It would depend on the top surface size of the cell. A 12v starting battery is going to require less oil than a 6v golf cart battery. I will be doing this also when it's time to add water.

This is my plan unless I hear different. Make sure the water is well above the plates. Perhaps a better way to say this is, make sure the water is low enough in each cell so as you add the oil, it will raise the level say 1/4 - 3/8 inch. Once you do that, you know the surface of the cell is covered. Now you can top off with water. Make sense?

[Tyler6357]

I'm getting ready to get 2 new 6/volt. I will definitely do this. Thanks for the tip!

[Dunner]

Thanks, mineral oil on my shopping list.

[OSP1268]

Don't think I will add mineral oil. I checked with Interstate Batteries Customer Service and got the following reply.

This is how our Tech Services feel about mineral oil in batteries.

Nobody recommends adding anything except distilled water to a battery. Adding mineral oil may introduce contaminants into the battery that can shorten the life of the battery. Most marine/deep cycle batteries are built with a lead-calcium grid and don’t gas very much so the water loss is minimal.

Hope this helps

Regards,

Roy Hellmund
Interstate Batteries
Engineering and Technical Specialist

Gary Parks
Customer Service
Phone:972-715-6831
Fax:972-587-3212
gary.parks@ibsa.com

[Twomed]

Oil in mine!! Rinse out batt compartment once a month or when washing coach...no corrosion is a great thing.

My dad was a switchman at the phone company back a long time ago and all the backup big deep cell batts had oil on top. Those batts were inside buildings and lasted for many years. It lets the batts gas as as normal but it disperses the bubbles so it does not make a mess.

If you have heavy solar it is a big benefit in letting you run that higher charge voltage to keep chassis batts full....cleanly.

[Dunner]

I haven't seen anybody post that they experienced shorter battery life.