If you want your car to go running smoothly, then there are a few things you need to regularly monitor aside from your fuel and engine. Most owners are a little negligent about the car battery water, which must be inspected every once in a while. While new batteries may not need watering, old ones do; and even if you have the newest cell in your vehicle, you still should check how much water it contains. That is part of monitoring the state of your car battery.

The frequency of usage and recharging affects the water content of your battery. The more times you recharge, the more often you should check the water level because during the charging process, when electric current passes through the lead plates, water undergoes a decomposition reaction during which it separates into its two gaseous components namely hydrogen and oxygen. Thus, water is lost during this process. Note that this is also one reason you must avoid smoking when checking your batteries because hydrogen is highly combustible and oxygen would cause further ignition; needless to say, both gases are explosive.

You would also notice that evaporation may cause loss of water in some old batteries. Hence, you should check them more often during hot days and especially if you live in places with warm climate.

The danger when the vehicle water runs too low is that too much heat may be generated by the battery and at the same time the lead plates could be damaged. This deterioration of the lead plates causes inefficiency during the charging process during which lack of water may also cause irreversible destruction to the plates. In other words, the life span of the battery is dramatically reduced. This could just be extra expenditure for you when all you would have needed is nothing more than an addition of water.

While you may have to check that the level of water never goes too low, you should also make sure that you add only the specified amount of distilled water. For instance, as a precaution, do not exceed the marked water level (which you would see on the side of the battery). If this is not indicated, make sure that water level does not reach the underside of the battery cap. Excess water could overflow into the electrolyte cell and cause dilution of the acid.

Nonetheless, not every type of water can be used. While you might think it is possible to get a bucket from a pond, a strict rule demands that you use distilled water. Car battery or any other wet battery for that matter relies on the perfect ionic or electrolyte balance in the cell. Thus, you are not to change the chemical or electrolytic nature of the liquid inside. Pure water does not contain ions and so it is recommended for the purpose of watering vehicle batteries. When we say pure water we mean, distilled, demineralized or deionized water. Tap water is never recommended as it would shorten the life of your wet cell.