? about charging my battery

[zack83]

I bought a little 2-8-10 vector battery charger for my battery. I am charging it until i get my alternator replaced on monday. My roomate says i need to remove the caps to let the air escape. Do any of you guys know if i need to? the charger manual doesnt say anything about it.
zack

[thesk8nmidget]

i have never heard of anyone opening the battery to let it get air.

but i do recommend checking the water in the battery and making sure it has enough water. and if it needs water only use clean bottled water

[aceyx]

Originally Posted by thesk8nmidget

i have never heard of anyone opening the battery to let it get air.

but i do recommend checking the water in the battery and making sure it has enough water. and if it needs water only use clean bottled water

Use distilled water ONLY. You can buy it at the grocery store.

Lead-acid batteries release hydrogen gas while charging. Your battery should have some sort of vent on it, since this happens while it is being charged by the car as well. Worst case scenario is that you'll have to clean the battery box when it's done. Make sure you let it ventilate before introducing any spark (such as removing the charger leads from the battery).

[DJ Skillz 187]

If you're charging it for long periods of time, you should really have a charger that has an auto-shutoff.
Overcharging a lead-acid can cause it to heat up, expel lots of hydrogen gas, and eventually lose it's electrolytes, causing it to not hold a charge and diminish it's usable CCA, and it'll just crap out completely.
If you plan on charging it overnight, don't go higher than the 2-amp setting, and make sure you check it in the morning if the charger doesn't have an auto-shutoff feature.

[zboot]

The caps blow when your battery is blowing to release excess pressure and otherwise keep the battery from destroying the stuff around it. Do not open it yourself. Do not attempt to replace any fluids yourself.