Are Maintenance Free Batteries REALLY Maintenance Free?

As summer approaches here in Florida and temperatures are on the rise, the batteries in your car, boat or RV may be getting ready to say their goodbyes.  Many times when our customers bring in their dead batteries we find that they have little to no water left in them.  This is almost always followed up with, "But it says maintenance free on it."  In this article I will try to give a basic explanation of what "maintenance free" means and why it doesn't apply to most situations.

The lead-acid battery was invented in 1859 and while improvements in the manufacturing process have been made, the basic design has changed very little since the 1890's.  One major improvement however was the creation of the lead-calcium plate in 1935.  Lead-calcium plates have a lower self discharge rate than its predecessor and significantly reduced "off-gassing", which was an issue with earlier design lead-antimony batteries, meaning that even in ideal conditions the battery would need the fluid level maintained.  In ideal conditions, the lead-calcium design does not need the fluid level maintained due to the extreme reduction of off-gassing, thus making it "maintenance free."  

Let me reiterate, IDEAL CONDITIONS.  Under the hood of your vehicle in the middle of summer when the outside air temperature is 95 plus degrees is far from ideal conditions.  Batteries tucked away in your boat underneath hatches or in engine rooms with no airflow and extreme temperatures are far from ideal conditions.  

While this is far from a comprehensive and detailed history of the lead-acid battery it does answer the question we get on a weekly basis here at Treasure Coast Battery & Alternator, "Is this a maintenance free battery?"  Well technically, yes...but realistically, no.  The fluid level should be checked on all of your automotive, marine and golf cart batteries on a regular basis regardless of whether "maintenance free" is on the label or not.  The only true way to have a maintenance free battery is to purchase AGM or gel batteries which have no free flowing electrolyte inside the batteries.  Our experienced battery technicians at Treasure Coast Battery & Alternator would be happy to answer any questions you may have and can get you the right battery for any application.