Stupid Question about Battery Charging

Errrmmm.. is a battery supposed to be making a weird bubbly sound when it charges??? Or is that dangerous.. should I charge it outside??

 

It can, and will. HOWEVER it shouldn't be bubbling too aggressively (like boiling) that indicates too fast a charge rate. I usually bounce 'em side to side a couple of times while being charged up to bring the bubbles up. The bubbling will decrease as the battery gets more charged.

You shouldn't charge a motorcycle battery with too heavy of a battery charger (like for a car) you can cook it. My personal fav is the Deltran "Battery Tender JR."

 

Oh ok. Lol, never charged a battery! Yeah, it fizzes a little like cola. I didnt think it was too big a problem, but my gf was worried it was a bomb lol. Thanks for the info! And i got a 900v wall charger from Napa for 22 bucks. Cant complain

 

Those bubbles contain hydrogen gas! So yes, battery charging should be an outdoor activity.

 

Hey Kid - what is the charge rate.?I wouldn't use more than 2 amps on a bike battery.

 

+1 with Bill. Should be 1.5-2Amp charge rate max. Also, charge with cell plugs either out or cracked open to allow cells to vent the gas created by charging process.
Hope this helps,
Gregg

 

I have never charged batteries with the cell plugs out. I thought there was an exhaust for that built into the battery? Am I thinking of something different?

 

There is an exhaust. I charge new batteries or ones I have had to add fluid to without caps as they tend to bubble more. For battery tender or periodic charging in storage I do it on the bike with caps in place.

 

Me too, I only leave the caps off when its a new battery. After that I trust the vent to do its job.

 

New batteries have a cap on the vent. Make sure you remove the cap if it's new.

 

Yeah the charger said it was made for small motorcycle batteries and ATVs and snow mobiles. I'm pretty sure its safe. The guy at Napa has one and he says it works great. Although its been charging for over eight hours and its still not done. hmmm... :/

 

Yep/ Pretty sure I need a new battery. I've had it on the charger for over 20hrs accumulated and I dont think it wants to hold a charge. Not cool dudes. Oh well. At least thats one more brand new thing I KNOW is in my bike.

 

Just to add some info...FYI - DON'T ever add more acid to an old battery!!! Some think it will bring it back to life, but it won't work. Just add distilled water if the fluid level is low and charge the battery with a 1-2 amp charger. Batteries may get warm when charging, but not HOT! They can blow up like a bomb if over charged. ALWAYS unplug the charger before removing the clamps from the battery. A charged battery gives off gasses that are explosive when a spark is near and just removing the clamps can cause a spark. KABOOM!!!!!! It doesn't take much.
I seen it happen before and you don't want to be near an exploding battery believe me. I seen a truck battery explode from being over charged and it completely destroyed a heavy steel battery box. It sounded like a stick of dynomite going off! Not pretty. Of course a bike battery won't do as much damage, but I wouldn't want to find out what it WILL do.

 

Yeah a battery can be a bomb. I started my dads truck a few years ago, and it sounded like a bomb blew up under the hood. Opened the hood, and the caps were blown off the battery, along with one side blown out of it. Don't know what happened, only thing I can figure is a something arked in the battery when I hit the starter.

And... My dad called me a couple of weeks ago and said he was charging the battery in his old 140 farmall, and when he went back out there the next day, the whole side of the battery was blown off.

He has bad luck with batteries.

I've left one sitting on my boat trailer (forgot to put it in the boat before i left) and noticed it bouncing end over end down the road. Used that battery for a year on the boat, and stuck it in the car when it's battery went dead, lasted a few years in there. So... you never know about batteries.