Community Forums

LeeB · 03-20-2017, 09:22 AM

I have 2 stacking sliding trays that hold my batteries (house on top and chassis on bottom) that pull out a little past half way.

I am about to replace my 2 12 volt house batteries with 4 6 volts and I would like to clean up both trays while I am at it.

I know I can use a Baking Soda and water solution to clean up (neutralize) the acids.

What else can I do? Sand down surfaces! And repaint with what? Can I clean up the cables if so what with? Any and all ideas pictures will be appreciated....

Thanks LeeB

wb7auk · 03-20-2017, 02:02 PM

This sounds funny but give it a good bath and scrubbing with regular Coke pop then wash down with soapy water then rinse with warm water. (works better than baking soda.) Paint with battery acid resistant paint using what ever they want for a primer.
Coke gets rid of the battery acid but also is a good rust remover.

LeeB · 03-20-2017, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wb7auk

This sounds funny but give it a good bath and scrubbing with regular Coke pop then wash down with soapy water then rinse with warm water. (works better than baking soda.) Paint with battery acid resistant paint using what ever they want for a primer.
Coke gets rid of the battery acid but also is a good rust remover.

Really?

OK that's a new one.

I have heard of using Coke on a rusted bolts not not for getting rid of battery acid.....

cruzbill · 03-20-2017, 03:03 PM

Coke (and Pepsi too) contains a little phosphoric acid. Acid will not neutralize acid. But Coke on the driveway will attract ants .

Unplanned Tourist · 03-20-2017, 03:05 PM

Hot water. Lots and lots of hot water.

Sand and re-paint after all is nice and dry. It will look like new.

wb7auk · 03-20-2017, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeB

Really?

OK that's a new one.

I have heard of using Coke on a rusted bolts not not for getting rid of battery acid.....

Been using it for over 55 years to clean battery connections and remove
rust and it works very well.

wb7auk · 03-20-2017, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruzbill

Coke (and Pepsi too) contains a little phosphoric acid. Acid will not neutralize acid. But Coke on the driveway will attract ants .

But coke will take care of battery acid and as for ants they sure do like sugar
and if you add just a little borax to the sugar good by ants.
Phosphoric acid is a great window cleaner for getting water spots and such off.
Just do not get it on paint or wood.

vsheetz · 03-20-2017, 03:21 PM

I have some spray battery cleaner from most any autoparts store. It turns battery acid purple and loosens. Flush with plenty of water. Sand away any loose paint. Spray paint with a Rust-Oleum paint of choice. I then apply a spray battery terminal protector, also bought from most any autoparts store.

JPeterson · 03-20-2017, 03:24 PM

I used POR-15. First washed with a degreaser, then sprayed on POR's Metal Prep, then painted with POR-15. Painted the hold down brackets too. It's much better than before and I didn't need to grind or wire brush off the rust - just scraped whatever was loose with a putty knife.

LeeB · 03-20-2017, 04:03 PM

Thanks everyone you have given me some great pointers........

Thanks again LeeB

dons2346 · 03-20-2017, 09:16 PM

As far as the cables are concerned, you need to see if the corrosion has crawled up inside the insulation. If it has, it will continue to crawl up and eventually eat up all the strands of the cable. At that point, the cable is worthless.

wb7auk · 03-21-2017, 08:23 AM

LeeB

Here is a interesting link on Coke.

Coca-Cola Acids

Dutch Star Don · 03-21-2017, 12:22 PM

Lee......The most important thing......take photos of the cabling, make a drawing and label them. My brother-in-law had a 2004 Itasca Meridian and I always wondered why they went with 12 volt house batteries. The good news, four 6 volts will fit.

Strip everything down, clean everything up and paint. I like the POR15 too! Now, to solve your acid issues and to avoid having to do this again....you need to do two things.

First....add a ProFill watering system to your new 6 volt batteries. The system helps prevent battery acid issues, fills your batteries perfectly each time and takes less than five minutes to top off your batteries. By making it easy to fill your batteries, you're more likely to maintain them properly.

Second.....Once done, check the settings on your battery charger/inverter. If not set correctly, it will overcharge your batteries and cause acid issues. It's a as simple as calling the charger manufacturer with your charger model and the type/size/cranking amps of your new batteries. You'll have to adjust it anyways, since you're changing battery types.

LeeB · 03-21-2017, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Second.....Once done, check the settings on your battery charger/inverter. If not set correctly, it will overcharge your batteries and cause acid issues. It's a as simple as calling the charger manufacturer with your charger model and the type/size/cranking amps of your new batteries. You'll have to adjust it anyways, since you're changing battery types.

Hmmmmm first I have heard of this? Can anyone elaborate?