battery maintenance, a BS thread.

[Bernie Benz]

Steve and Brett, a contrain opinion on this BS!

What do you think need be vented with a battery vent hose?   Only if a
battery is severely overcharged, doing so will decompose water into hydrogen
and oxygen in the right ratio to recombine into water if ignited with a
spark/flame before sufficient dillution into the atmosphere to lower than
flash point level.  Better to ban all hot rear seat activity!  Short of
that, and inasmuch as overcharging is a very rare regulator failure mode, O2
and H2 are independantly nontoxic and noncorrosive gasses.  IMO there is no
need for a vent tube, unless you are a for hire wrenching firm overly
concerned with the insurance liability aspects of not following factory
parts sales policy.  I never replace with a vented battery because of the
limited application and resultant higher cost.  Bought last one from
WalMart.

Bernie

> From: Scalmanini Steve <sscalmanini at yahoo.com>
> Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 18:35:39 -0700 (PDT)
> To: 200q20v at audifans.com
> Cc: brett at cloud9.net
> Subject: battery maintenance
>
> Just one addition (that I posted a few years ago):
>
> If you see no pinches in the vent hose, that means
> nothing.  You have to blow through it to be sure
> it's clear (without putting your lips on the battery
> end, silly.  Use a straw or barbed fitting between.
> And wear rubber gloves when handling that end and
> wash them after).
>
> Mine was blocked 3-4 years back.  The cause seemed
> inevitable for everyone yet I had never heard of it.
> There's a clamp/guide (bent-over sheet metal?) waaaay
> up on the underside of the chassis where the hose is
> held up over the rear axle.  The force from the clamp
> had finally collapsed the hose over the years as the
> hose assumedly weakened with age.  I had to pry it
> open a little with a loooong (~18") screwdriver with
> the car in the air on a full-size hydrallic lift.  No
> problems since (I check it every 30K tuneup).
>
> Steve
> Ukiah, CA
>
> PS: I wish this list had a list of aftermarket
> batteries that fit our cars (read with the right
> size vent hole in the correct location).  I was
> surprised back when I dealt with the above problem
> that the Interstate battery recommended for our car
> did not have a useable vent (I think it was oval
> instead or round, and maybe on the end instead
> or the side like Audi's ... or vice versa).
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> ...
>
> -vent hose connected to the battery, no pinches.
> The vent hose MUST be in place...and for that matter,
> the battery must have a vent connection, unless it's
> something like an Optima or similar Valve Regulated
> type.
>
> ...
>
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