When I bought my first inverter, I thought you just plug it in and everything would work like magic. Well, that’s how it was but there was this weird thing that I never thought about. It had something to do with water. Why does an inverter battery need water? It’s not a cooler!
But anyway, the fact is that inverter batteries need water.
Knowing this brings a whole lot of questions like, What’s the use of water? Which is the best inverter battery Water? How much water is needed? Will it give me some electric shock? Can I do it on my own? and the questions go on and on.
Today I am going to answer every common question that pops up when you think of inverter battery water.
WHAT IS THE USE OF WATER IN INVERTER BATTERIES?
The first thing that we need to know is why water needs to be present inside the inverter battery.
When a system works on chemical reactions, it doesn’t work for long periods of time at maximum capacity without any problems or complications.
Inverters operate by using acid and as this acid becomes more concentrated with plenty of use over time, its rate decreases which in turn causes power output levels to decrease too – but this happens only when there’s not enough diluted sulphuric acid.
Chemical reactions in an inverter battery work on a balance of acid and distilled water, So without one or the other it won’t function properly. We should always keep your inverter battery topped off with water to make sure that the acid inside is diluted enough so the chemical reactions can happen without a problem.
WHICH WATER SHOUID I PUT IN INVERTER BATTERY?
One should only top up an inverter battery with distilled water. Normal tap and RO water can contain dirt, bacteria, minerals that are detrimental to the life of your invertor’s batteries – rendering them useless after a short time.
WHY SHOUID I REFILL INVERTER BATTERY USING DISTILLED WATER AND NOT TAP WATER?
Tap water is full of impurities, dirt, and minerals, which would react with the acid in an inverter battery to create a problem that prevents current from being produced. And tap water can also clog up electrodes, form layers on them preventing chemical reactions necessary for producing electricity.
Distilled water is free of all the minerals and ions that are otherwise present in tap water. Therefore, we use only distilled water to refill the inverter battery.
Also Read: 10 BEST INVERTER BATTERY FOR HOME IN INDIA 2021
WHERE TO GET DISTILLED WATER FOR THE BATTERY?
You can get distilled water from local battery stores. But if you’re not finding it in your local shops, then head over to Amazon where they’ll have a bottle waiting for you within just one day or a few!
Check this genuine and ultra-clean distilled water on amazon.
WHEN & HOW MUCH WATER TO FILL IN INVERTER BATTERY? – WATER LEVEL CHECK INDICATOR
The inverter battery has a water level indicator on each cell. It has two marks on it – Red & Green.
- If the indicator is at the “Green” mark, that means that the water is fully topped up and you don’t need to do anything. Make sure that the water is not above the green mark. Your inverter battery should not have more than the required water as that is also not good for the battery.
- If the indicator is at the “red” mark, about to reach it or below the red mark then you need to fill the water in that inverter battery cell and make sure that you are top-up until it reaches the green mark.
Also Read: 10 BEST INVERTER BATTERY FOR HOME IN INDIA 2021
WHAT HAPPENS IF INVERTER BATTERY WATER IS LOW?
The inverter uses constant power to charge the battery. Once the battery level drops below the redpoint, it can no longer effectively power your device or appliance, causing them to run at lower speeds or wattage.
Frequent such cases, reduce the life of the battery and can damage the battery too.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU PUT TOO MUCH WATER INTO THE BATTERY?
When an electrolyte is diluted, battery performance decreases. The excessive watering of a battery can result in additional dilution and therefore it’s important to take precautions to keep the solution from running dry or spilling out.
HOW TO FILL WATER IN INVERTER BATTERY?
To fill water in inverter battery follow the steps mentioned below:
- Switch off the inverter & also unplug it from the switchboard. Make sure that the inverter or the inverter battery is not getting power from any electricity source.
- Wearing rubber gloves is recommended for safety and cleanliness purposes.
- Whichever cell needs to be refilled with water, take off the float indicator of that cell.
- Use a cloth to clean the area & float indicator, if needed.
- Pour in distilled water inside the battery with a funnel.
- Put the float indicator back and make sure you close it tight.
