Guest Mr Miller Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 How do!Can one or more, of you clever people help a rather confused Mr. Miller, please?First of all, bear with me - I'm reasonably bright but have very little mechanical/engine knowledge!I know that cold weather plays havoc with your battery. I also know that the battery can drain over time when you don't start the bike quite regularly.These 2 factors caused a bit o' bother with my battery.....but my friendly ex-riding instructor, his jump leads and car soon had me on my way! (cheers Brian!) I now have the bike nestled in my mum & dad's garage, hooked up to a battery charger. Phew! What a relief!Sunday just gone (1st Feb) removed the side fairing, retaining strap thing loosened and charger attached, correct voltage selected and the six plugs removed as per instructions - all well and good.Here is where I need the help.....before charging, I checked the level of electrolyte in the battery by using the Min & Max lines on the casing - and it was betwixt the two. My dad checked it for me this morning and said that he could not see the level of acid - he didn't say that there was a level but it was lower than the Min line, it sounded like he said that there was no acid in there at all!Have I shagged the battery with this trickle charger? Should I have left some of the plugs in and not taken them all out? Has my mum & dad's garage got a poltergeist with a penchant for battery acid?Do I:a) Buy a new battery?b) Top up to the line with distilled water?c) Top up to the line with those battery acid packs?d) Go and kick next door's cat?If someone could help, I be very grateful!Thanks in advance,Mr. M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffers Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Can't help on this occasion, but I'd suggest you buy an Optimate for the future This link is to the new Optimate 4.http://www.bykebitz.co.uk/acatalog/Byke ... ger_4.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 top up the acid with distilled water and fully chareg the battery keep an eye on the levels though if it drops again theres something wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 kick the cat that's what its there for ps JOKE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 ps battery acid taste's like the old Corona Orangeade if the level keeps dropping i would suggest a crack in casing if you cant find any evidence of thsi it may be that the charger is over charging and evaporating the electrlyte Call for scoody doo and the mystery machine http://www.carbatteryshop.co.uk/carbatt ... mation.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Miller Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 top up the acid with distilled water and fully chareg the battery keep an eye on the levels though if it drops again theres something wrong Are you saying that I can just top up whatever is left in the battery with distilled water? Does it not need a certain 'amount' of acid in there?If I'm just going to top up what's left in there with distilled water, am I ok taking it to the Max line - then I can easily see if the level drops?If it is the trickle charger over-charging, (like a couple of shops up this way!) am I ok to use it still but not leave it on for lengthy periods? I don't know if funds could stretch to an Optimate - saying that, it is my birthday at the end of the month......hint, hint!? I'm aware of the Mexican beer, Corona, Tim - should I nip to the Co-Op and get a few bottles, you know, just in case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 go and have a check on it yourself first you know what parents are like ive topped up batteries with less the a quarter of acid in them and never had any problems should be fine taking it to the max as your supposed to top it up to nearer the max then the min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 ps battery acid taste's like the old Corona Orangeade if the level keeps dropping i would suggest a crack in casing if you cant find any evidence of thsi it may be that the charger is over charging and evaporating the electrlyte Call for scoody doo and the mystery machine http://www.carbatteryshop.co.uk/carbatt ... mation.php Are you using a car battery or a bike battery charger....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slugworth1987 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 empty batts are recovered by adding distilled water so the cell is just submerged in the bat houseing not over filled lol leave her on charge over nigh using a 1amp charge @ 12v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Miller Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 go and have a check on it yourself first you know what parents are like Oh hell yes! I'm off work tomorrow so once I've got a funeral out of the way, I'll go and have a look and top it up! Are you using a car battery or a bike battery charger....? Now promise you wont shout at me?........but it's a trickle charger designed for cars, bikes, jet ski's, etc..........from..........*Ahem!*.........Aldi!It was for sale in one of last year's 'bike specials' that they do. I read all the info and it sounded suitable.......looking in the 2008's Heine Gericke catalogue, there is one that looks exactly like it, bar the colour of the casing!Have I answered my own question there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rennie Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 yes you've answered your own question, top it up, charge it up then turn charger off!by an optimate! or just re-charge the day before you want to use it.repeated over charging/prolonged charging may well have fried your battery.optimates turn themselves on and off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 the acid is generated by the water reacting with the plates inside abattery under charge and so this is what creates suplhuric acid which is where the acid comes into it...... hydrogen gas is also created so never charge in a sealed box /container have seen the first hand result of a designated battery charging room exploding and its not pretty for someone caught in it ...i use a cheap charger i do not see the need for this optimate in reality yes its a good idea but as long as the charger is suitable for lead acid batteries and does not have a huge amperage output 1a-2a is commonly enough for a motorcycle battery 3-4a for a car and tell truth i will genrally not even bother with distilled i tend to use rain water from water butts in garden and have no problems and yes i do strain it ...also depending on bike make sure charger will do the correct voltage 6v or 12v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Miller Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 First of all Stu..........you were right! In the light of day, there was a level of acid in the battery and it wasn't far under the Min level! We tested the output voltage and it was 12.6v - which was about the same as it was when we put it on the trickle charger! optimates turn themselves on and off.According to the instructions that came with this