Battery Vacuum

M

Mr.Ladyfish

Master Chief Petty Officer
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Nov 28, 2003
Messages
848
The past few months I've been messing around with a jet ski that has been in storage for several years. One of the first things I did was buy a new Sears Die-Hard battery for it. I installed the battery & hooked it up but it has never really been used. I took it out today to put on the charger and I noticed something I had never seen before. Both ends of the battery were caved in and when I pulled the caps off of the cells there was a suction sound. <br /><br />The ends came back out a little but not completely. I'm going to take the battery back but what could have caused this? The vent was hooked up.
 
C

crab bait

Captain
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Feb 5, 2002
Messages
3,831
Re: Battery Vacuum

i have zero clue.. but please give a follow-up when you do..<br /><br />( wet biker ,huh... i thuoght so..) hehehe..
 
JB

JB

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Re: Battery Vacuum

Let us know what Sears says, Mr. LF. Never heard of that before.
 
jtexas

jtexas

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Re: Battery Vacuum

are you saying that Sears batteries suck?<br /><br /> :D :D :D :D
 
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18rabbit

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Nov 14, 2003
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Re: Battery Vacuum

Don’t have a clue but I’m guessing somewhere, somehow, gases got out but couldn’t get back in and what you see is the result of changing temps. Don’t think the top wasn’t ‘sucked’ in; I’m guessing it was pushed in by the external atmospheric pressure (14.7psi). If it was warm the last time the battery was opened a couple years ago, and cool when you recently opened it, the battery may appear to suck if venting was not possible during those years.<br /><br />Edit: Technically, not a change in gas volume, a change in gas density. Boyles Law? ... I forget who did temp/pressure/density.
 
N

ndemge

Commander
Joined
Jul 15, 2002
Messages
2,644
Re: Battery Vacuum

Good question..<br /><br />In the shed this weekend, grabbed my nephews power wheel battery, and both sides were sucked WAY in. Still using it, seems to be ok, had never seen that before.
 
M

Mr.Ladyfish

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Nov 28, 2003
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848
Re: Battery Vacuum

I took the battery back to Sears yesterday. <br /><br />Walked in at 3:30. No one else was in Automotive Dept. except a woman who looked like Aunt Bea of Mayberry fame. I thought “this ain’t going to be good”.<br /><br />Aunt Bea (looking at battery ): Can I help you with something?<br /><br />Me: Yes, I bought this battery in June. Saturday I took it out of the jet ski to charge it. The ends are caved in, there’s something wrong with the battery. Do you have any idea what happened to it?<br /><br />Aunt Bea (blank stare for several seconds): Is that unusual?<br /><br />Me: Yes, I’ve never seen a battery do that before.<br /><br />Aunt Bea: Let me take it in the back and have them check it.<br /><br />At 3:45 Aunt Bea comes back and says “I didn’t forget you, they’re checking it now”<br /><br />At 3:55 she brings the battery back and says “it checks just fine” and starts to walk away obviously relieved that she doesn’t have to do anything more.<br /><br />Me: Wait a minute. I charged the battery on Saturday so it’s got a good charge but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something wrong with it. How do I know it’s going to last or won’t explode.<br /><br />Aunt Bea: Sir, the battery checks just fine.<br /><br />Me: Ma’am there is something wrong with this battery or the ends would not be caving in and there wouldn’t be a vacuum release when the cell caps are pulled.<br /><br />About then Mr. Last Week I Was Flipping Burgers Now I’m A Mechanic walks in from the back.<br /><br />Aunt Bea: Can you help this man?<br /><br />Mr. LWIWFBNIAM walks over and says “what’s the problem?”<br /><br />I explained the situation to him and asked if he knew what was going on with the battery.<br /><br />Mr. LWIWFBNIAM: It’s probably not venting good. They make hydrogen you know.<br /><br />Me: If it was not venting wouldn’t the pressure build up and cause the sides to expand OUT?<br /><br />Mr. LWIWFBNIAM: Well maybe it’s making hydrogen to fast. What do you want me to do?<br /><br />Me: I would like a new battery. This one is less than 6 months old.<br /><br />Mr. LWIWFBNIAM: Let me see if we’ve got one.<br /><br />He then disappears for 5 minutes or so. Finally he comes back with a new battery and tells Aunt Bea to exchange it.<br /><br />He disappears and Aunt Bea asks me for my receipt. I told her I didn’t have it.<br /><br />Aunt Bea (pissed off): Well I guess I can look it up in the computer.<br /><br />Me: Please do that. <br /><br />After getting the paperwork done I asked how long I could just store the battery without putting the acid in it since I have no plans to use the jet ski until next summer.<br /><br />Aunt Bea: Quite a while.<br /><br />Me: How long is that?<br /><br />Aunt Bea: A very long time.<br /><br />At that I just picked up the battery and walked out. It was 4:20.<br /><br />Does anyone know how long the battery can be stored without putting the acid in? It would seem to me that I should be OK waiting until April or May. What do y’all think? Thanks.
 
Mark42

Mark42

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Oct 8, 2003
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9,334
Re: Battery Vacuum

You can store it until next year dry no problem. I have had dry batteries 5 years old get acid added and bingo! nice new battery.
 
JB

JB

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45,907
Re: Battery Vacuum

I think Interstate makes the DieHards.<br /><br />If never filled with electrolyte they should have an indefinite shelf life.<br /><br />Like you, Mr. LF, I sure would like to know what happened to the first battery.
 
1

18rabbit

Captain
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Nov 14, 2003
Messages
3,202
Re: Battery Vacuum

You should be fine. A flooded cell battery can sit on the shelf for 6-month with the electrolyte in it. So I think your bald-headed battery should be good indefinitely like JB suggests.
 
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ndemge

Commander
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Jul 15, 2002
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2,644
Re: Battery Vacuum

Just reading your story I wanted to reach across and shove that battery down Aunt Bee's throat!
 
C

crab bait

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Feb 5, 2002
Messages
3,831
Re: Battery Vacuum

shoulda took the battery down to WALLYS fillin' station.. they got a good mechanic on duty,GOOBER.. <br /><br />ole GOOB would know what ails it.. an you coulda had a cold pop outta the front porch cooler while you waited..<br /><br />did ja get any of BEA's blue ribbon pie..??
 
C

CTD

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Nov 13, 2002
Messages
234
Re: Battery Vacuum

Back in the good old days all batterys were shipped dry. They would sit on the shelf for months or years and work fine when filled. I kind of think the problem is a normal condition. The battery is vented but not necessarily completly open. I don't have a battery with me but seems like last time I looked a cap it had a mesh type opening for venting that could hold some pressure or vacuum. Also the new battery cases are getting thinner and the ends have the most surface area so they could be pulled in somewhat by a slight vacuum caused by cooling.
 
T

ThomWV

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Dec 19, 2003
Messages
701
Re: Battery Vacuum

Johnson Controls was making them for a while, might still be for all I know. I do know that for a while the Die Hard Gold Marine and whatever Wal Mart called its largest combined duty Starting/Deep-Cycle were identical right down to the dimples on the casing - except for about a $40 price difference. I think Exide is making them now for Wally World, which means I'll never own another one.<br /><br />Thom
 
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