- Check the indicator level and make sure that it is on the green mark. It should not be above the green mark.
- Fill each cell that needs to be refilled with water.
- Put the plug back and switch on the inverter.
Important: Do not use any metallic jug or utensil to pour or store the distilled water for the inverter battery. Use distilled water only.
Also Read: 10 BEST INVERTER BATTERY FOR HOME IN INDIA 2021
WHAT DO I NEED TO TOP UP INVERTER BATTERY WATER?
You necessarily need distilled water. However, distilled water with the following kit can make your top-up safer, ease and optimum.
- SADHANA CHEMICALS DISTILLED WATER – H20 – 5 LITRE
- DEODOP SILICONE RUBBER FUNNEL
- KUBER PLASTIC TRANSPARENT MUG WITH MEASUREMENT
- SCOTCH BRITE RUBBER HEAVY DUTY GLOVES
DO’s AND DONT’s FOR INVERTER BATTERY WATER TOP UP?
Following do’s and don’ts can help you increase the battery life and take maximum efficiency for your power needs.
DOs:
- Frequently check the water levels using water indicators.
- Use only distilled water for a top-up
- Wear gloves and use a funnel to top up the water – For safe, ease top-up.
DONTs:
- Dont overfill the inverter battery water.
- Never maintain water levels below the red mark.
- Dont use any Tap water or RO water, except distilled.
INVERTER BATTERY WATER LEAKAGE PROBLEM – HOW TO FIX IT?
In case your inverter battery is leaking water, that could mean that you have overfilled the water.
If you just refilled the battery and are noticing leakage and you are sure it is because of the recent refill, you can use a manual water suction pump to take out the extra water. Make sure you throw this water and do not use it in any way.
The best would be to contact an expert and get it done through them.
In case you are not sure why your inverter battery is leaking & your battery is also 3-5 years old, then it might be time to replace your inverter battery.
Yes, you can repair your existing battery as well if you feel like the problem is not too much but shopping for a new quality battery would last much better & longer than a repaired old battery.
You can check out our inverter battery buying guide to find out the best battery for your needs.
IS AC WATER GOOD FOR BATTERY?
The battery’s purest form must not be contaminated with impurities or ions. The water from AC can only be used if it is collected in a clean container and that way it is safer than the regular topwater which has many harmful substances inside of it.
However, we always recommend you use distilled water instead of AC water as it is free of impurities and is essential to running inverter batteries for longer periods of time.
To summarise, distilled water is better than AC water. Clean AC water is better than tap or normal water.
CAN WE USE RAIN WATER IN INVERTER BATTERY?
For the best performance, don’t use rainwater. Instead, fill up your inverter battery with distilled fresh water that has been filtered and deionized so it doesn’t contain impurities that can affect performance and life span.
HOW CAN WE TEST THE PURITY OF DISTILLED OR INVERTER BATTERY WATER?
In order to test the purity of your inverter battery water, pour a little in into an empty transparent cup and add some drops of Silver Solution. If the liquid turns cloudy white with streaks or bubbles, it is not pure.
One mayn’t able to test it at home, so go for a reliable seller.
Also Read: 10 BEST INVERTER BATTERY FOR HOME IN INDIA 2021
IS BOILED WATER THE SAME AS DISTILLED WATER?
Boiling the liquid makes sure that all bacteria have been killed off by boiling at a temperature for several minutes. By boiling normal water becomes microorganism or bacteria-free but not mineral salts.
Distilled, on the other hand, is free from impurities like microorganisms and minerals such as calcium. Boiled water contains mineral salts but distilled does not.
CAN I USE BISLERI OR RO WATER FOR THE INVERTER BATTERY?
Water purifiers may provide you with microorganisms or bacteria-free water that your body needs but it is not for the inverter battery.
RO water still contains positively charged ions like Magnesium, Calcium, and Sodium as well as negatively charged ions such as Sulphate, Nitrate, and Carbonate which cause corrosion and damage to batteries even more.
CONCLUSION:
I hope that this article helped you understand everything about the use of water in the inverter battery. It is recommended that you understand all this to maintain your inverter properly, which would help you lengthen its life span.
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