Sump pump question?
I have a question regarding the back-up battery for the sump pump. This morning the power went out for about an hour. During the power out, the back-up battery for the sump pump kept beeping. I tried to reset the battery, but the beep continued. After the power came back on, the battery kept beeping. The back-up battery had a red light that stated to add more "distill water"…where do I put the distill water? The battery is in a small plastic container with a cover over it with some wires attached to it. Do I need a new battery?
yup
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If you open the battery box there will be caps that cover the cells. Add water to the line and not an ounce more. Wipe everything with a throw away rag and replace the caps and cover.
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There should be some caps or a ganged cap which can be removed to allow access to each cell. Inside that opening, there is likely a structure that dips into the acid that looks like a split ring, which may or may not have level markings on it. In most cases, the electrolyte should touch the bottom of that structure. If it is below that level, or if there is no electrolyte visible, then you would need to add some distilled water to bring it up to the ring. Do not overfill the battery, or it may spit out some acid through the overflow during charging.
Now, if the backup battery system has determined that the battery "needs water", it's very likely doing that based on some indication that the battery's internal resistance is higher than normal, or that it's charging current behavior is indicating a open or high resistance cell. That can be due to lack of electrolyte, but more likely, one or more cells has gone bad, so you may end up having to replace the battery.
If the battery is more than 4 or 5 years old, that is almost a certainty.
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Do what Mike says and wear saftey glasses. While your hands are still wet from washing them, rub baking soda into them. Used distilled water from the grocery store to add to the battery.
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If the battery is older than 4 years, I'd replace it.
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yup
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