I was just reading on a battery site and this was mentioned :

"Gluing a sacrificial ANODE, such as a piece of copper, to the top of the battery, between the posts, will prevent terminal corrosion."


I am assuming this "ANODE" does not contact either post.

Has anyone tried this ??

How can it work ??

 

Most sacrificial anodes offer an easier path for corrosion, so the corrosion goes to the anode instead of the piece that is being protected...as in zinc (very soft) on ships hulls or on an outboard motor foot... its softer and more easily corroded than the steel or aluminum, so it (the corrosion) goes after the softer metal and ignores the harder metal... The copper might be a better meal for the corrosion than the lead posts... not sure it would work. I've seen old people back in the day put pennys on their batterys, assumingly for the same reason... Best thing I have seen are those little felt circles impregnated with some chemical, the red and green ones at Walmart...Tee Hee

 

Good idea. The baking soda and green ring things threaten to contaminate the battery with an antacid (to use a human equivalent) You must not get any of it into the battery. If acid can get out, antacids can get in. I clean mine well and use a hose from time to time. After a pristine cleaning smear electrical grease all over and you'll be fine. Pennies should work well also. Common sense.... ouch!

 

This might be a bad habit but I still do it... everytime I check the oil, I touch the end of the dipstick to the battery posts.... you would think that after a while it would get messy...but it don't... no corrosion either.

 

That is a very good point.

Some time ago, as per someone's recommendation, I really gave a battery a good cleaning with a paste-mixture of baking-soda and, a few weeks later, I could tell it was going down hill.

 

i just use one of those optima batteries.

 

Old school cure for corrosion......... After cleaning, use Vaseline on the post and then on the terminals. Learned from an old Navy Master Chief. May he rest in peace. He also taught me how to brew THE best coffee and how to adjust the valves of a Shovelhead. Which BTW, are a real PITA.

 

The copper thing should work. Just make sure there is no physical way that it can touch both terminals at once. My father used to place a penny at each treminal back when they were copper. The best way I have found is to clean the terminals with a battery terminal cleaning brush and then use a battery terminal sealant which is like a varnish in a spray can. A light grease will also work but, it makes for a nasty mess the next time you need to remove them.

 

The only reason there is any corrosion at the terminals is because the seal is leaking at the post allowing the gasses (acid) to escape to the outside of the battery. This can take place either during a heavy discharge or also during charging.

On a wet cell battery there is a venting system of some design built it and if the vent gets blocked it can force the gas past the seals and lead to corrosion, It can also get damaged by hammering on the post.

Remember the old battery-lifting strap that hooked onto the post? Lift one and watch the post move.

Check and be sure the vent tube if equipped is not blocked and routed away from anything that sulphuric acid could damage. I extended the tube and brought it out down below the core support.

I find the best way to keep the post clean is after you neutralize any acid then to apply a film of NOCO terminal protector where the post enters the case and then on the terminal to seal it if you wish.

Or you could apply a film of Vaseline to the post/case and then install your felt washers.

You are trying to create a gas tight seal around the post, but be sure the battery has some way to vent the built up gasses as was designed.

Also to avoid any parasitic drain be sure to keep the battery case clean, every time I wash my truck I also open the hood and wash the engine and batteries then it is dried with compressed air and then wiped down. I will then check and re-apply dielectric grease to all of the connectors.

If you want to see how a dirty case can drain your battery, using your DVM or even a #194 bulb, ground one lead to the (-) and with the other lead slide it across the top of the case from the NEG to the POS and if the case is dirty the bulb will light up.

When the case of the battery is wet the battery is self-discharging itself.

Most people do not check the electrolyte level in the cells until the battery is starting to fail.

 

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