So, here is the story. When I got my '68, I bough a new car battery. I put it into the car, drove it a little and parked in garage. Next day I tried to start the car, but it was not successfull - the new batery was totally empty. So I took off the battery and charged it for something like 6 hours. Then I started the car again without any problems. So I suspected that there is some kind of drain & decided to show the car for specialist later. Anyhow, I took off the clamps and drove the car again after a week or so. After that I left it with clamps on the battery for another night. So on the morning next day battery was empty again & I left it to charge overnight.

On the morning next day I disconnected the battery from charger and tried to lift it and put into the car. Just as I touched it, it exploded, covering the oposite side of the wall with acid & plastic pieces of the battery! I was sooo lucky, that the whole blast of explosion went to the opposite side, not where I was standing.

What a f*&^% was that? Ok, I knew in theory that batteries explode if overcharged, but was totally not expecting this to happen with completely new battery!!!

 

Linas....You need a charger that shuts off when the battery is fully charged. Hope you didn't get any of the acid on you. What's causing the battery to discharge. Was the battery defective or do you have an electrical drain in the car?
Ken

 

So I have been 100% sure, that my charger should go off, when the battery is fuly charged. Now I'm not that sure and I am currently looking for its owner's manual in my garage to check it out. I was very lucky not to get all the blast of acid into my face, as it all went to the garage wall on the other side. Just got some of acid on my right arm plus some injuries from explosion.

When I looked at the battery afterwards, the lever of fluid in the battery (remaining after explosion) was rather high and it was still in the battery. The explosion just teared the upper part of the battery.

Now I'm thinking, what is causing such a quick drain in my car. As I wrote earlier, it is '68 and it has non-working wiper system. I am suspecting it to be causing the drain.

Anyhow, I'm confused now as I don't know the reason. I do not want to get some kind of exploding batteryphobia now

 

Was the battery from China? That would explain a lot.

 

I have the same problem with my car draining the battery down over night. I have been told it was due, number one, because these cars are not grounded very good because of their fiberglass bodies. Number two, I figured my car alarm was doing it. I got tired of changing out batteries, so, I bought me a quick disconnect for mine. It's great. Just park the car, twist the ****, and instantly disconnected. Haven't had any problems since. Your a lucky man! Somebody up there was watching out for you....

 

Glad to hear that you are ok.
What sort of acid do they put in the batteries? Would it burn your skin?

 

Ken...I also have a 79 L-82 and I never disconnect the battery. I wonder what is draining your's!

Ken

 

You have to make sure that the gas created while charging is able to escape the battery case. It is explosive. Whenever I charge a really low battery, I like to lift the fill caps off for good venting. The caps are suposed to be vented--on non sealed batteries--but they could be defective or plugged. Also, unplug your charger befoe disconnecting the clips to the battery posts. This way you won't spark when disconnecting.
The outgassing could damage the battery if overcharged or charged at too fast a rate. Better to use a lower charge rate for a longer time.

 

Remember the Hindenburg? Same gas.

 

Thanks for responses! I am assuming that explosion happened due to high pressure of gasses inside of the battery. Probably, the vented caps did not do their job properly. The explosion happened exactly the same moment, when I tried to lift the battery from the ground - that additional stress for the battery structure was sufficient to trigger explosion.

Anyhow, looking at the future, now I will allways disconnet my battery after driving the car, before I find the source of drain.

Damn, now I have a new phobia: battery-charge-phobia

 

When you charge a battery w/fluid you need to take out the 6 plugs/screws on top to release the gases.
On 68 if the **** under the steering wheel between the two vacuum switch valves is in on position you get power to the wiper motor directly all the time not through the ignition switch and it will drain your battery and some time will burn your wiper motor.
Avner

 

I worked in the automotive, marine, aircraft & industrial battery business for a lot of years. Here is some additional advice:

* When charging a battery, top the cells off with distilled water.

* "Maintenance Free" batteries aren't really that. Unless you are using a gel type of battery, there should be a way to remove the cover(s) to allow the battery to breath while charging. Don't rely on the vented cover or caps to vent the battery while charging. The battery will build up hydrogen gas and any small spark can cause the battery to go ka-boom!

* As stated earlier, the best type of battery charger is one with an auto shut off when the charging has been completed. Also, when the battery has been charged. Unplug the charger from the outlet first, then disconnect the charging clips from the battery. This prevents any sparks from occurring near the battery. See notes about Ka boom!

* Always wear eye protection when working on batteries. Battery acid in the eyes will make for a bad day. You should also wear rubber gloves when handling batteries too. Battery acid doesn't play well with skin. If you spill battery acid on you clothes, most likely it will eat it away where it touched the clothing. The only type clothing that seems to hold up surprisingly well is 100% polyester base clothing.

*When re-connecting the battery cables onto the battery after it has been charged, I install the positive (Red) cable first, then the negative (Black). Remember, wear safety glasses when doing this. See the part about sparks and Ka-Boom!

I hope this information helps.

Good luck!

 

I doubt it was pressure buildup,those caps usually dont fit that tight.I would guess more like an internal short creating a spark which ignited the hydrogen gas and oxygen mixture.When the battery is in a low state of charge they produce hydrogen gas.If one of your cells was bad and low on charge it would have been filled with gas and the other 5 cells were charged and you picked up the battery causing an internal break this could create a spark inside and caboom.

 

I just love this forum for advices like that from experienced guys! Thanks again

 

When we were teenagers (many moons ago) a battery exploded in my friends face. He was blinded instantly but has made the best of it. Everytime I hook a charger to a battery I think of him.