Can Sealed Lead Acid Convert to Flooded Lead Acid Battery?

I have a sealed lead acid battery of 7.5 Ah from my computer UPS. It shows diminished performance but charges to 13.2 volts. I think the liquid inside it has evaporated. I am thinking of converting it to a flooded lead acid battery and use it for my emergency lantern. Can I convert the sealed lead acid battery to a flooded one by pouring battery acid in it? Then I could maintain it by adding water from time to time. Is there any risk? Will the battery work? I have an uncertified source to charge at 17 volts 1 amp which is maintained at 14.6 volts when connected to battery.

Someone said, "You can. The caution is when you remove the vents, to be sure to plug them to protect from spills. The innards of a SLA are much like a standard LA battery. The fill holes are plugged with rupture vents. You CAN remove the vents and fill the battery with water. You shouldn't have to add acid, just water. Use your desulfinator +charger to get the sulfates re-constituted into the electrolyte."

Another person said that I can't convert it if it's a gel cell. He told me that first check the manufacturer's datasheet to make sure that it is an SLA and not a gel cell.

Then I told him that it's definitely a sealed Lead Acid battery. if I just pour water to fill the cells then it would be too dilute because the is just enough acid to make it work in dry condition, so I think I should add acid so I make it to work as flooded lead acid battery.

One of my friends said, "If you change the specific gravity of the battery, it won't work properly. Hard to say how much water may have evaporated. You could try adding just enough distilled water to cover the plates, and then a little acid. Charge the cell. Keep reading the specific gravity while you are desulphating it. If the specific gravity at some point exceeds about 1.26, you will need to add more distilled water.
If you simply add acid, you may wind up with electrolyte that is much too high in specific gravity after the lead sulphate has been dissolved back into the solution. Monitoring the specific gravity is really the only way you can get an idea of where you are, and where you need to go."

One net friend said with a smile, "Adding acid is VERY rare. I work with hard used LA batteries every day, and I have never had to add acid in the course of standard use. If you spilled a new battery, maybe you can. But if the water evaporated, the electrolyte would become very acidic and become sulfate rather quickly. Add distilled water and put on charge."

Everyone had their own opinion, and finally I found it is so difficult to do that. It didn't mean that I would give up. Just go for some expert guide to finish the hard work. I believed that I would convert the sealed lead acid to flooded lead acid battery at last.

Source: www.leoch.com

About the Author

Hi, this is lissa, and I am try to tell something about leoch battery, such as lead acid battery, GEL battery, VRLA battery, UPS battery, motorcycle battery, golf carts battery, car battery, etc, hope you like it. And if you currently have some suggestions or advices, I am really appreciate if you tell me.