In general, doctors recommend following the 8×8 rule: you should drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water each day! After all, water is your body’s main chemical component, and it makes up approximately 60% of your body weight. In other words, it is very important to replenish your body with water throughout the day.
The same can be said about marine batteries, especially in the summer heat!
For marine batteries, summer heat is killer. Whether you’re talking about sun stroke, heat exhaustion or your car’s performance, the heat can “dehydrate” your battery, starter, and alternator.
Heat is the primary cause of flooded lead acid battery failure. Similar to one’s body, the high summer temperatures cause the water in the battery’s electrolyte to evaporate, causing rapid corrosion to the positive plate grids.
In addition, since marine batteries are primarily used in the summer months, this bit of information could prove valuable to you: give your marine batteries plenty to drink. Here’s how:
- Wear gloves and eye protection.
- Remove the cap.
- Check the water level in your battery. If you can you see the lead plates inside your battery, the water is low.
- Check the electrolytes in the battery with a hydrometer, if you have one.
- Add distilled water to the car battery to approximately ¼†over the top of the plates.
- Put the cap back on.
- Make sure your cables and connections are snug, but not tight.
If you enjoy starting your jet ski or boat with ease, please make sure your marine battery has enough to drink. If not, it will become dehydrated and it won’t be pretty… or cheap!