Posted by Todd Somers on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 1:12PM :
In Reply to: Way Way of topic but............ posted by Robert in NJ on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 11:18AM :
On a standard led-acid battery you should use baking soda or a weaked solution of household ammonia.
On an alkaline battery, I would use a weaked solution of vinegar.
The theory: Standard lead acid batteries use sulfuric acid. Ammonia is a base (chemical term) which is the opposite of an acid. Therefore with an alkaline battery that uses a base type electrolyte, use an acid. The result of either procecc is a neutral solution. You can actually neutralize an acid or a base so that it becomes a neutral solution (neither acid or base) if done correctly. Just make sure the vinegar does not get inside the cells of the battery. Excess corrosion bubbling out of a wet cell (or a gel cell battery) battery can be a sign of overcharging or leaks of the electrolyte coming out around cracks or seams around the terminals.