12-01-2015, 04:25 PM
(12-01-2015, 01:55 PM)Flynrider_imp Wrote: I agree with the Ferret. If you only lost a few ounces, make it up with distilled water.
My last acid battery (for my CB750) didn't come with enough acid to top off all the cells. It was a few ounces short. I topped it up with distilled water and it's been working fine for the last year.
I didn't know they made a flooded cell battery that fit the CB11. When I replaced the stock AGM battery in mine (after only 2 years), I went the other direction and tried one of those new-fangled Lithium batteries. Light, no maintenance, and hopefully longer life in the extreme heat we have around here. So far, so good.
Ferret and Flynrider are correct: no need to worry. The acid you added was a way of "priming" or "jump starting" the electro-chemical charging process for your battery. The make-up water you had to add will eventually turn into acid after some time of charge and discharge and recharge cycles occurring as you use the battery after the initial charging period. BTW, distilled water is preferred because it minimizes the ionic contaminates likely to be introduced with regular tap water that could interfere with optimal charge-discharge electro-chemical processes that need to occur.
The fluid in conventional lead-acid batteries is always undergoing chemical shifts from one moment to the next as ions and electrons move INTO chemical solution from the lead plates while the battery is being charged. Similarly, while the battery charge is supplying electrical power (i.e., the battery is "discharging"), ions and electrons flow from the solution back onto the plates to provide the voltage across the battery cells. With the alternator involved, this charge-discharge-recharge series of events keeps happening over and over again in localized regions of the battery, thereby "acidifying" the water you've added to one degree or another throughout each cell of the overall battery.
The only cautionary note here is to be sure to use care in disposing of the rags or paper towels that were used to clean up whatever acid was spilled. Any acid left on rags or paper towels can eat away at nearby items they come into contact with - clearly NOT good!
Best,
fritz