charging battery on concrete floor?

Just a myth IMO. I frequently charge batteries at work on a concrete floor and have never noticed any difference to charging them on a bench. Mike.

No idea. I can't actually recall charging a battery on anything but a concrete floor.

Sorry if this seems pedantic, but "inflammable" does not mean the opposite of "flammable". Confusingly, both words mean exactly the same thing; liable to catch fire, or easily ignited.

I'm guessing that you meant "non-flammable"?

I've heard the concrete floor thing before, BTW, and have never yet found any convincing argument that it happens.

Chris

I'd guess this is to avoid a reaction between the concrete and any battery acid you might spill. Not something I've ever worried about, and would have thought it would result in the acid being neutralised anyway, which has to be preferable to it remaining as a puddle of acid. Just don't breath in any fumes it gives off.

You did better than me. I had no idea what that sentence meant.

As for a battery on concrete floor. It's a MYTH.

Mark

When I first heard the thing about not charging them on concrete, the guy said to me it's because "it draws the plates". He wouldn't explain or enlarge on that. Personally I try not to do anything on a concrete floor [1]. In the extremely rare event nowadays that I charge a battery other than in situ, I do it on a bit of expendable plywood on the bench. Even so, I think the poster who said it's about acid spillage reacting with concrete was right, but again this dates from the days when batteries had to be checked and topped up. I haven't even seen one of those for years now.

[1] There was a time when I would happily lie on a concrete floor with a gearbox on my chest and oil trickling down my sleeve, and what seems even more strange to me now is that I thought I was great because I could do that stuff.

Steve

I'd guess it stems from extremely cold areas - like some of the US in winter. And of course the floor will be the coldest part in any room - unless you have UFH. It's best to charge a battery in normal indoor temperatures if possible.

Thanks for correcting me, it was not pedantic at all; my fingers were going faster than my brain! You were right I intended "non-flammable". It's reassuring that the concrete floor thing is a myth but I will probably charge the battery in situ anyway. Thanks again.

battery cases were made of porous rubber a long time ago and dampness from the concrete was absorbed into the rubber making a slightly conductive casing, which would continue to drain the battery till it all dried out. Which is why it was never recommended to stand batteries on concrete at all. Modern battery cases are plastic and there is no longer the same problem.

Given the electrolytic is largely water what stopped that leaking out?

perhaps the casing was sealed on the inside? perhaps vapour is smaller particles than liquid?

So many older people knew not to put batteries on concrete or damp ground I think there must be some truth to it, although not now-adays.

In the heyday of "older people" they weren't big into explanations for the benefit of younger family members, apprentices etc.

Especially if said younger folks had O level chemistry !

FWIW my guess is that minor contamination of the floor with battery acid would spoil the finish on the concrete even if it was coated with floor paint and if allowed to soak in might stop it "taking" for ever more.

Derek

Thus spake Mark ( snipped-for-privacy@nospam.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

Interesting collection.

I took particular interest in the 'true' item about batteries, at because I had a battle with Triumph some ten years ago when the starter clutch on my Trident 900 failed, and the repair was going to be *expensive*. I tried to get them to cough up the cost, as the warranty had only very recently expired, but they asserted that the failure was likely due to "a less than fully-charged battery," whereupon I hit back by telling them mine was a nearly-new battery, and kept connected to an Optimate and thus always fully-charged. After more haggling, involving welcome support from my Triumph dealer, Triumph eventually agreed to cover 50% of the costs, but it still cost an arm (thankfully I still have the leg).

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Stephen saying something like:

It's a load of c*ck. Same as don't sit on the step or you'll get piles.