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Old 10-15-2013, 10:30 PM   #1
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What is this stuff on my battery caps

While topping off the water in the coach batteries today I noticed a strange deposit on the bottom of most of the battery caps. It has a paste like consistency to it. It was pretty thick on some caps and just mottled a bit on others. The batteries are 6V GC2's from Costco and are probably 3 years old. They use very little water, just a tad a couple of times a year. The charger is a Progressive Dynamics PD4645 with Charge Wizard and it stays plugged in 7/24 except when we're boon-docking. Any idea what it is and should I be worried about it?
Thanks,
Al
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Old 10-15-2013, 11:55 PM   #2
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Based on the gray color, my guess would be that it was lead that had been deposited on the caps as the battery acid vapors condensed there.

But that's just a guess...
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Old 10-16-2013, 11:43 AM   #3
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Looks like lead peroxide to me. Boiled up from bulk charging or equalizing and bumps on the road. Might also be lead sulphate but it looks to dark for that.
You might want to check our your actual bulk charging voltage from your charging sources next time your battery is well discharged...check both converter/charger and alternator... should be in the 14.5V range for wet cells give or take a few tenths depending on mfr. ...Test AT the battery terminals while charging.
If you're seeing anything over 14.8 when you test...that is probably what is responsible for some boil of of active lead peroxide from your plates.
If everything is within range...don't worry too much about it...and make sure you are not OVER filling your distilled water letting stuff in solution get deposited on your caps. Keep the caps clean when you re-water & make sure vents aren't clogged.
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Old 10-16-2013, 01:19 PM   #4
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Thanks Cam, good advice.
Well I just put it up for the winter so it'll be a while before it sees a bulk charge again. I do have a TriMetric 2025 monitor installed but I seldom watch much other than % of charge. When we take it out of hibernation I will measure at the batteries when it's in bulk charge from the converter and then alternator. Silly me, don't know why I didn't clean the caps while I had them off yesterday. I'll get that done within a day or 2. It can't be boiling much as I barely add any distilled water, usually in the Spring and Fall and I just bring it to the bottom of the fill rings.
Al
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Old 10-16-2013, 03:57 PM   #5
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Yeah, it looks like lead. Your system might be over charging.
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