one, it does too! In light of these replies, we re-read them and it deffo says the charger can be connected long term to the batt as it will stop charging when full and top up every now & again! It also said the batt can be left connected to the bikes electrics - but to get the filling plugs out, we had to remove the leads from the terminals and move it a bit!Talking of Optimates - the Optimate 4 in the Hein Gericke book is HG branded, the one in the link that Daffers posted isn't - again, don't laugh....but why? Isn't Optimate somebody's trade marked name? Are they the same inside?As I said earlier, the Aldi charger did say it was suitable for, amongst others, bikes; does 2v, 6, & 12v and has a 0.6 amp output!?!I've bought a bottle of de-ionised water, £1.24 it cost and if I can get the middle kid into bed within the next 10 mins, I might have a wander over and top it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Optimate is top o the tree when it comes to 'intelligent' charging systems. People swear by them. The HG branded one I believe is a copy and ultimately is likely only to be similar inside.Personally I've never had a problem with the system I use but plenty of peeps on here have. So i'll leave it at that.An Optimate will set you back £40 odd. Bear in mind this product should see you through many bikes. Also it comes with a lead which connects to the battery, and leaves a little wire with a plug sticking out wherever you like. This means you literally just plug the bike in when you park it up. No need to remove panels etc. This doesn't allow for H build up inside the battery casing when charging, but personally I have never had a problem with it. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, don't batteries have an 'overflow'? Negating H build up?hope this is a least a little helpful..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, don't batteries have an 'overflow'? Negating H build up? some do some dont im sure its safe to leave a optimate connected without removing the tops off the battery after all what do you do when the bike is running and charging the battery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, don't batteries have an 'overflow'? Negating H build up? some do some dont im sure its safe to leave a optimate connected without removing the tops off the battery after all what do you do when the bike is running and charging the battery my battery has "DO NOT REMOVE" stamped into the cover, and has an optimate lead for charging, had no problems.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Can you see the lead plates in your batt . have a look into the batt and see if the plates are still straight and not twisted . Charging without fluid will allmost certianly kill your batt . . get yourself a batt tester from motor world or Halfords . thay are cheep and worth having in your tool box . charge your batt after toping up levels and test the amount of charge init . , leave it 36 hours and re,test it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Miller Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Latest installment:Battery acid under Min level marked on casing - output voltage checked, 12.5v.Topped up with De-Ionised water to Max level - output voltage checked, 12.4 & a bit!Re-attach batt to bike, give her a kiss night-night and cover her over! I'll pop over tomorrow or Saturday and see what the output voltage is.I think it was Tim who said never to charge the batt unless you've removed all the filling plugs - there's a sticker next to the batt compartment that says to ensure that the battery drain tube should be connected and.....lo & behold.......there's a little doo-dah that you can shove the tube onto. This, I'm guessing, will ensure the H that's evolved during charging can escape harmlessly. Does that mean I can leave the batt connected to the bike and NOT have to remove the filling plugs whilst charging?Mally - the plates look straight and my dad has a multi meter thingy that works quite well! I'll be checking it on Saturday, which is about 36 hours later and see how it goes! If I'm not under another foot of snow, I'll take her out and give her a run!If I am under snow, I can always put my Autosol to work on the wheels!!!Thanks for all yuor help guys!Much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 er no all i said was not to charge in a sealed box scenariothe acid is generated by the water reacting with the plates inside abattery under charge and so this is what creates suplhuric acid which is where the acid comes into it...... hydrogen gas is also created so never charge in a sealed box /container have seen the first hand result of a designated battery charging room exploding and its not pretty for someone caught in it ... some batts are maintainence free and are therfore plugs are blanked from allowing external topping upand the vent/overflow pipe is for normal day to day venting under a heavy/continuos charge i would remove vents/plugs if possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Miller Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Sorry for not remembering your words correctly, Tim! some batts are maintainence free and are therfore plugs are blanked from allowing external topping upand the vent/overflow pipe is for normal day to day venting under a heavy/continuos charge i would remove vents/plugs if possibleIs charging my batt with the plugs left in for a couple of hours safe or is that too risky? As I previously said, my trickle charger has a 0.6 amp output. What do you reckon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Sorry for not remembering your words correctly, Tim! some batts are maintainence free and are therfore plugs are blanked from allowing external topping upand the vent/overflow pipe is for normal day to day venting under a heavy/continuos charge i would remove vents/plugs if possibleIs charging my batt with the plugs left in for a couple of hours safe or is that too risky? As I previously said, my trickle charger has a 0.6 amp output. What do you reckon?it shoud be fine at that amperageits more if a heavy charge (super charge/quick charge ) its best to removeor if you suspect a dodgy cell or two as this will cause that cell to boil quicker and produce a larger amount of gasbut as always standard disclaimer goes on and its ok btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr Miller Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Saturday tea time, went into the garage, uncovered her, said a little, “Hello,” slid the key in, turn and..........Vroom! She started first time! Bless her little rubber socks........as it were!!!The little fella had a sit on her whilst I let her run for about 5 mins then turned her off. We had a very cold one here - temps didn’t get much above freezing all week end. If we get a bit warmer and the snow goes this week, I’ll give her a run!Looks like the battery is behaving itself, for now, so we’ll see what it’s like when the warmer times come!Thanks for all your help guys! Mr. M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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