Battery Gas

[boxster03]

Would leaving the trunk latch open during storage help those of us with OE style non sealed batterys alleviate battery gas corrosion

[ttweed]

I would say "no". During storage, the battery should be disconnected. Gassing is produced during charge and discharge cycles, and if these are not taking place, gassing will be minimal, and the amount of ventilation in the trunk should be sufficient without leaving the lid open. The gases produced by wet-acid batteries are mostly hydrogen and oxygen, which are explosive in combination, but are not necessarily corrosive. I believe it is bits of acidic electrolyte forced out the vents by the gassing which are the major source of corrosion, when they drip, fall or condense on surrounding metal.

I think you would be far better off in preventing rust by removing the battery and washing it and all the surrounding area down with a baking soda and water mixture, to neutralize acidity, before storing the car. It is even more important to do this periodically when using the car actively, as that is when the battery will be spewing acid at a much greater rate, as it is being actively charged by the alternator/generator.

This is one of the reasons I prefer a sealed dry cell or gel-type battery over any flooded wet cell type--originality be damned!

TT

[911pcars]

From what i understand there are multiple opinions out there,but in general gas fumes are more of a problem-to rubber and other parts-especially if your car is covered it traps the fumes.In terms of corrosion sealing the foor is a good idea water vaper rises and gets trapped under and thru the car-I sealed my floor and reduced the amount moisture by 25%.If you now cover the car it further traps the moisture without ventilation.The next big issue is temperature-think of temp like a sponge higher the temp the more moisture it can hold and lower the temp the less moisture.The final factor is condensation which happens when temperature rises and falls based on dew points-wide fluctuations temp is the worst-think of the sponge absorbing the moisture then being unable to get rid of it.The best thing you can do is try to keep a cool even temp with good adequate airflow without compromising temp change this also helps all your other vapors-gas,battery,materials in the car-plastic,etc.OK so the single best thing you can do is maintain c cool even temp with low moisture-there are companys who specialize-desertair for one-they do indoor pools etc.I would reconsider covering cars except for dust control .Seal floors- if you can't you can buy vinyl vapor barriers that you can laydown under the car which will divert the moisture from rising from below your car.If you are doing a new garage make sure they laydown vapor barrier prior to pouring the concrete and polishing the concrete seals better than coating with sealants it is about 5 bucks a square a foot-they use it in warehouses.Hope this helps.Sorry for the run onnnnn.

While valid, I'd say a little too much compensation shown here. I would follow Tom's suggestion and simply replace with a sealed-type battery to avoid the acid-on-chassis issue.

Sherwood

[Paul Schooley]

I get gas just thinking about the damage those acid batteries are capable of. Thanks for reminding me to get mine outta my car for the winter. I normally do but have put it off until now. When my dual acid bombs are toast I'm going gel no question about it.