Lead Acid Battery Safety
The most common battery in our daily lives is the simple lead-acid battery. Because it is so common and works so reliably, few people take the time to treat a lead-acid battery with the proper safety and care it demands. Accidents involving lead-acid batteries can cause damage to machinery as well as serious injury to people and other living things. Knowing what to do with a lead-acid battery is important to protect your possessions and yourself from harm.
Other People Are Reading
-
Function
-
In a simple lead-acid battery, the acid and lead interact in a chemical exchange of ions. These ions are drawn from the acid and bond onto the lead, causing a transfer of energy that is carried by a metal conductor (usually copper) up to the point of contact (the "red" positive contact). After a while, the chemical reaction slows down and eventually reaches "homeostasis," a point at which the amount of ions traveling to and from the lead is equal, thus no electrical charge is generated. At this point, the battery is usually referred to as "dead," but in reality, the acid is still very caustic and thus dangerous.
Car Batteries
-
Most new car batteries are so-called "dry" car batteries, meaning there is no need to add water to the battery to maintain the lead-acid ion exchange reaction. Older batteries have long since been replaced, but the myth of adding water to a battery still persists among amateur or "shade tree" mechanics. Do not remove the caps on the top of the battery for any reason; these are used in the recycling process and, if the battery is hot to the touch, can result in an accidental splash of acid.
Also, occasionally when a car battery is depleted, such as when a light is left on while the car's engine is shut off, it is helpful to "jump" a battery by connecting it to another car's battery by use of jumper cables. Failure to connect the battery correctly can result in an explosion or leak of acid from the battery. -
Charging
-
Lead-acid batteries are some of the earliest types of rechargeable batteries. Typically, there is a recharging mechanism or port designed to handle the recharging of a particular type of lead-acid battery. For instance, the energy output of a car's engine is partially turned into electricity, which is used to recharge the car's battery. If a lead-acid battery is connected to a method of recharging that is not designed to recharge the battery safely, the battery can explode or overheat, causing the casing (and possibly the lead inside) to melt. For example, recharging a car battery by hooking it up to a generator or electrical outlet directly will recharge the battery too quickly, overload its component parts and cause a "catastrophic failure" of the battery itself.
Disposal
-
When a battery is no longer capable of being recharged (that is, no matter how often it is hooked up to a recharger, it can not hold a charge), it must be recycled (not thrown away). Most automotive parts stores charge a "recovery fee" with every new battery sold. This fee is to ensure that you return an older battery for recycling. Remember that lead-acid batteries contain lead, cadmium, sulfuric acid (or another, similar highly corrosive acid) and other toxic materials that are harmful to the environment.
Jumping a Car Battery
-
One of the most common causes of battery accidents is improper "jumping" of a dead battery. To correctly jump a battery, follow these instructions.
Connect the positive (red) cable to the positive terminal (indicated by a "+") of the dead battery. Connect the other end of the positive cable to the positive terminal of the good battery. Connect the negative (black) cable to the negative (indicated by a "-") on the good battery. Connect the remaining negative cable to the engine block, preferably a shiny, non-painted nut or protrusion on the engine of the dead battery. Start the car with the live battery and wait a few minutes for the dead battery to gain some charge. After a few minutes, while the car with the good battery is still running, try to start the other car. If the jump is successful, it is important to leave the engine of the car with the bad battery running for half an hour to a full hour to return a sufficient charge to the battery.
-
