Battery safety / service

["Art Gale" <gale@candw.ky>]

I have had a dilute drop of acid in one eye.....for only seconds before
rinsing...and I rinsed for 20 minutes...and it burnt a hole!  Luck had the
hole just off to the side of the cornea and eyes heal very fast. Still...all
this talk about acid in a crash...I had to write.

If you EVER get ANY acid in your eye...here's the plan.
1. flush with clean water for At LEAST 20 minutes, an hour is even better
2. As you flush, blink and move your eye, flush under the lid etc. to get
all of it out
3. See a doctor immediately!!!!!!

Every step is a critical one.  Once injured the eye can easily become
infected....and the infection goes all around the eyeball...the socket gets
infected..lovely no?
And...if a bit of chemical material makes it through the outer casing...it
gets into the jelly of the aqueous humor and you are blind for sure.

And another interesting tidbit on battery safety.....they do blow up you
know...lead acid types that is.  While teaching automotive to apprentice
mechanics I would ask how many in the class had been close enough to hear a
battery explode.  On average about 6 hands went up out of 20!!!

Now usually these "expolsions" were relatively minor resulting in the
plastic top being destroyed and some acid splash...but in some cases the
battery was demolished!!

Another horror story had a driver reaching to spin off the aircleaner wing
nut of his SUV and the belt buckle hits positive and fender...blew bits of
acid coated metal into his belly... Ouch!


When servicing lead acid batteries....(typical car type)

Keep electrolyte levels up.  Too low, warped plate, internal spark and boom.

Keep terminals clean and tight..Loose or corroded = heat = possible spark =
boom or fire

Don't twist hammer or yank on terminals too hard...or internal break, spark
...boom.
(most likely source of this type of damage is improper use of battery
carrying tools)

Some tips to keep terminals in top shape.
1. Use top quality connectors, soldered to multistrand, individually tinned,
low oxygen copper wire...then apply a gob of grease and double heat shrink
it!!!

2. Apply a moisture displacing penetrant like WD 40 or MUCH better than that
"Corrosion Block" spray. (similar to WD 40 in that it displaces moisture,
but dissimilar in that it lasts for many months)

3. Apply a heavier, longer lasting anticorrosion sealer.  CRC brand "heavy
duty corrosion inhibitor"spray (won awards from salt water boaters) leaves a
beeswax like waxy coating that lasts and lasts.... Or Mercury Marine makes a
product called "Anti corrosion grease" that works VERY well....but is so
sticky and gooey that no matter what you do near the batteries, your hands
will be sticky... and it is hard to get off with soap and water.. pumice or
solvent is needed to get properly clean!

And when working around batteries....always always always wear safety
glasses AND know where you can get clean water...in a hurry...with your eyes
closed!

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Roden" <roden@wksu.org>
To: <ev@listproc.sjsu.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 5:48 PM
Subject: Re: Battery Acid and Airbags


> > As for the quantity of acid back there, and the likely
> >  probability there will be no soap and water handy at
> > an accident scene...well, I know first hand about
> > burns and skin replacement/regeneration therapy.  Any
> > acid on skin for too long is too much.
>
> I don't recommend deliberately painting lead-acid battery electrolyte on
> your skin, but it's not as bad as all that.  It's pretty dilute, and the
> further you've discharged the battery, the more dilute it is.  I've found
it
> does appreciably more damage to my clothes than to my skin.  I don't want
to
> think about how it would feel in an open wound, though.
>
> David Roden
> Akron OH USA
>