I reccently topped of my battery with tap water. It is a typical 12 volt maintenence free one with the removable caps to add water.

I sucked out all the water from the cells and replaced with distilled water. Then I relaized I probably removed all the electrolyte too.

Is my battery ruined now? Can I buy battery electrolyte at the parts store?

Thanks,
Dave

 

I would drain the battery and refill it with the battery acid from a auto parts store.

 

Ar you sure battery acid can be purchased. i went to an auto parts store and they did not carry it

 

How old is the battery??

Did you just pull some electro. off the top, or dump it?

Most batteries are shipped to parts stores already full/charged and no real need for them to carry it.. And now with more strict hazardous regulations, its much harder to find avialable to the general public.. You can buy electrolyte from truck shops or equipment dealers like CAT, or some of the other smaller equip. dealers as well, as their batts in a lot of cases are shipped dry, and the acid is boxed separately for sale..

If its a higher 'timed' battery, and state of charge was already an issue, then a replacement may be a better bet.. A small amount of acid loss may not be a huge deal, especially if the state of charge remains a constant..

But, if you wanted to add a small amount, some of the local motorcylce shops may have a small box of electro. laying around as their batts are shipped dry as well, or they may have it in bulk...

If the battery was dumped, a new fill may shorten the expected life...

 

yeah, i think you should go ahead and spend the money on a new battery , the acid is going to cost money, and the battery may not even be worth saving, plus it probably won't be easy to find, or cheap.

 

for future reference, next time don't suck the water out, just top it up with distilled water and you should be fine