Charging new lead-acid batteries

[F14CRAZY]

This summer my little brother bought a lead-acid powersports battery for my Jet Ski (which happens to be the same size as what fits in my K75). He said that the counterperson at Advance Auto Parts, where he bought it, insisted that it MUST be trickle charged after adding the acid or the battery will quickly fail afterwards.

I told him that was not necessary, as the last time I bought such a battery, it read 12V+ immediately after I added the acid according to a multimeter, so I put it into service without additional charging. I can't remember what vehicle I put it in but it seemed to last the usual 2-3 seasons, even with charging throughout the winter. These batteries don't seem to last longer than that, even if you get an expensive AGM battery, have an expensive trickle charger, etc. I do believe in disconnecting them and charging for a while every month or two during the winter and not letting them go dead though.

So...do you have to charge lead acid powersport batteries after adding acid or are they good to go?

BTW: my little brother's battery was toast after a couple months...I told him he didn't have to charge it  :neener: . Wouldn't crank and wouldn't take a charge. I think his was defective or something weird happened but I'd like to know what the brickers think about this subject.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

A dry battery is filled with acid after delivery.  If I'm not mistaken, the acid should have a specific gravity of something like 1.2 for a full charge.  Unless the acid used to fill the battery is diluted, it should not be necessary to charge the battery before using it.

The marine batteries I sold came prefilled and fully charged.  They could be stored for up to a year and still have a full charge when we installed them.

Storing a battery with less than a full charge causes a chemical reaction in it that coats the plates reducing the cranking power and the storage capacity of the battery.  Batteries should never be stored for more than a few days with less than 12.8 volts on them.  If you observe this rule and keep the fluid at the correct level a battery should easily last 5 or more years.

Dirty terminals reduce the charge that goes to the battery starting the chemical process that ultimately kills it.  Alternator, battery, and ground connections can never be too clean.  They should also always have a thin coat of dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. 

Last, when topping up, always use distilled water.  Just like the cooling system, batteries don't do well with the minerals in tap water.